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.

 

[Phillip]

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.

I completely agree with you. I always try to find a pets home. We are in an area that everyone is on 5+ acres. We went door to door within about a mile radius and no luck. We sent emails out to the neighborhood email and posted on FB. Not a single response. After about 2 weeks we decided to keep them.

I am not sure whether to refer to them as a him or her. Some help on that would be appreciated.


For now I made an Impromptu Enclosure in the only area protected by predator fencing and made a small "burrow" she can relax in. As it stands now if it drops below 60 at night she is brought in to the house. I have a big open room downstairs where she chose the area she likes and got a box with a towel in it. Same with the heat, if it's over 85 she comes in and hangs out in that room and my office if I am working from home for the day. She goes out every morning and gets to hang out in the sun and bask though, same with the afternoon.

You actually touched on the main subject I joined the forum, brumation. Only having her recently showing up and knowing this area, most of the people I know with tortoises all go into brumation at around early October. I don't know if it would be safe for her yet. If not I will have to figure out what I am going to do for an indoor enclosure in short order, something better than the box and towel in a room.

 

[Ink]

I believe you have a female. It's hard to tell because of the neglect. They might be delayed in development. However short tail. Wait for an expert

 

[wellington]

I agree with InK that it's a female, and also the sex maturity could be delayed by the conditions she is in
Because of her bad condition and you know nothing about her past, whether she normally brumated, I would keep her up and get her healthier.
Very glad you did not find the owner. Although, they could possibly have rescued her also, but with no one claiming her, sounds like someone let her go.

 

[zovick]

I completely agree with you. I always try to find a pets home. We are in an area that everyone is on 5+ acres. We went door to door within about a mile radius and no luck. We sent emails out to the neighborhood email and posted on FB. Not a single response. After about 2 weeks we decided to keep them.

I am not sure whether to refer to them as a him or her. Some help on that would be appreciated.
View attachment 378184

For now I made an Impromptu Enclosure in the only area protected by predator fencing and made a small "burrow" she can relax in. As it stands now if it drops below 60 at night she is brought in to the house. I have a big open room downstairs where she chose the area she likes and got a box with a towel in it. Same with the heat, if it's over 85 she comes in and hangs out in that room and my office if I am working from home for the day. She goes out every morning and gets to hang out in the sun and bask though, same with the afternoon.

You actually touched on the main subject I joined the forum, brumation. Only having her recently showing up and knowing this area, most of the people I know with tortoises all go into brumation at around early October. I don't know if it would be safe for her yet. If not I will have to figure out what I am going to do for an indoor enclosure in short order, something better than the box and towel in a room.

The other pix you posted confirm that it is indeed a Desert Tortoise, so it appears that you have a female Desert Tortoise.

Looking at the condition of the shell, that poor tortoise is lucky to have gotten away from its previous owner, assuming that person didn't just tire of it and take it out and release it into the wild.

Good luck with the tortoise!

 

[SarahJoy]

Welcome and thank you for taking is this sweetheart! Keep us updated of your progress and always ask questions! You are in the right place. Hang on to your heart, she is going to steal it

 

[Phillip]

Welcome and thank you for taking is this sweetheart! Keep us updated of your progress and always ask questions! You are in the right place. Hang on to your heart, she is going to steal it

She already has. When I sit in her enclosure or bring her inside she always finds me and makes me move or stands on my toes. She is a lot more active than I thought she would be with the shape of her shell. Very inquisitive as well, she has to check every single thing out in her area.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I’m genuinely so happy this tortoise found someone caring like yourself❤️

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi and welcome! You have there one of my very favorite species of tortoise. I just love the desert tortoise! She's not one of the prettiest desert tortoises, but "PHILLIPPA" is wonderful! Treasure her.

Provide a LARGE receptical for water. I use the lids off of the garbage dumpsters. . . the ones the truck grabs, picks up and empties into the truck. Sink it down into the ground to make it easier for the tortoise to climb into. Because it's obvious from the shape of the shell this tortoise hasn't seen much water, you should force soak daily for a week or so, then just let her get her own water after that.

I disagree with others who have said to provide a heated shelter. You live in the tortoise's native range. If she were wild she wouldn't have access to cold day or nighttime heat. Just give her a secure shelter where she can escape the heat and down deep enough to have the earth keep her warm.

 

[Phillip]

Hi and welcome! You have there one of my very favorite species of tortoise. I just love the desert tortoise! She's not one of the prettiest desert tortoises, but "PHILLIPPA" is wonderful! Treasure her.

Provide a LARGE receptical for water. I use the lids off of the garbage dumpsters. . . the ones the truck grabs, picks up and empties into the truck. Sink it down into the ground to make it easier for the tortoise to climb into. Because it's obvious from the shape of the shell this tortoise hasn't seen much water, you should force soak daily for a week or so, then just let her get her own water after that.

I disagree with others who have said to provide a heated shelter. You live in the tortoise's native range. If she were wild she wouldn't have access to cold day or nighttime heat. Just give her a secure shelter where she can escape the heat and down deep enough to have the earth keep her warm.

Hi Yvonne,
I am glad you posted this. I am in her natural habitat but I am close to the edge of it in Northern AZ. So far she doesn't dig, not even a little bit. I am working on a better burrow for her this weekend so she has more reprieve from the heat and she doesn't have to come in doors as much.

She has been getting soaked every other day for the past 2 weeks and has access to water whenever she wants. She actually made me laugh yesterday because she kept dunking her head under the water, then letting out a sigh. She had to put in effort because it was only about an inch deep on the side of the container her head was by. I love the idea of the dumpster lid, I was actually looking at plant saucers but this seems like a better idea.

My biggest concern right now is brumation. I have no idea what her past is or current health in relation to brumation. I would like to keep her up for the winter just to make sure she is healthy enough to make it through next season. I need to setup an indoor enclosure to accomplish this and not sure where to start. She is bigger than she looks in the pictures, she's about 9" long and having a big enough space indoors is doable, but will take some serious effort in short time. I have been reading Toms "The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise" and using it as a guide to get everything rolling. The information you, Tom and many other people have accumulated here is amazing and one of the most helpful places I have found.

 

[SinLA]

thank you for taking her in and giving her as good a life as you can. She clearly deserves it