Need help identifying little tortoise

[Kittym88]

 

[Kittym88]

Four days ago I was given a small tortoise. I do not know much about it other than what I was told. And will be finding a experienced tortoise vet next week once I get paid.I grew up with box turtles, and have never had a tortoise. I am a little concerned because it is not very active. Although today it was up and out of hiding for a good portion of the day. It has been eating just not very much, it loves hibiscus leaves (not the flower), I purchased some calcium powder yesterday but am unsure how to get it to eat anything that it is on. And I have soaked it three times and each time it drank for a good 3-5 minutes (the first time was by far the most). It has pooped once and it was really dark and not runny. At the moment I have it in a plastic bin, we are building a turtle box and it should be ready in two days. I bought a 60 watt ceramic heat bulb, but have not used a uv light since it gets to be outdoors during the day.
I guess my biggest concern is not knowing what kind it is. And what I need to do for humidity. Thank You. Any advise will be appreciated. I am going to attach two pictures, I hope it works. Thanks again.

 

[motero]

Depending on your location he is a desert tortoise or gopher tortoise. Others can probably tell from you photos. He is very cute. He is past the hatchling stage so adding humidity is not necessary. Giving soaks like you have and a water dish is perfect.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome.
Also depending on your location, it might be a tortoise that you are prohibited from keeping.

 

[cmacusa3]

Depending on your location he is a desert tortoise or gopher tortoise. Others can probably tell from you photos. He is very cute. He is past the hatchling stage so adding humidity is not necessary. Giving soaks like you have and a water dish is perfect.

I disagree, this looks like a juvenile and I do believe humidity is still necessary in order to grow out a smooth healthy Shell.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kitty, and welcome to the Forum!

That's a desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) and it is protected. When it gets to be about three years old you'll need to apply for a permit to keep it. Desert tortoises belong to the State they come from, and you are only their caretaker. The SoCal chapters of California Turtle and Tortoise Club help you with the paperwork to get a permit. It's really no big deal, and quite an easy process.

Your new tortoise looks to be about two years old...past the fragile hatchling stage. It's a beautiful little tortoise. The people you got it from have done a very nice job of raising it.

 

[Kittym88]

Thanks for the help. The lady I received it from told me it was her aunts, she sounded like she inherited it, and being she had little kids. She was concerned for it. I will contact the California Tortoise and Turtle Club today. I was going to be contacting them about where a tortoise vet is. I will let them know, and see what I need to do. Thank You again. I am sure I will have more questions to come. This is a great website!

 

[Gillian M]

A cute and unique tort. GOD bless.

Sorry don't know what species it is-am not tort expert.

And a warm welcome to the forum.

 

[Kittym88]

I wanted to update and let you know today it was very active, and his indoor home is complete. It really seemed to like it. Explored everywhere, ate (by the way the lettice is from my garden completely organic). Uploading picture for you to see. I worked longer than expected today, and am contacting the Tortoise and Turtle Club first thing in morning.

 

[Kittym88]

 

[Kittym88]

 

[Kittym88]

In response to Zeropilot. Thank you for the advise and opinion. Thankfully it did not cost much. We made the box, and had the supplies on hand. I will ask if it is pine, I did not think about it getting wet. I think the ramp is impossible to slip, but I also think it needs a much higher side to prevent climbing and falling. The original layout was much bigger, but I was worried about being able to move it (now I think it could be bigger). I guess we will call it his upgraded temporary home and we will go back to original size which was double the size it is now. The house is detachable, the roof lifts up and the sides slide in a grove. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.

 

[Kittym88]

The wood is birch.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

In response to Zeropilot. Thank you for the advise and opinion. Thankfully it did not cost much. We made the box, and had the supplies on hand. I will ask if it is pine, I did not think about it getting wet. I think the ramp is impossible to slip, but I also think it needs a much higher side to prevent climbing and falling. The original layout was much bigger, but I was worried about being able to move it (now I think it could be bigger). I guess we will call it his upgraded temporary home and we will go back to original size which was double the size it is now. The house is detachable, the roof lifts up and the sides slide in a grove. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.

I removed my original post because I thought it sounded too critical and I could see how hard you had worked.

 

[Kittym88]

Appreciated none the less. This being our first tortoise we want to make sure we get it right.