New Mommy to Tortoise

[Mlthomas59]

Hello All my name is Michele and we are from the Lovely Mojave desert
We bought this tortoise last Christmas from some people who didn't really have to much information to give us. We did a web search and believe he might be a south African spurred Tortoise, but are not positive. We feed him a wide range of desert foods he eats well and is very active. He has a pen inside the house for bad weather and night and a pen outside as well for daytime sunlight. We happened to notice he has this crack looking mark on his back shell now and have no ideal how he got it. I was wondering if it's possible that the shell may look like it separates when the grow. I don't think it goes all the way through and there is no oozing or bleeding and he doesn't seem to be bothered. Anyone offer any help.

 

[Mlthomas59]

Hello All my name is Michele. I am from the Mojave desert. Last Christmas we bought a tortoises from some people who were not able to offer to much information about him. We give him a wide range of veggies and fruits including what we grow ourselves and some plants as well . Flash is also given vitamins. We have indoor and outdoor pens for him and he is very active. We do keep flash in at night. That is what brought me here. When we brought Flash in last night we noticed what looks like a crack on his top shell but don't know what would have caused it other than maybe growing. So my question, is that possible?

 

[T Smart]

Hi, welcome! Do you mind posting a picture? It will help to determine what the "crack" is from.

 

[Mlthomas59]

Ok I will try again. But if you see a profile pic for me that is it. I am also trying to post a picture as well.

 

[Mlthomas59]

Ok I will try again. But if you see a profile pic for me that is it. I am also trying to post a picture as well.

 

[LaLaP]

I can't quite tell where this crack is from the photo... is it just between the scutes? If so, tortoises grow there. If it looks like part of the regular pattern widening I wouldn't worry to much. Hopefully someone will chime in with a second opinion though... I'm no expert.

Do you know what type of tortoise you have? On this forum there are fantastic care sheets posted under the category for each species. If you need more information about care this is the very best spot to get it. Welcome to the forum!

 

[Mlthomas59]

No we are not sure we did a web search a believe he might be a South African Spurred Tortoise. The people we bought him from did not know. He was given to them.

 

[LaLaP]

So I think they have basically the same care as a Sulcata. Here is the care sheet for them.

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/african-spurred-tortoise-sulcata-care-sheet.52524/

This thread called Beginner Mistakes is also very valuable when getting started...
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Maybe you could post a photo of the whole tortoise and someone will be able to confirm the species. Hopefully someone will also confirm that they do indeed have the same care as Sulcatas. I'm a bit of a newbie so I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

 

[Mlthomas59]

Ok I am working on that right now I took to long and I couldn't post. Turing again

 

[Mlthomas59]

 

[Mlthomas59]

Ok I think I got the pictures this time I hope

 

[Mlthomas59]

So I think they have basically the same care as a Sulcata. Here is the care sheet for them.

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/african-spurred-tortoise-sulcata-care-sheet.52524/

This thread called Beginner Mistakes is also very valuable when getting started...
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Maybe you could post a photo of the whole tortoise and someone will be able to confirm the species. Hopefully someone will also confirm that they do indeed have the same care as Sulcatas. I'm a bit of a newbie so I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

Thank you i have done a lot of research on a wide spectrum of tortoises but it would help to now the exact breed. And thank you for the spead sheet they will come in handy.

 

[LaLaP]

He is sooo beautiful by the way! What a lovely guy!

 

[Mlthomas59]

So can anyone see this conversation or is just you and I?

 

[LaLaP]

Other people can see it. I'm sure someone else will chime in soon to give another opinion.

 

[Mlthomas59]

He is sooo beautiful by the way! What a lovely guy!

Thank you. We love him so much. He has amazed us with how his lifestyle is and his day to day movements. We didn't know a tortoise could move so fast. My husband and grandson always joke that he is a NASCAR racer because in his pen he always does left turn. We have him in a 4x4x4 dog pen in the house and the same outside.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Michele, and welcome to the Forum!

Your new tortoise is a desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), and it is illegal to buy, sell or take them from the wild. Your tortoise is obviously a captive bred tortoise. You can apply for a permit to keep the tortoise by filling out the form here:

https://tortoise.org/cttc/cdfw_dt_permit_app.pdf

Just follow the instructions on the form. I would not say I 'bought' him, but rather I would say you adopted it from someone who was no longer able to keep it.

