Surprise! A Tortoise in the backyard.

My son discovered what I believe is a California Desert Tortoise in our backyard yesterday. The only way in is up a long steep hill and under a pretty small gap in a fence. So i was very surprised to find her there. Since then I have done my best to read up on what I can do to take care of her for the moment. Meanwhile I am trying to find an owner.

I am wondering if she has been on her own for a while though, her lower jaw looks protruding, I can't tell if it's a crazy long beak or a prior injury that has healed. Other than the jaw everything else looks and feels healthy, nevertheless I plan on taking her to the vet tomorrow.

I am in San Clemente, CA. Any advice appreciated. She seems very sweet... not timid really at all... and she is eating.

wekcome to the forum!! please post pics of the tort because if its a desert tort you need like permits and stuff. are you guys going to keep him?

russian/sulcata/tortoise said:

wekcome to the forum!! please post pics of the tort because if its a desert tort you need like permits and stuff. are you guys going to keep him?

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I read about the permits. I honestly am not sure we can keep it. Though a big part of my whole family would like to! I am first concentrating on finding out if someone is looking for her.

CONGRATS it is a desert tort! put up flyers every where someone is most likely looking you the little dude. while he is in your care don't feed him a lot of fruit or lettuces, feed him mostly grasses.

That is an odd underbite. A good reptile vet will be able to give you a better idea of how to treat it. All the right foods will help. Here's a care sheet that will help you keep it healthy while you look for it's owner. http://www.tortoise.org/general/descare.html

Thanks for the advice. Hopefully whomever lost her will be reunited. If I can't find the owner I will probably give her to a tortoise rescue.

I've just spent a bunch of time trying to find info on native reptiles in San Clemente. And even checked Camp Pendleton, as I know they protect native wildlife there. I was (and still am) very sure Desert Tortoises are not native to San Clemente. It's just too close to the beach. And because you say the one you found is not timid, I truly believe it's someone's pet. It's shell is in great shape and other than that extreme underbite appears to be healthy. One of my Desert Torts had an underbite at a very young age and amazingly over the past 14 years or so the underbite is no longer noticeable.

I recently rescued a large Sulcata Tortoise that was lost. Determined to find it's owner, I googled the neighborhood he was found in and zoomed into backyards to see if I could spot a Sulcata habitat, I did find a few potentials. Then proceeded to go knocking on doors (there were no flyers of missing tortoise). Also contacted the Humane Society to ask if anyone had reported a missing tortoise (do not tell anyone the type or description on flyers or while asking) make them describe the one they are missing, that way you can rest assured it's the true owner. He only stayed with me 24 hours and it was a pure joy to care for him. Long story short we actually know the owner (small world) and now have visiting and babysitting rights when they travel. LOL

The one you've found in your backyard may not have traveled too far from it's home. It doesn't look as though it's been carried by a predator (Raven's, Coyotes, etc). It looks relatively young, guessing between 5 and 10 years old. There are no tags on him are there? That permit tag might have been handy to find it's owner. If you do take him to the vet, ask them to scan for a microchip in the rear legs. Some folks do have their torts microchipped.

Keep us posted on how it all goes.

TigsMom said:

I recently rescued a large Sulcata Tortoise that was lost. Determined to find it's owner, I googled the neighborhood he was found in and zoomed into backyards to see if I could spot a Sulcata habitat, I did find a few potentials.

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I never would have thought of doing that.

Hi, and welcome to the Forum! That looks like a young male to me. The lower beak really needs to be filed down so he can eat easier. Good for you (trying to find his owner). If you decide to put up fliers or advertise on craigslist or in the paper, don't put out too much info. Make the people who contact you describe the tortoise.

Owners found!

We gave back our little guy tonight... found the owners miraculously. This little guy went missing from them September 21st they said. They live about a mile away. Pretty amazing stuff. I must say we are going to miss him... but so happy we found the owners.

Happy ending.

A. Johnson said:

Owners found!

We gave back our little guy tonight... found the owners miraculously. This little guy went missing from them September 21st they said. They live about a mile away. Pretty amazing stuff. I must say we are going to miss him... but so happy we found the owners.

Happy ending.

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congrats you did a good deed!!!! stick around on the forum, maybe you will find some interest in owning torts!!!!

That is a wonderful thing you've done for that family, no doubt they missed him terribly. You really should consider getting a tortoise of your own for your family. There are lots of tortoises out there that need good caring homes and care takers like you and your family.

Awww what a happy ending Great job on doing the right thing on trying to find the owners.