Tortoise Rescue

[Ruri]

Today I came upon a house that had a tortoise. The tortoise was in a glass fish tank about 1' x 2'. It's sad because the Tortoise was about 1' long and it looked he was stuck in the fish tank. I don't know what species the tortoise was, but it looked like a a really dark sulcata. I should have taken a picture of him to post. But any ideas on what I should do? I was think about confronting the owner. Will animal control do anything about it?
Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Ruri: You neglected to tell us what reason you had for being in this person's house...a friend? Business? If you weren't there in an official capacity, then the only thing you can do is nicely ask the person what kind of tortoise it is, then print out a care sheet for them. Susie Cream Cheese and Joe Six Pack have absolutely NO right to "confront" anyone about the care they are giving to their animals. All you can do is show them the correct way and hope for the best. If you suspect animal abuse you can report them to the SPCA, but a confrontation won't do the animal any good. You have to be diplomatic and try to show them the correct way by giving them a printed care sheet. If you suspect they really don't want the tortoise, you can always offer to help by taking in the animal. But try to put yourself in their position and how you would feel if someone comes on strong and tells you how you are not caring for your animal properly.

Good luck...keep us informed!

Yvonne

 

[tortoisenerd]

I'd personally talk to the owner and see if they want to change the habitat/life (you could offer some suggestions), or you could offer to take it and find a suitable home or tortoise halfway house if you can't take it in. If it was a dark Sulcata one reason could be lack of uvb (causes the shell to be darker). I'm going to guess it's pyramided too. Sad to hear about this and hope you can help the tort out. My guess is that animal control would not do anything, but hopefully someone can come along and give you some more information. There might be a few old threads that are similar but it could be tough to find them.

 

[Millerlite]

bring it up, a lot of people dont even think of it as cruel oddly enough. Let her know some info and see if shes willing to change it and teach them.

 

[Kristina]

Hi Ruri: You neglected to tell us what reason you had for being in this person's house...a friend? Business? If you weren't there in an official capacity, then the only thing you can do is nicely ask the person what kind of tortoise it is, then print out a care sheet for them. Susie Cream Cheese and Joe Six Pack have absolutely NO right to "confront" anyone about the care they are giving to their animals. All you can do is show them the correct way and hope for the best. If you suspect animal abuse you can report them to the SPCA, but a confrontation won't do the animal any good. You have to be diplomatic and try to show them the correct way by giving them a printed care sheet. If you suspect they really don't want the tortoise, you can always offer to help by taking in the animal. But try to put yourself in their position and how you would feel if someone comes on strong and tells you how you are not caring for your animal properly.

Good luck...keep us informed!

Yvonne

I agree 110% with what Yvonne said. She is absolutely correct, and "confrontations" never fix anything, IMHO. Offering HELP will be so much better received than jumping on someone.

In my experience, most ASPCA organizations will not do anything if very "basic" needs are met, so most likely that angle will not work for you. I have fought and fought to get animals removed from owners in the past that were not caring properly for their pets, but because their ribs were not showing, and they were not showing obvious signs of abuse, nothing was done. Most lay-persons have no idea of the requirements needed for reptiles. That includes ASPCA officers.

I would ask about the species, and print a care sheet. If the owner does not want the animal, offer a home. If you cannot keep it, rehome responsibly.

Kristina

P.S. Susie Cream Cheese and Joe Six Pack are my friends, don't knock them J/k, I am sorry, but funny choice there.

 

[Ruri]

Thanks for all the great advice people. I'll find out what kind of tort he is and print out a care sheet for the owner. If they don't want the tort anymore, I won't have a problem rehoming him. I'll take a picture next time I see him, because a picture is worth a thousand words right.

Oh, and I work for a company called Edward Jones. Our business model is to go door to door, so I see different things everyday. But I prefer a girl a little more rough around the edges than suzie creamcheese

 

[Maggie Cummings]

It's probably Gopherus agassizii in SoCal. I go along with Yvonne, print out a care sheet and try to nicely inform them the proper care of that tort then when things don't change call DF&G...desert torts are a threatened species and maybe fish and game would help...

 

[Isa]

Good luck Ruri
It is so sad to hear stories like that. I am sure the tortoise will thank you later for what you are doing for her.
Please, keep us updated.