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Lizshelzy

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South Africa
Hi im mom shelly found a tortoise near my house, but its so small. Im not sure if it is still baby. Im al so not sure the tipe of tortoise. Looks to me like hinged back tortoise. Please help what do i feeds this guy?
 

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DoubleD1996!

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Joined
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Location (City and/or State)
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You can find care guides if you search on the forum, and check out a few YouTube videos.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Looks like a sulcata to me too. The leg scales, head shape, lack of nuchal scute, and the scute shapes on the carapace all look sulcata. The odd color could be staining from wherever it has been dug in.

If I am correct, here is the correct care info:

I recommend you do not watch any YouTube videos. I recently went looking for anything halfway decent and every single one that I found was atrocious. They all repeated the same old wrong info that is found every where else. If you want to give that baby a chance at survival, follow my care sheet above.

The main thing is warmth. You are moving into fall and the temps are dropping there. This species cannot handle colder temperatures. What part of the RSA are you in? I've spent time in and around Johannesburg, George and CapeTown, so I'm familiar with those areas. If you are up near Durban, you would be a bit warmer, which would be good. Keep this little guy at least 27C at all times day and night. No lower. Daytime ambient temp should rise to 30-33C, and the basking area directly below the flood bulb should be around 36-37C.

Questions are welcome!
 

DoubleD1996!

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Location (City and/or State)
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DD, sulc? I thought it looked like a previously bad-cared, deformed box turtle......but I admit not to knowing much....I just hang around cause they haven't made me go home yet.

jeff
I just assumed. The color is kind of off, but it looks like environmental cause, but she is from south Africa, so that's where I'm leaning.
 

Markw84

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Has to be a Parrot-Beaked Tortoise, Common Padloper Homopus areolatus.

The flattened nuchal is not quite right, but that can vary. Only 2 species of Homopus have 4 claws on front feet and based on seam between 4th and 5th vertebral, it cannot be the H femoralis.

Really hard to ID baby tortoises and this is definitely a baby. H areolatus is still pretty common along the more costal regions of extreme S Africa. Was this tortoise found in the costal areas (within 60 miles of the coast or so) between Cape Town and Gqeberha?
 

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