Tortoise identification, please help!

[kasey17]

Can anyone help me identify this little guy? We found her crawling up our driveway this morning. The kids have already dubbed her Roxy, lol. I'm thinking some kind of desert tortoise maybe? Also any tips on keeping tortoises would be great! Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kasey17:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

You have found a Gopherus agassizii commonly known as a desert tortoise. It isn't very old, however, its not a brand new hatchling either. They are native to California, however, if you don't live in their natural range, it is probably someone's escaped pet. Before you think of keeping it, you might consider placing an ad in the paper. "Found" ads are free. You can also put up some fliers on the utility poles around the neighborhood. But don't give out too much information. There are lots of low lifes who will call and tell you it's their tortoise when it really isn't.

(Roxie would probably feel safer if she had a hiding place. And no fruit!
If you can't find the tortoise's owner, then we'll be happy to help you set him up in a safe and natural habitat.

 

[kasey17]

Thanks! I'm actually in Nevada, very close to California but I'll post some found ads anyway. And I'm glad you told me about the fruit! Are collard greens ok? That's what's in there now. What else would be good to feed her? Thanks again

 

[Yvonne G]

Thanks! I'm actually in Nevada, very close to California but I'll post some found ads anyway. And I'm glad you told me about the fruit! Are collard greens ok? That's what's in there now. What else would be good to feed her? Thanks again

They are native to Nevada too. So if you live in a semi-rural area, it may be a wild tortoise.

Any dark, leafy greens are fine to feed...escarole, endive, collard, turnip greens, etc. Even grass and weeds from the yard, if they're not sprayed. And a dish with water that he can climb in and out easily.

Nevada has some pretty strict rules regarding the desert tortoise. Before you decide to keep it, check with your fish and wildlife department to be sure its legal for you.

 

[kasey17]

Ok. Thanks for all the info!

 

[moochie]

<clip>
You have found a Gopherus agassizii commonly known as a desert tortoise. <clip>

What a nice pattern on the shell.

 

[Jacob]

Welcome To TFO, Its A Desert Tortoise, What A Cutie

 

[kasey17]

So I think Roxy is a desert tortoise too, but a friend of mine said he thinks she is a Sulcata? (sorry if I spelled that wrong) Any one have any thoughts on that? How would you tell the diff? Thanks

Thanks Moochie- I thinks she's beautiful!

 

[wrmitchell22]

I don't think it is a sulcata, here is a pic of my Sulcata.

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Here is a pic of a desert tort at a local park I went to last weekend.

 

[dmmj]

Welcome
young deserts and sulcatas are often confused, but after looking at the pictures I am pretty sure that it is a desert tortoise like yvonne said.

 

[Laura]

Spring mix salad is great. Dirt instead of paper towel and a box or soemthing to hide in. what kind of heat? It wont eat it too cold..
perfect little shallow water dish!

 

[kasey17]

Thanks for all the great info and pics!

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This is just her temp. home. It is a plastic sweater box I had laying around. We are going to get a heat lamp, uvb lamp, and a couple other things to dress up a 50 Gal. aquarium I have in storage. I figure this should last a little a while, while we build something bigger. But we don't want to build anything until we post some found ads and make sure no one is looking for her. Also is organic potting soil ok? Thanks again to everyone

 

[egyptiandan]

Yes your new tortoise is a Desert tortoise and not a Sulcata. I agree with Yvonne that it's a last years hatchling. You really don't need to run any found ads, as where you are in Nevada they are native (so it hatched in the wild).

Danny

 

[Shelly]

You should release it in a safe place in the same general area you found it in.

 

[Kristina]

I have to agree with Shelly. I would let it go, and if you want to keep a tortoise friend, get a Russian or Greek that is not a native or endangered species.

 

[Laura]

not sure you can legally release them once they have spent time in captivity..
that would be the best thing to do if you can.
You will need to get permission from the State to keep it.. and they might be able to tell you if release is better and where..

 

[kasey17]

Thank you guys for all the info. I'm pretty sure she was someone's pet because her shell is kind of soft and she's not shy around us at all. Plus I'm in the middle of Las Vegas, so I'm not sure how she would have found us if she wasn't already in the neighborhood. From what I've read so far you cannot release a tortoise that's been in captivity because it can cause the wild tortoises to become sick and die. I'm going to call tomarrow and find out exactly what the laws are, and hopefully we can adopt her or something. It's not like we took her out of her natural habitat, she crawled up our driveway and was sitting on our porch. She found us, lol

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Also... While we do have her, what kind of substrate should I be useing? Right now she is on paper towels for ease of cleaning. I bought a bag of organic soil, but I wanted it to dry out before I put it in so there's no humidity. Will that be ok to use?

 

[Yvonne G]

The humidity is fine. In the real world, they make use of burrows, either dug by themselves but more probably dug by a different animal. And down in the burrow they poop and pee, bringing up the humidity.

So your soil would be quite ok. You can use coconut coir and cypress mulch too.

 

[DesertGrandma]

Let us know the outcome of your calls and if you get to keep her. That would be pretty cool for you and your kids.

 

[kasey17]

So I ended up having to work today which means I'll have to call tomorrow to find out about keeping her. I put the soil in her cage last night and she really seemed to like it. She roams around a lot and is eating and pooping regularly, however I'm worried about her soft shell. I have a calcium suppliment that I use for my water dragons/ bearded dragons. Is it ok to sprinkle that on her food? I don't want to build anything outside if I can't keep her so I bought a small kids pool that I can fill with soil,that way she can have some outside time. I know she's from the desert but it's really, really hot here. My thermometer read 124* yesterday, if I put shade and maybe a burrow do you think she'll be ok? Also if its that hot and she stays in the burrow, doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of sunshine? She does have a 5.0 uvb above her cage. Any thoughts on the calcium/sunshine? Thanks and sorry its so long! Now I have to get back to work!