This guy popped up at our farm!

MamaTawn

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Help! This guy popped up at our farm in Buckeye, AZ. Too big to be a Desert right?

We just found a little Sulcata a few weeks ago (he’s about about a year or so) and never found the owners and now this!

C4DAA45C-1B60-453F-812F-D320625CE2E8.jpeg 286B388D-1E31-455C-BD7B-3E883695E2FD.jpeg 043162CB-2D29-4E45-897F-59B03BC06CA1.jpeg
 
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MamaTawn

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Thank you! That’s what I thought- just didn’t want to take something native home. We will take him home and try to find owners though he most likely was dumped. The land is a good 10 miles from homes....
 

wellington

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It is a sulcata. Try the same with this one as toy did the little one, try to find the owner. If not found can you keep him?
It either got out if someone's yard/enclosure or someone dumped him. If you cant keep him find a rescue that can take him and not dump him.
Possibly the mother or father to the little one you found lol.
 

Ray--Opo

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Wellington is right. They know they will be well cared by you. They could have went in any direction but they picked you:)
 

Flora Belle's keeper

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Agreed it’s a Sulcata. They are certainly strong enough to get out of fences. Post him on face book if u have an account or Pet finders online. Let your local animal control know. You could take them a flyer with a pic as well as one to all the local vets. He/She is probably at least 8-10 years old or more. It has obviously been well cared for so hopefully someone is missing it. If you can’t find it’s home and do keep it, research this site for their various specific needs. The need specialized care...warm temps and to be moved inside if too humid or cool, an escape from the rain or to be brought in if too rainy. This usually means no outdoor temps under 70-75, with sunny and shady areas. Keeping inside your house during the winter is best to avoid illness with the proper UV lighting and basking lamps. They do not hibernate. Good luck!
 

wellington

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Agreed it’s a Sulcata. They are certainly strong enough to get out of fences. Post him on face book if u have an account or Pet finders online. Let your local animal control know. You could take them a flyer with a pic as well as one to all the local vets. He/She is probably at least 8-10 years old or more. It has obviously been well cared for so hopefully someone is missing it. If you can’t find it’s home and do keep it, research this site for their various specific needs. The need specialized care...warm temps and to be moved inside if too humid or cool, an escape from the rain or to be brought in if too rainy. This usually means no outdoor temps under 70-75, with sunny and shady areas. Keeping inside your house during the winter is best to avoid illness with the proper UV lighting and basking lamps. They do not hibernate. Good luck!
There is no humidity that is too humid for a sulcata. As for rain, unless its cold, rain will not hurt them either. The OP is in AZ. A heated night box for those possible cold nights is all that's needed, no having to bring into the house, not the size of this one. In fact this one with its size can even go outside in the winters of Chicago if it so chooses as long as it can retreat to a heated house or night box. Always consider size and location when available for proper advice.
 

Flora Belle's keeper

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Hi Wellington. I agree AZ. is much different from my GA. location. However, i have not had success in housing my large adult Sulcata outdoors during the winter months. Hopefully, i am the only one. Mine has had 2 illnesses with an upper respiratory infection after attempts to house her outside with an insulated outdoor enclosure (tortoise house) with heating. I couldn’t get past Oct. temps here before she became ill. My vet is the one who told me that extreme humidity (rainy) and cold temps don’t mix here. I wish i felt i could try it again. She weighs apx. 50 pounds.
 

wellington

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Hi Wellington. I agree AZ. is much different from my GA. location. However, i have not had success in housing my large adult Sulcata outdoors during the winter months. Hopefully, i am the only one. Mine has had 2 illnesses with an upper respiratory infection after attempts to house her outside with an insulated outdoor enclosure (tortoise house) with heating. I couldn’t get past Oct. temps here before she became ill. My vet is the one who told me that extreme humidity (rainy) and cold temps don’t mix here. I wish i felt i could try it again. She weighs apx. 50 pounds.
Humidity and cold do not mix, never will with tortoises. The high humidity is only a problem when it is cold. Otherwise hot, humid and even rain when it's hot is not a problem.
If you could build a large heated shed for winter then he could stay in that instead of your house and be let outside when it was warm and sunny during winter. Many sulcatas go out into the snow. They don't stay out long but they do and can. Because yours has already had problems it is now more susceptible to get sick again so you need to be more careful to not let him get cold and wet at the same time.
 

Flora Belle's keeper

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Thanks. I have a well insulated tortoise house and keep her out for summer and early fall but nothing i can securely close her up in. It has a door opening and i thought about adding a swing doggie door style door to it for later fall but i am not sure that wouldn’t crate a draft. No shed as of yet, so i guess in for winter for now.
 

Yvonne G

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Looks like a female sulcata to me.
 
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