Curtis has gone missing

Sa Ga

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Thank you so much!!!!
Edit: Oh my gosh, the whole 50$???? You’re amazing! I can’t thank you enough!!!
I'm so sorry I can't do much (I just had to spend $889 on new tires and sensors on Mon this week, have spent over $1100 on unexpected vet bills for Morla's illness in the last 4 months, and have another $400-$500 coming up for follow-up diagnostics scheduled for March 14th!), but please accept this knowing there is sincere love and hopeful thoughts coming your way! ❤
 

TechnoCheese

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I'm so sorry I can't do much (I just had to spend $889 on new tires and sensors on Mon this week, have spent over $1100 on unexpected vet bills for Morla's illness in the last 4 months, and have another $400-$500 coming up for follow-up diagnostics scheduled for March 14th!), but please accept this knowing there is sincere love and hopeful thoughts coming your way! ❤
That’s no problem, and definitely more than enough!
 

Sa Ga

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That’s no problem, and definitely more than enough!
I agree with ....ummmm...Vladimir? Raise your goal so that it will be all the more "inspiring" to bring him back--remember to note on your fliers "REWARD OF $XX--NO QUESTIONS ASKED!"

I would suggest no less than what they could get selling him themselves, and I'll see if I can scrape up a bit more after payday/paying bills!
 

LaLaP

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Oh I am so sorry this is happening to you! I know how terrible it feels when they go missing.
One thing that I did when my Diego escaped was to hire a woman and her tracking dog. Her dog participated in tracking events where they locate small hidden animals (usually a mouse in a cage). It's a common hobbie so you might be able to find a group in your area.
Her dog didn't find Diego but was on his trail for awhile. He was finally found a mile away and in the direction the dog had led us. I was willing to try anything as I'm sure you are too.
Good luck!
 

vladimir

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It just occurred to me that you could try contacting your local news stations and see if they'd be interested in getting the word out. I've seen several similar stories for missing tortoises around the country - often with a happy ending follow up post


Local news love stories with animals, and this is a little more exotic than a cat or dog
 

Ray--Opo

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Thank you guys so much for offering to do this! Obviously I’m not going to force anyone to donate and it is COMPLETELY fine if no one does. Again, thank you guys so much!
I wish I could donate by PayPal. I have had to many problems using a credit card on my phone.
 

TechnoCheese

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It just occurred to me that you could try contacting your local news stations and see if they'd be interested in getting the word out. I've seen several similar stories for missing tortoises around the country - often with a happy ending follow up post


Local news love stories with animals, and this is a little more exotic than a cat or dog
Contacted them last night, just waiting for a response :)
 

kkgall

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Curtis, my 12 inch Sulcata, has been missing for at least 24 hours. I last saw him on Sunday, when I came out and gave him some Mazuri, and noticed he was missing yesterday. I’ve looked for him all of last night and today (stayed home from school to look), and have not seen any sign of him.

He was given an entire yard to himself about 3 weeks ago, and I thought for sure the yard was secure enough. However, he is nowhere to be found inside the enclosure, and I cannot find him anywhere else on our heavily wooded property.

I’ve checked Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, Letgo, and offerup for any possible thieves, but have seen nothing for listings under “Tortoise”, “turtle”, and “Sulcata”, as well as general listings around my location.

I’ve also gotten the “nextdoor” app, and made a post there. I am about to print missing posters, and put them up around the block.

Does anyone have tips for finding him? It’s very cold out and going to go one degree below freezing tomorrow night, and it’s going to start raining in an hour or two until tomorrow evening. Will he survive this?

I am also very worried about him finding the creek on our property, and the busy road right in front of our house. We don’t have any close neighbors besides the neighborhood across that road.

It is not going to be above 60 degrees until the weekend.
We have a Sulcata who has escaped several times and the best advice I can give you is don't lose hope. He first escaped when he was about the same age as yours, and was outside for 5 nights in a cold new england in March. A 5 year old neighbor found him on the 5th day about 25 yards from our home when we had all but given up on finding him. Most recently, he escaped (now 25 lbs) and we searched all over our heavily wooded yard but it turns out, he hit the pavement in the front of our house (not the woods as I expected) and after a few days of no luck, we finally put up signs and it turns out that a neighbor driving by found him and picked him up and had been caring for it for a whole week! We had both called animal control to report a lost and found tortoise but the animal officer didn't put us in contact!
I would get signs around the neighborhood, if your town has a facebook page, post about your missing tortoise and call your animal control officer in town. I remember when I called a tortoise specialist when ours was missing and told him I put all his favorite foods in the yard, he firmly told me 'he will never come back' that they tend to continue heading away from their enclosure. I don't know if that's true, but just in case, spread the word and spread out and don't loose hope! Good Luck!!
 

