FOUND A TORTOISE

[wellington]

Does not mean you should take it. If the tortoise is native to your area, leave it alone. Finding a tortoise in your yard does not give you the right to take it in as your pet. If you want to examine the animal for health issues, give it a warm soak just to be sure it's hydrated, that's one thing. But don't take it in thinking it's going to now become your new pet. That's just wrong, in my opinion. The best thing would be to just leave it be.
We seem to have had quite a few of these type threads this year. It really gets on my nerve, when people are lucky enough live in areas that have wild tortoises and all they want to do when they are lucky enough to see one is to mess with it and make it a pet.

And if turtles and tortoises are NOT native to your area, then it is someone's lost or escaped pet. It's still not yours to keep. Put up signs on the utility poles. Place ads in the paper and on craigslist. Try to find the animal's owner.

 

[G-stars]

I agree if they are native species but it seems like most are lost pets. In that case most likely they have just saved the tortoises life.


— Gus

 

[smarch]

I feel like in most cases this is a box turtle, and in some areas its hard to know if it was a pet or not and that's where a lot of threads come from. I'm nowhere where a tortoise is native, we have turtles, especially snappers, and I help them across the road when I see them or if a small snapper isn't near the lake I live on I bring it close to help it on its journey, but as cute as they all are I wouldn't keep any, I examine them and look at them a while since they're all so different but always let go quickly.
If I lived where dessert torts are and one wandered in the yard I'd soak it since they could always use some hydration in case, and sent it on its way.
Its this reason specifically if I found an animal that needed rehab I would have to bring it in somewhere since if I helped I'd grow attached and that's not the purpose.

But I feel like the treads you're discussing vary in good and not since some really were pets, I mean when a Russian wanders into someone's yard its not wild just homeless.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Every now and again I'll see a Florida Gopher tortoise in a busy setting. I bring them to a place called "Fern Forrest" Nature Center. It's very large and is a protected habitat. People go there just to watch them and look for them. If I saw one in the boondocks, as I often do, I just admire them and do not disturb them.

 

[TigsMom]

Had to share. Today a Marine Wife friend of mine posted a pic of a tortoise they spotted while walking her children to school. She knows the rules about Desert Tortoises, didn't touch it or disturb it and called to report it to the officials (they live on base) immediately. The tortoise is definitely someone's pet as it is a Russian Tortoise. I did show her pictures of a Russian Tortoise and a picture of the protected California Desert Tortoise and gave her tips on distinguishing between the two and if you're unsure, then best leave it be and make the calls necessary. Had she had the time, she could have stayed with it until officials arrived, but she had to get her kids to school.

Equally concerning is that this escaped pet, could cause health issues to the wild tortoises in the area, hopefully the "officials found the tortoise" and took it to the shelter until the owner could be located.

 

[wellington]

In this case, it would have been good if she could have taken it with her, as long as it was a russian. It's only the native ones I have a problem with people wanting to take them from the wild, even though their wild may be your yard for the moment. Hopefully the escape russian was found.

 

[smarch]

Had to share. Today a Marine Wife friend of mine posted a pic of a tortoise they spotted while walking her children to school. She knows the rules about Desert Tortoises, didn't touch it or disturb it and called to report it to the officials (they live on base) immediately. The tortoise is definitely someone's pet as it is a Russian Tortoise. I did show her pictures of a Russian Tortoise and a picture of the protected California Desert Tortoise and gave her tips on distinguishing between the two and if you're unsure, then best leave it be and make the calls necessary. Had she had the time, she could have stayed with it until officials arrived, but she had to get her kids to school.

Equally concerning is that this escaped pet, could cause health issues to the wild tortoises in the area, hopefully the "officials found the tortoise" and took it to the shelter until the owner could be located.

I feel like in a similar situation I would have told my friend to grab the tortoise for now, because if it was a wild tort you could just soak and release but if it definitely was once a pet it was caught and taken care of/brought to the right place.
That's just my personal opinion though, I feel as long as someone has the intent to let it back if its not an ex-pet then its ok, as long as in cases like dessert torts you soak them so they're hydrated on their way. Worst to come out of it is a few scary hours, not terribly different than when someone takes a tortoise/turtle in for health, done for good intentions and released.
I mean to me its not too different than people who catch snappers and take pictures with them and stuff, I've taken a snapping turtle hatchling in out yard closer to our lake (looked like he's never seen water! just cobwebs, figured i'd help him on his way) and I got to look at him and see and really understand what a hatchling is like as well as a good examination up close of a snapper since even though we live on a lake and they live in it I'd never actually seen one up close and personal. once I got near our shore I put him down in the grass and he ran and jumped into the water and was on his way. I mean there's a difference between trying to make a pet out of a wild animal and taking one and putting it back.
But I agree with the very original post with people just finding a random wild tortoise and making it a pet, I just help ones I find on the way, if I was ever suspicious of it being non-native and once a pet i'd keep it contained, check up on the info then release or keep/find home accordingly, I'd never intentionally pluck up a tort to call mine

 

[Earth Mama]

Last year at our weekend house, while mowing, my husband found a three toed box turtle. He ran in the house and told me he found a tortoise . I went out and got him, gave him a soak. Showed him to our daughter and then put him right back where we found him. The following day in another part of the yard we found an Ornate box drinking from a water hose. We did the same thing with that one. The best part for us is, we still see them from time to time. Must be their territory. Moral of the story. If you find it wild, leave it wild.

 

[Yvonne G]

For some reason, when people find turtles or tortoises their first thought is, "Oh boy...let's take it home!" When they find a dog or a cat the first thing they think of is, "We should try to find this animal's owner."

