kacey2767
New Member
The first picture show you what a handsome boy he is the second gives a better idea of his size.
Meet Speedy our Burlander
- Thread starter kacey2767
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The first picture show you what a handsome boy he is the second gives a better idea of his size.
Gopherus berlandieri or Texas tortoise
. . . except he looks like a desert tortoise to me.
Its pyramided and looks to possibly have a slight case of mbd to be in the back/butt area of the shell. Hard to tell for sure though with these pics
Hello and Welcome. Some better pics would help us put some concerns to bed or confirm. Also whether it's what you think it is or if it's actually what Yvonne thinks it is.
Hopefully the pictures on your house floors is just for pics and yoi don't actually let him roam your house.
Hopefully the pictures on your house floors is just for pics and yoi don't actually let him roam your house.
Welcome to the forum. Speedy is adorable!
kacey2767
New Member
Thank you for your interest and concern. Speedy's story is this: he was hatched in Southern Calif at a facility that is raising various endangered or threatened tortoises for release in the wild. I have no idea of the name, or if it is/was even legit. Speedy was born with some pretty bad damage on his shell and the other tortoises were trying to kill him. From what I can gather he was sort of handed out the back door to my sister D. Fast forward a month and my sister T is visiting and happens to mention that she had been thinking about getting a tortoise. D was mor than happy to pass Speedy along. T and I have lived together on and off most of Speedy's life so I am emotionally invested in him. I think the biggest surprise to me in having a tortoise is how much personality and intelligence they have. Speedy clearly recognizes my sisters voice. When he lived here in my apartment he loved to take long looks off the balcony (fenced so he can't fall)
Anyway, my sister T worked with California Fish and Wildlife to make him legal to keep. They labeled him as a Burlander, however he is quite possibly a California Desert Tortoise. The needs are similar, so it's not super important to us.
He has always had about the same body to shell ratio. I have never considered that his shell seems small. He can pull into it plenty far enough for good protection. Perhaps his shell growth has been stunted a bit by the damage?,,,
We took him to the vet yesterday. She seemed genuinely caring and interested but her knowledge was pretty general... An x-ray showed no stone (halleluiah!) His bowel was completely empty though so he really isn't eating. The vet gave him fluids and T is going to step up his soaking routine and change his light.
Finally, we have moved so many times and Speedy's 4 x 4 habitat was ruined in a move. One of the reasons my sister moved was to provide a better habitat for S. Most of his life he day is divided between a habitat, which is currently a large kiddie pool with a mixture of stuff for digging and things in there to keep it interesting, and going outside. We often take him to the park on a leash. He has a big back yard now which my sister is in the process of getting fully tortoise safe. When he is healthy, he has a fairly predictable potty schedule so, yes, we let him roam the house sometimes. He loves this! We keep the floor clear of anything that might hurt him and close doors or put up barricades to keep him safer and prevent us losing him in some dark corner.
what is mbd?
I will get better pictures on here today.
Kim
Anyway, my sister T worked with California Fish and Wildlife to make him legal to keep. They labeled him as a Burlander, however he is quite possibly a California Desert Tortoise. The needs are similar, so it's not super important to us.
He has always had about the same body to shell ratio. I have never considered that his shell seems small. He can pull into it plenty far enough for good protection. Perhaps his shell growth has been stunted a bit by the damage?,,,
We took him to the vet yesterday. She seemed genuinely caring and interested but her knowledge was pretty general... An x-ray showed no stone (halleluiah!) His bowel was completely empty though so he really isn't eating. The vet gave him fluids and T is going to step up his soaking routine and change his light.
Finally, we have moved so many times and Speedy's 4 x 4 habitat was ruined in a move. One of the reasons my sister moved was to provide a better habitat for S. Most of his life he day is divided between a habitat, which is currently a large kiddie pool with a mixture of stuff for digging and things in there to keep it interesting, and going outside. We often take him to the park on a leash. He has a big back yard now which my sister is in the process of getting fully tortoise safe. When he is healthy, he has a fairly predictable potty schedule so, yes, we let him roam the house sometimes. He loves this! We keep the floor clear of anything that might hurt him and close doors or put up barricades to keep him safer and prevent us losing him in some dark corner.
what is mbd?
I will get better pictures on here today.
Kim
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Hey, Kim: Do I know you? Were you once in Fresno, then Idaho? If so, I'm very glad to see you here. I'm pretty sure Speedy is a desert tortoise, not a Texas (berlandieri). MBD is metabolic bone disease, but I'm not so sure he has that. He's got mild pyramiding, but nothing to worry about - it's just cosmetic. He'll be much better once you get him set up outside and he can "conquer" his territory. Just FYI, Texas tortoises are rounder and not as big.
kacey2767
New Member
Thanks, Yvonne, No We've been in Chico, then TX, ND, and now NE. And thanks for the info on Burlander vs. CDT. Either way he really is a sweet boy. I have been slammed today but will see if I can get some more pics posted soon. I have notice the mild pyramiding seems more pronounced the last couple of years. I don't think he eats enough protein... He is offered a good variety but he really mostly just picks out the green beans.
Kim
Kim
