death2pop900
New Member
I just acquired this hatchling tortoise from a coworker who found it in her street gutter. I am not sure if it is a Desert or Sulcata Tortoise. Located in Kern County, CA. Any help is appreciated!
What kind of tortoise is this?
- Thread starter death2pop900
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
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- 29,057
- Location (City and/or State)
- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
Desert tortoise.
Check with your local laws about posession of that indigenous tortoise
Check with your local laws about posession of that indigenous tortoise
death2pop900
New Member
Thank you. I already checked our laws and will be filling out the permit papers to keep it this week. Just wanted confirmation before I filled them out.
Yep. Newly hach DT. Don't follow the advice you find online if you want it to live. They do NOT do better outside. They should NOT be housed on sand. They do NOT get all the water they need from their food...
Soak the baby daily. Use a damp substrate that it can dig in to. Offer a humid hide.
Care for them is the same as a Russian tortoise, but you can add some grass to the diet of a DT. Read these:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Soak the baby daily. Use a damp substrate that it can dig in to. Offer a humid hide.
Care for them is the same as a Russian tortoise, but you can add some grass to the diet of a DT. Read these:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Welcome you are in the right place for information.
ParkourMexican
Member
I love the irony of Tom's statement.
When I lived in AZ my neighbor had at least a breeding pair of desert tortoises (probably more) and one of their hatchlings dug out on the wrong side of the fence and I made the mistake of following said online information. Needless to say my little guy developed a respiratory illness and did not make it through winter in his outside enclosure.
I have learned a lot since then; especially from this forum. Your best bet is to soak in as much information as you can and simply take it one day at a time.
When I lived in AZ my neighbor had at least a breeding pair of desert tortoises (probably more) and one of their hatchlings dug out on the wrong side of the fence and I made the mistake of following said online information. Needless to say my little guy developed a respiratory illness and did not make it through winter in his outside enclosure.
I have learned a lot since then; especially from this forum. Your best bet is to soak in as much information as you can and simply take it one day at a time.
