please Identify found today

[pinhead]

I was on the way home and picked this up on the side of the road. I know it is not a native tortoise thaught I was stopping to pick up a painted turtle covered in mud but I guess not. Please help I want to give him the best home I can

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Eric:

Its a female Russian tortoise (Testudo Horsfieldii). Its some one's escaped pet.

 

[wellington]

You should try to find it's owners before you just keep him. They are escape artist and may have escaped. The owners may be looking for him.

 

[Kerryann]

That is one beautiful tortoise who looks well cared for. If you don't find her owners you got yourself a beauty You are her knight in shining Armour!

 

[pinhead]

I have called the nature park he was near as well as calling both the local pet stores. I have also posted the finding on craigs list.It looks like she has had a rough life. She has a strange shape to her shell looks like she was without food or sick for a long period of time .She has some very old scaring on the shell as well as some new scrapes on the shell. I gave her a little soak and she pooped some fecal matter with a lot of fine sand mixed in. This was also the first realy warm day we have had in several weeks and if she is a pet that got loose she had to walk miles to get to where I picked her up. Could she have spent the winter loose in the park and just woke up looking for food? Last month we had some warm weather then back into the 50 to 60 during the day and the lowes in the lower 40 during the night. Yesterday was in the high 60 and today the mid 80s.

 

[pinhead]

Thanks for the advise and praise I picked her up on the white line on the road in rush hour traffic. If I had been 3 cars back I would not be sharing this with you. I have been picking turtles up off the road for as long as I can remember and have picked up some large native turtles but never an exotic. What are the chances that she has been wild for some time and just came out from a mild winters nap? Thanks again Eric

 

[Niki]

Looks just like my Russian.

 

[Kristina]

Judging by the color of her shell, no, she has not been wild for some time. That pale new growth would not be there if she had been exposed to sun regularly. It would have darkened and matched the color of her scute centers. Also, based on how her scutes are "stuck" together, I can confidently say that although she was well fed, she was raised with no humidity. She grew, but no where near symmetrically.

As far as walking for miles - yup, they do that. You would be amazed the territory even a little Russian can cover in a short period of time!

There is also the very real possibility that someone no longer wanted her, and dropped her off in the park. People are... well, you get my drift.

Make sure not to give out too many details in your ads. You will get bombarded with people who will claim her to be theirs, just to get a free tortoise. Make them identify her.

As far as the scrapes, that really isn't that abnormal. The old scrapes probably date all the way back to when she was a wild Russian stomping around in her native habitat. They aren't exactly delicate creatures, and are more likely to go through, over, or under something, rather than around - hence the new scrapes I have 7 of these little escape artist devils, and it is never a dull moment.

 

[JoesMum]

It might be worth stopping by a vet and getting her. She may have been microchipped. Russians are notorious escape artists... so this one may not have been abandoned.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

You found a big female Russian tortoise in the middle of the road?! Wow! I have also stopped to move turtles away from the road, but they were always native species. If I found an exotic tortoise like that, my eyes would bug out! What part of the country do you live in?

I agree with Kristina's assessment of the carapace. This animal is in good condition, but has only recently begun spending a lot of time outdoors, since the newer growth is much lighter than the older growth.

Yeah, it's considerate to post an ad saying you found a lost tortoise, and let anyone calling describe it so you know it's really their's. However, if no one claims it, you've got yourself a nice Russian tortoise female, and a great story.

 

[pinhead]

Thanks for all the information. I ran a craigs-list found listing for 2 days before I got tired of people calling to see if I wanted to give it away. I had calls from other states saying they lost a turtle 10 years ago but I was not a Russian. I guess everyone here has lost a box or slider at some point. She does not have a microchip and all the vets in the area have not herd from anyone that is missing one. At what point do you decide to invest in a proper cage. It is not fair to live in a rubbermaid tote for ever. She gets out every day to roam the yaed but I can tell she does not like the tote. And boy can she eat. Thanks Eric

 

[Kerryann]

I am so happy for you

 

[Yvonne G]

I usually place an ad in the paper ("found" ads are free) and it runs for a week. If I don't find the owner after the ad runs out, I adopt it out. So I think a week or two would be ok.

But, since this tortoise was found outside, I think its safe to assume she's used to living outside. It would be unfair to build her an indoor habitat. She needs to be outside.

 

[yagyujubei]

Make sure that you make the "owner" who may answer your ad describe it to your satisfaction. There are many who cruise craigslist looking for a freebie.

 

[pinhead]

Yes you are right, I had several people willing to take it that had never lost a turtle. I do have an outside area that currently houses my Box turtles and pond I could build a 8X4 pen that would keep them apart during the summer. Giving her a good life is what I want to do and frankley it would be easier for me to spend the money and build the pen than to deal with all the people wanting to get somthing for nothing. My current box turtle pen is 17feet by 30feet with a 11x9 pond. I feel some what obligated to take care of her just because if I would have been anywhere else at that moment she would have been road kill. Thanks Eric