New, unexpected Tortoise owner

[Phillip]

Hi everyone,

New here, been lurking for the last week looking for information.
I was out of town a little over 2 weeks ago and the daughter took out the garbage and came back with a desert tortoise.
With no luck in finding their home we decided to keep it, she named it Philip......no clue if it is male or female though. I tend to think female.
With the shape of his/her shell is in they haven't been cared for very well.

I am in the process of trying figure everything out.
We have a 200 Sq ft temporary enclosure set up for now with an above ground "burrow" for the time being. Something more permanent is in the works but isn't going to happen over night.

Meet Phillip

 

[zovick]

Hi everyone,

New here, been lurking for the last week looking for information.
I was out of town a little over 2 weeks ago and the daughter took out the garbage and came back with a desert tortoise.
With no luck in finding their home we decided to keep it, she named it Philip......no clue if it is male or female though. I tend to think female.
With the shape of his/her shell is in they haven't been cared for very well.

I am in the process of trying figure everything out.
We have a 200 Sq ft temporary enclosure set up for now with an above ground "burrow" for the time being. Something more permanent is in the works but isn't going to happen over night.

Meet Phillip
View attachment 378176

How certain are you that it is a Desert Tortoise? There is another species (the African Spurred Tortoise which are quite common as pets and frequently escape) which it could possibly be and seeing whether your tortoise has a nuchal scute or not would confirm the species identity. Can you post another photo of the tortoise taken from the top?

Also if it is a Desert Tortoise, are you aware that it is not legal to keep them in captivity without obtaining a license from your state? The permits are easily obtained.

Best of luck with the tortoise!

 

[Tim Carlisle]

Hi everyone,

New here, been lurking for the last week looking for information.
I was out of town a little over 2 weeks ago and the daughter took out the garbage and came back with a desert tortoise.
With no luck in finding their home we decided to keep it, she named it Philip......no clue if it is male or female though. I tend to think female.
With the shape of his/her shell is in they haven't been cared for very well.

I am in the process of trying figure everything out.
We have a 200 Sq ft temporary enclosure set up for now with an above ground "burrow" for the time being. Something more permanent is in the works but isn't going to happen over night.

Meet Phillip
View attachment 378176

Hey Phillip! Are you certain it wasn't just a wild DT that happened to wander onto your property? I believe they're illegal to keep in AZ without a permit

 

[Phillip]

You are both correct. They are illegal to keep in AZ without a permit. I have a couple of friends that are with Arizona Game and Fish, they were the first ones I contacted. I am working all of that out currently.

I thought about it being wild at first. After talking to my friend at Game and fish he said it's not wild, with the state of it's shell and how friendly it is, it had to be some ones pet.


Will these pictures show what you are looking for zovick?

 

[wellington]

OMG, yes it is someone's pet and was poorly taken care of. I normally tell people like you that the first thing to do is try to find the owner. It's not your right to keep someone's pet without trying to find the owner first. However, this tortoise is in such bad shape and likely has metabolic bone disease, besides the horrible pyramiding, I'd say keep it if you can do better then the life it has had.
You need to house it outside, give it deep shade for your very hot days and provide misters to add some humidity. He needs a heated night box for the colder days and nights as his health, he should not be left to brumate during those times.
Feed as natural diet as possible and add calcium twice a week to his food.
@Yvonne G or @Tom might be able to help further.

 

[Ink]

Welcome to the forum. Thank you and your daughter for helping this neglected tortoise.