1st timer here

[AnneG]

Hello.
Today i was on my way back from a walk with my dog. I spotted the baby Desert Tortoise a foot away at about the same time my dog did and managed to snatch it up before my dog got to it.
My neighbor next to me has tons of decorations of turtles in their yard and asked if they owned any. They own 4 but all were accounted for and his turtles are about 6-7 inches long. I showed him the one i found and he said it is not his, it is not even a year old yet and his turtles have not mated.
I immediately set up a little habitat for it. there are 2 burrows for it, a shallow water dish, a rock to feed him on, and a light in an empty tank i had. I still have other rocks im about to put in including a brick for him to bask on. I just finished soaking him as suggested in an article i read because when i rescued him from my dog the DT got scared and peed on me. I also went out and picked a fruit from a prickly pear cactus and gave him a tiny piece which he ate.
I called several places here in Tucson got only answering machines, got a hold of a guy from a turtle adoption place and he requested i send in a pic to help identify what type of desert turtle i found and "we will go from there"....not too helpful.
I was told that because he is so young i need to keep him from hibernating. What i have read says to prevent hibernation to keep him at a certain temperature...a youtube video a guy made said that he filled in their burrow to help keep them from hibernating.
Do i have to take the burrows out? or can i keep it from hibernating by just temperature control?
Tomorrow I will be going to the pet store to get proper supplies to take care of it, including food, a thermomiter, and i dont know what else im about to make a list, then browse the isles too.
Anything helpful you guys can tell me i am all ears! My husband had a turtle for 10 years when he was little before someone stole it so he has had a little experience. This is my first time, Plus it is a tiny tiny baby so im a little paranoid haha

I did not take a picture of his belly because i didnt want to stress him out more by handling him more then necessary right now

View attachment 57761View attachment 57762View attachment 57763View attachment 57764View attachment 57765View attachment 57766View attachment 57767View attachment 57768View attachment 57769

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Anne, and welcome to the Forum!

Your picture is so small it's really hard to know for sure, but it looks like a desert tortoise baby to me.

When outside he needs to be protected from birds, who will pick him up, fly high then drop him on the cement in order to crack him open. That's probably how you happened to find him in the first place.

If you set him up indoors for his first year, until he gets a little bigger, you can follow the sulcata care sheet for baby sulcatas. You will find this at the top of the sulcata section under "important threads." The article will tell you what supplies you need to buy to care for the new baby.

 

[luvpetz27]

Hi and welcome!!
So glad you grabbed him before your dog did!!!!!
What an adorable little guy!

 

[Pokeymeg]

Nice save! Seems like you're giving him a great home so far

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using TortForum mobile app

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome

 

[AnneG]

here are some closer pics View attachment 57802View attachment 57803

 

[mainey34]

Yep, cute little fellow you got there...did you use dirt from your yard as your substrate? Looks a little sandy.

 

[AnneG]

Yep, cute little fellow you got there...did you use dirt from your yard as your substrate? Looks a little sandy.

i used half sand and half peatmoss-the only thing i had on immediate hand <google told me those were ok> and tomorrow ill be able to go get something else, i forget what it is called at the moment but it is a brick of soil type stuff and you make it expand with water

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Your brick stuff is called coco coir and its an excellent substrate for a baby DT.

The pet store will likely try to sell you a coil type UV bulb. These sometimes damage reptile eyes, so I recommend against them. The pet store will likely tell you that the problem is fixed now. It isn't.

They will also probably try to sell you a nice looking water bowl with tall sides and a nice ramp. These are death traps for tortoises. The best water bowls are $2 terra cotta plant saucers from the hardware store, sunk into the substrate.

They will also probably try to sell you some reptile sand for substrate and explain that these "desert" tortoises need it very dry. Wrong again. Very dry will dehydrate them and damage their kidneys. Sand can cause an impaction and kill them, even the reptile calcium sand stuff. Your coir is a great substrate for them. It will allow them to burrow down into it and create their own little micro habitat.

Daily soaks will help keep this baby hydrated until it gets a little bigger. Dehydration is the biggest killer of captive babies, in my experience. The wrong temps being the next biggest. Lots of info in the links in my signature that might help you.