90 lb african tortoise wandered into my back yard. i havn't a clue.
- Thread starter jboy
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If you could give it some water and a shelter for shade and some food, grocery greens will do for now and then put up posters to find the owners.
If no one comes forward, they may have dumped him thinking it could survive. In the case of no one coming forward either keep him or find a tortoise rescue please. He should not stay in the wild to not survive on his own. He would have been taken care of by humans his whole life.
If no one comes forward, they may have dumped him thinking it could survive. In the case of no one coming forward either keep him or find a tortoise rescue please. He should not stay in the wild to not survive on his own. He would have been taken care of by humans his whole life.
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They can eat grass and hay, they burrow to escape heat, they drink water best if they see it move, like from a hose into a shallow pan.
That is someone's pet, maybe yours now, but it'd be kind to seek the most recent past owner.
Sulcata do well in Arizona for the most part. Odds are it's a male, but without looking at the tail, most people won't be able to tell from the photo you show, I cant.
That is someone's pet, maybe yours now, but it'd be kind to seek the most recent past owner.
Sulcata do well in Arizona for the most part. Odds are it's a male, but without looking at the tail, most people won't be able to tell from the photo you show, I cant.
my wife and I are rescue people, 3 dogs, 3 cats, 1 horse, and now 1 tortoise. the nearest housing development is over a mile away so it came at least that far. on his shell is a date, if true, would make it 66. it drank a lot of water when it first arrived and I have closed up the openings on our 5 acres. I have been doing exactly what you said but I read that too much grocery greens can be bad and it won't eat the Bermuda grass the horse eats. what would be its staple here in the desert?
sulcatas eat grass in the wild. Make sure the enclosure is not see thru. I would read up on the enclosure section and the diet section for sulcatas on this website it is all great info.
as much as I really like this guy I think I will try and find its owner. and, if no luck may call a rescue. if it is as old as I think it deserves a good life. I could try but it makes sense to get experts for it. it runs the 5 acres now and seems to be fine but I will make sure it doesn't get out and lost in the wild.
Grocery greens are better than no food. Like @wellington said, first to save the life of the tortoise. It might be very hungry and dehydrated.
The grocery greens was a quick fix for a tortoise that isn't yours, seeing you said there's nothing really for it to eat where it was found. Otherwise, grass, cactus pads, many weeds, etc. the easiest while trying to find the owners would be grocery greens. You can look up more edibles here http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk
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Hi
If your property is not fenced, more than likely this is a tortoise that someone turned loose - doesn't want anymore. People do it all the time, even though it is illegal. Put up fliers on the utility poles (found tortoise) and maybe advertise on craigs list, but don't allow the tortoise to escape. If you don't want it and can't find his owner, then call a rescue or turtle club and turn him in. He will make the native desert tortoises sick and should not be allowed loose in the desert.
I would love to have a sulcata come walking into my backyard. This one is probably not as old as you think. He still desires good care though. Sulcatas were not imported into the USA much before 1990. The one you have looks to be captive breed and not imported. They can easily grow to 90 pounds in 10 years. Yours might be 10 years, or it might be 20 years. There is really no way to tell for sure.
You said the closest neighborhoods are a mile away? A tortoise could easily walk that far. I would put up signs in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Bixi
Member
From the looks of the shell, she was definitely captive raised.
If you want a nice pet, I would feed her and give her some nice yard space to roam.
Put in a shallow (carapace-deep) pond to soak and get out of the heat.
As others have said, put out notifications and see if you can find an owner. Otherwise... a new family member may have found you
p.s. - sorry, I keep referring to Sulcatas as "she", they are most likely "he"
If you want a nice pet, I would feed her and give her some nice yard space to roam.
Put in a shallow (carapace-deep) pond to soak and get out of the heat.
As others have said, put out notifications and see if you can find an owner. Otherwise... a new family member may have found you
p.s. - sorry, I keep referring to Sulcatas as "she", they are most likely "he"
Wow, that's amazing! Great news! Did you ask the owners how old she is?
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You deserve some good karma coming your way!! Great news and so happy he got home safe. 2 months in the desert! Wow! What a survivor. We humans probably would last 2 days
what an amazing animal. I am sure the owner was very happy! I would be so happy.
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