I don't know what the difference in thought process is, but let's try to change the world. If you find a tortoise, try to find its owner. You can put up fliers on utility poles in the neighborhood where the animal was found, and in the mean time, try to learn the laws in your state regarding turtles and tortoises. If there's a possibility the animal is wild, leave it alone. He is in his territory and if you put him anyplace else, he will probably die trying to get back to his territory.

If there is no possibility it is a wild turtle or tortoise, then try to find its owner. If you've tried and can't put the animal back with his owner, and you don't want it, find a wildlife rescue or turtle/tortoise rescue and turn it in.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

The ones in the suburbs are all likely ones that some one grabbed from someplace else. There is just pavement and cement. This last one had designs painted on his back and was in a gas station parking lot next to a busy street. I agree. If it were even remotely possible that they could be living where I see them, I do not touch them.

 

[smarch]

For some reason, when people find turtles or tortoises their first thought is, "Oh boy...let's take it home!" When they find a dog or a cat the first thing they think of is, "We should try to find this animal's owner."

I don't know what the difference in thought process is, but let's try to change the world. If you find a tortoise, try to find its owner. You can put up fliers on utility poles in the neighborhood where the animal was found, and in the mean time, try to learn the laws in your state regarding turtles and tortoises. If there's a possibility the animal is wild, leave it alone. He is in his territory and if you put him anyplace else, he will probably die trying to get back to his territory.

If there is no possibility it is a wild turtle or tortoise, then try to find its owner. If you've tried and can't put the animal back with his owner, and you don't want it, find a wildlife rescue or turtle/tortoise rescue and turn it in.

If I found one who was a pet once i'd put out to find the owner if they were searching and the guy was lost, but if nothing turned up and I had the means to provide it what it needed I wouldn't turn it to a rescue, they have enough things they're trying to place, I'd skip t he middle man and provide a home.

 

[Mavrik]

Sometimes, fate steps in.

This past summer I found a yearling (?) Sulcata looking for shade under my car in a parking lot of a large shopping center, on one of the hottest days of the year. According to the people working at the nearby pet store, he had been abandoned a couple hours prior by a woman who had been in the store with him in a box trying to sell him -- she claimed she could no longer care for him.

In this case, I was not about to leave him where I found him, nor was I about to sit there and wait for the nearest reptile rescue to come get him (they're about 4 hrs away, and that would have been if they had come promptly!). I live in NE Ohio, so you can't argue that he's native and would have been fine.

I had to learn fast what it takes to provide care of a Sulcata, but I wouldn't give up Thor to do any of it again!

 

[wellington]

Sometimes, fate steps in.

This past summer I found a yearling (?) Sulcata looking for shade under my car in a parking lot of a large shopping center, on one of the hottest days of the year. According to the people working at the nearby pet store, he had been abandoned a couple hours prior by a woman who had been in the store with him in a box trying to sell him -- she claimed she could no longer care for him.

In this case, I was not about to leave him where I found him, nor was I about to sit there and wait for the nearest reptile rescue to come get him (they're about 4 hrs away, and that would have been if they had come promptly!). I live in NE Ohio, so you can't argue that he's native and would have been fine.

I had to learn fast what it takes to provide care of a Sulcata, but I wouldn't give up Thor to do any of it again!

If you read the original thread, if it's NATIVE to your area. Unless you live in Africa, a sulcata would not be native to your area and so you shouldn't leave it an we wouldn't have expected you too either

 

[Mavrik]

I did read the original thread, and I was just saying that circumstances are different for everyone. I understand your being ticked at people for trying to claim wild animals as pets when they have no idea what they are doing, but at least most of these people have (what they believe to be) the animal's best interest at heart.

 

[wellington]

I did read the original thread, and I was just saying that circumstances are different for everyone. I understand your being ticked at people for trying to claim wild animals as pets when they have no idea what they are doing, but at least most of these people have (what they believe to be) the animal's best interest at heart.

Yes, I do believe they all have the animals best interest at heart, which is good. Just, the wild needs to stay in the wild, so we will hopefully always have a wild

 

[Wherethetortiroam]

Totally agree with you Wellington, however, if you obviously do not live in an area of wild Torti say like up north I would see that as a lucky tortoise that's getting rescued.

Like I live in nebraska I'm saying if I come across a wondering Sri lanken star or something like that I'd do everything I could to find its owner, if owner can't be found then I give it a way better home and score a free bad *** tort

 

[Moozillion]

I keep hoping I'll find a lost Burmese star that the owner doesn't want!

And I envy the people on the forum who just FIND amazing torts walking around...of course, it seems like a lot of those are sulcatas, which would NOT work out at our house!!!

 

[SophieMae]

That's good

 

[momvetkat]

I know this is an old topic but it hits home with me. Mr. T was found wandering down the road and would have been run over by a car if someone didn't pick him up (he is a Russian). He was rehomed twice before I took him home. No way to know who his original owner was (we chip our dogs and cats). I have had him two years and he is doing great. Two weeks ago, an employee (I am a vet) found ANOTHER Russian tortoise in the middle of the street! I tried taking him home, but Mr T would have no one on his territory (both are males) so another employee took him home. Whomever owned these guys obviously doesn't have a secure enclosure. Just odd that lightening would strike twice in the same small community.

 

[Lyn W]

My leopard was found in a field but we don't have any native tortoises in the UK so it was safe to say he was lost. We had no luck finding his owner with posters, phone calls to local vets and I even took him to see if he was microchipped but to no avail. The vet I took him to said he thought he had been abandoned because leopards are quite expensive to keep. I know I would be devastated if I lost him now and wouldn't stop looking for him so heaven forbids that ever happens!