It takes some pretty bad care to cause a desert tortoise to grow bumpy like yours, and to have an overshot lower jaw, so he's quite lucky you have taken him in.

There's a very knowledgeable desert tortoise fellow in Bakersfield, and he has written a good care sheet. You can find it here:

https://www.donsdeserttortoises.com/care-sheet/

As you can see from the pictures on his site, your tortoise is quite bumpy compared to what they're supposed to look like. But aside from the lower beak, the bumpy shell is cosmetic and not harmful at all. I think with some continued trimming and a good, calcium-rich diet, the beak can be brought back under control.

Try to figure out a way to enlarge his yard. 4'x4' is not nearly big enough for a desert tortoise. The minimum I would go for would be about 8'x16' outside. The size indoors is ok, as he's only there at night.

 

[Yvonne G]

Scrub out that crack with a toothbrush, allow it to dry, then paint the area with either cold pressed coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil. Allow the oil about a half hour to absorb, then wipe it off with a soft, absorbent cloth. You can do that daily for about a week, then just whenever you feel like it after that.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

I agree that is not a Sulcata that is a Desert Tortoise.

 

[Mlthomas59]

Hi Michele, and welcome to the Forum!

Your new tortoise is a desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), and it is illegal to buy, sell or take them from the wild. Your tortoise is obviously a captive bred tortoise. You can apply for a permit to keep the tortoise by filling out the form here:

https://tortoise.org/cttc/cdfw_dt_permit_app.pdf

Just follow the instructions on the form. I would not say I 'bought' him, but rather I would say you adopted it from someone who was no longer able to keep it.

It takes some pretty bad care to cause a desert tortoise to grow bumpy like yours, and to have an overshot lower jaw, so he's quite lucky you have taken him in.

There's a very knowledgeable desert tortoise fellow in Bakersfield, and he has written a good care sheet. You can find it here:

https://www.donsdeserttortoises.com/care-sheet/

As you can see from the pictures on his site, your tortoise is quite bumpy compared to what they're supposed to look like. But aside from the lower beak, the bumpy shell is cosmetic and not harmful at all. I think with some continued trimming and a good, calcium-rich diet, the beak can be brought back under control.

Try to figure out a way to enlarge his yard. 4'x4' is not nearly big enough for a desert tortoise. The minimum I would go for would be about 8'x16' outside. The size indoors is ok, as he's only there at night.

Hi Michele, and welcome to the Forum!

Your new tortoise is a desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), and it is illegal to buy, sell or take them from the wild. Your tortoise is obviously a captive bred tortoise. You can apply for a permit to keep the tortoise by filling out the form here:

https://tortoise.org/cttc/cdfw_dt_permit_app.pdf

Just follow the instructions on the form. I would not say I 'bought' him, but rather I would say you adopted it from someone who was no longer able to keep it.

It takes some pretty bad care to cause a desert tortoise to grow bumpy like yours, and to have an overshot lower jaw, so he's quite lucky you have taken him in.

There's a very knowledgeable desert tortoise fellow in Bakersfield, and he has written a good care sheet. You can find it here:

https://www.donsdeserttortoises.com/care-sheet/

As you can see from the pictures on his site, your tortoise is quite bumpy compared to what they're supposed to look like. But aside from the lower beak, the bumpy shell is cosmetic and not harmful at all. I think with some continued trimming and a good, calcium-rich diet, the beak can be brought back under control.

Try to figure out a way to enlarge his yard. 4'x4' is not nearly big enough for a desert tortoise. The minimum I would go for would be about 8'x16' outside. The size indoors is ok, as he's only there at night.

Ok thank you. So the people we got him from got him from a pet store in Apple Valley. The bumpy shell is why we thought he was a spurred Tortoise. So ok I will apply for the tag. And as far as the crack it is slowly disappearing. But what is left I will brush out and use the coconut oil I use that on him anyway to moisturize once a week. His outdoor pen is only 4x4 temporally till we move. Then he will have his complete enclosure and pen back. We have a wood shed that is going to be his heated home and fencing around with burrow protection under it. His diet is really healthy I give him a wide range of foods and he does get vitamins along with calcium to help with the shell. The jaw we thought may have been a birth defect but it does stop him from eating. I cut up his food somewhat small for him. He likes to meet me at the cage door every morning for his breakfast and have his head rubbed.
Thank you for the information and kind response.