I've been adopted by a Russian tortoise in N. California.

[greenighs]

He showed up in my fenced-in yard a few days ago, apparently emerging from hibernation, and now I'm smitten with him. He seems to be in good condition and there are plenty of broad leaf weeds to feast on in my yard, no herbicides or pesticides are used here. I'm planning on putting chicken wire along the bottom of our fence about a foot deep into the ground, if he chooses to dig deeper than that to get out, then he will have earned his freedom I suppose. I really hope he decides to stay. I ordered some calcium supplement powder with vitamin D for him. Not sure what else he'll need, being a free-range kind of guy as he is.

Here is an album of his first week with us. Here are some videos.

Slightly concerned about night time temperatures, although he obviously has been on his own for quite a while. It gets into the mid forties (F) at night, 70s during the day lately (East Bay area, California). He burrows into the loose soil behind my house at night, basks on the warm concrete during the day, and munches on dandelion greens and the little bit of green leaf lettuce & brussels sprout leaves I've offered him. I've given him a few good soaks in a shallow pan of lukewarm water. So far so good.

His name is Jetta and he enjoys the music of Roy Orbison.

 

[hingeback]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Have you put up fliers or checked Craigslist? Someone may be devastated by this guy's absence. I'd make a good effort to find the previous owners before getting too attached.

 

[chondroaddict]

Welcome to the forum! I agree with Sarah. I'd try to find the previous owner. If no one claims it then... hey, finders keepers.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

It sounds to me as if the previous home-owners moved and couldn't find their tortoise to take him with them. Can you contact them and ask if you can keep him?

 

[popeye tortoise]

Hello and welcome to the forum

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[greenighs]

I've searched and put notices on Nextdoor.com for my neighborhood, Craigslist Lost & Found, and on Reddit in the subreddit for my town. I also looked for any "lost tortoise" notices in my local paper and online in general and contacted a couple of people, even a person who lost his tortoise four years ago. Asked my neighbors. No match so far. He looks like he dug up from hibernation (had thick clumps of dirt on him when he showed up), so I'm pretty sure he's been on his own for months if not years. But yeah, if someone answers my inquiries and can prove this is their guy, I would part with him of course.

Also, I've been on this property for four years, and it's a small yard (800 square ft.), so I doubt the previous tenant left him. He tunneled in from another yard, I'm pretty certain. I also found a box turtle here the other night when I was out with a flashlight checking on Jetta. I'm in a more urban than suburban area (tattoo shop, massage joint, gun shop, two fast food joins within two blocks of me, yo). So odd to have TWO shelled beasties show up out of nowhere.

 

[Rue]

Could also be someone dumped one or both of them. If that's the case I wouldn't want to be looking too hard to give them back to the owners.

While I haven't had a reptile dumped at our acreage...we certainly have had our share of dogs and cats (and yes, I can tell the difference between a housecat that's been dumped and a feral cat...or even a friendly wandering barncat).

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome , sounds like you did your best t find the owner . I say enjoy your new to you Tort !

 

[greenighs]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

It sounds to me as if the previous home-owners moved and couldn't find their tortoise to take him with them. Can you contact them and ask if you can keep him?

I got some calcium/vitamin D powder for him. Today, I gave him brussels sprout leaves, dandelion leaves and dandelion flowers dusted with the powder and he totally chowed down on them! At it all! It's been really rainy here, and I"m thinking of taking him in until the rain passes. Do I need to get a UVB light if he's only indoors for a few days?

 

[Speedy-1]

I got some calcium/vitamin D powder for him. Today, I gave him brussels sprout leaves, dandelion leaves and dandelion flowers dusted with the powder and he totally chowed down on them! At it all! It's been really rainy here, and I"m thinking of taking him in until the rain passes. Do I need to get a UVB light if he's only indoors for a few days?

No uv light needed if its only for a few days , plants in the cabbage family are not the best as they are hard to digest and give them gas !

 

[Yvonne G]

...and are in the brassica family.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/food-from-the-brassica-family.49450/

 

[greenighs]

...and are in the brassica family.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/food-from-the-brassica-family.49450/

Wait, so does that mean they're okay or not okay? I won't be feeding him every day, since there are plenty of broad leaf weeds in the yard for him. I was planning on supplementing the wild weeds with organic greens and flowers from time to time. I must admit, there are so many Always/Rarely/Never lists online, I am confused.

 

[Speedy-1]

Wait, so does that mean they're okay or not okay? I won't be feeding him every day, since there are plenty of broad leaf weeds in the yard for him. I was planning on supplementing the wild weeds with organic greens and flowers from time to time. I must admit, there are so many Always/Rarely/Never lists online, I am confused.

Not OK .

 

[Elyce]

I think thats very cool, its totaly strange for a tortoise to just show up. I doubt hybernation. 4 years of living there and it to now come around is very unlikely. With the rain youve been experiencing id build him or get him a dog house or on etsy.com they have tortoise homes built. Id be worried about the cold too so im mentioning it. But still, i think thats very cool and highly doubtful youd find the owners back. So good on you! Take him inside, depending on his size. Take pics im sure more people can say more info about it to you.

 

[greenighs]

I think thats very cool, its totaly strange for a tortoise to just show up. I doubt hybernation.

This is my first encounter with Jetta. Note the mounds of compacted dirt on his shell. It was on pretty good, had to hose him down AND chip it off with a wooden spoon.

4 years of living there and it to now come around is very unlikely.

What are you implying? That I am a tortoisenapper? Hmmmmm?

Good idea about the doghouse. At the moment, I have a planter on its side as a shelter. I took him in to roam my cottage for the night when it was really stormy.

I've had a few people contact me re: the Craig's List ad, but they were on the other side of the Bay, and they don't give bus passes on reptiles. So yeah, I think Jetta is mine now.

 

[Elyce]

Lol. Yes i'm implying exactly that. Your a tortoisenapper! No, im saying he probably been digging under fences for a while. They go so deep, pending the breed. I honestly wouldnt worry about finding pervious owners. "No buses on the other side of the bay" .. Do you live near Newark? Either way keeping him warm is important. Id take him inside, not much harm he can do unless you have carpet and hes not potty trained.

 

[greenighs]

Update! I found Jetta's owner! A neighbor who I had kept missing (we keep different hours) was finally home when I was, and I found out both torts were recent escapees from his collection of NINE torts. He and his wife had seven misc. turtles and tortoises, including two huge Sulcatas with the healthiest shells I've ever seen! Raised from hatchlings, now 15 years old!

The neighbor is really attached to the box turtle, but the Russian is mine to keep as he's ornery and harasses the other torts. I rounded up the box turtle and sent him home, and now Jetta is officially ours! Yay! We found the hole he dug and filled it in, and the wire fencing will be installed hopefully this weekend. Here is Jetta having a celebratory rose for his lunch: http://i.imgur.com/NJf0NIL.jpg

Thanks for all your help and the warm welcome!