Moozillion

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Thank you guys so much for offering to do this! Obviously I’m not going to force anyone to donate and it is COMPLETELY fine if no one does. Again, thank you guys so much!
I sent a donation. :<3:
I cannot imagine how horrible I would feel if I lost Elsa...:(
Hugs and good wishes to you.
 

JMM

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So sorry to hear your friend is missing. Start with your enclosure and check (slowly, on your hands and knees, feel as well as look) every inch of ground--tortoises can dig down and hide--my tortoise Bella went on the lam one day last summer and I had several friends out looking for 2-3 hours and it turned out she was tucked in for the night in a shallow hole with her carapace exposed--she was so well camouflaged that all of us had gone over that section of the yard several times without noticing her. Then work outward from the enclosure in the same fashion. The key is getting down to tortoise level and thinking as someone has said, "like a tortoise." Rocks, brush, the base of trees, piles of leaves are all good hiding spots. Try and get a bunch of friends to help. Don't dismiss areas you think Curtis can't get through or over--tortoises are amazingly determined animals with incredible physical capability. One thing that may be in your favor is that the chilly environmental temperatures may have slowed Curtis down a bit.

The best way to get the word out about a missing pet is to make a flyer with a photo and mobile phone contact info and go knock on every door in your immediate neighborhood. Physically go to all the local vet clinics, shelters, tortoise/reptile rescues, etc. and give them a flyer and if possible, post the same flyer--the key is talking to someone as they will then be more likely to be actively engaged in your search. I know this is a ton of work, but this approach is far superior to just posting flyers on telephone polls--again see if you can get a friend to help with this while you search. Post on Craigslist and all the missing animal sites you can find just make sure to keep reposting on Craigslist so your listing remains at the top of the list.

Good luck.
 

Maggie3fan

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Thank you so much!!!!
Edit: Oh my gosh, the whole 50$???? You’re amazing! I can’t thank you enough!!!

I just love this Forum...I'm on several 'animal' forums and none...I repeat none comes together like this Tortoise Forum...great people...

Thank you so much!!!!
Edit: Oh my gosh, the whole 50$???? You’re amazing! I can’t thank you enough!!!
 

TechnoCheese

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We have a Sulcata who has escaped several times and the best advice I can give you is don't lose hope. He first escaped when he was about the same age as yours, and was outside for 5 nights in a cold new england in March. A 5 year old neighbor found him on the 5th day about 25 yards from our home when we had all but given up on finding him. Most recently, he escaped (now 25 lbs) and we searched all over our heavily wooded yard but it turns out, he hit the pavement in the front of our house (not the woods as I expected) and after a few days of no luck, we finally put up signs and it turns out that a neighbor driving by found him and picked him up and had been caring for it for a whole week! We had both called animal control to report a lost and found tortoise but the animal officer didn't put us in contact!
I would get signs around the neighborhood, if your town has a facebook page, post about your missing tortoise and call your animal control officer in town. I remember when I called a tortoise specialist when ours was missing and told him I put all his favorite foods in the yard, he firmly told me 'he will never come back' that they tend to continue heading away from their enclosure. I don't know if that's true, but just in case, spread the word and spread out and don't loose hope! Good Luck!!
This is really good to hear, thank you so much!
 

nightoff

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Don’t lose hope! Mine has escaped multiple times for a few minutes to 17 days. If there is a way to get out of an enclosure, they will eventually find it. When she was gone for 17 days, it was in warm weather, south Florida where there is plenty to eat, and she was found next door in their driveway. She was literally 30 feet away. Under all of our noses.
I would think with the cold weather, she won’t go far. I would agree with setting up a couple of warm spots and some food. Then get everyone you can searching, from a tortoise vantage point, foot by foot. Fingers crossed.
 

Donna Albu

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Make sure you check out every place that he could have gotten himself stuck, like between trees, under a table between a wall and a chair, under a log that may have fallen, any place that he could blend in with. Did you have the yard locked? Is the fence tall? Chain link is not good fencing because it is not a sight barrier. Being super strong, he could psh himself under it and it could go back into position. Is there something outside the chain link that he'd have been attracted to? Search that side of your yard, use a very bright flashlight and do not make wide sweeps - look at every inch. He may have buried himself under dirt and leaves in an attempt to get warm. Get as many of your friends to help you, and all search at the same time. Work the ground with a lawn rake. Chances are he has tried to get warm and is buried. Call his name over and over, but try to not make sounds that would scare him. Do you have large predators in your area? Dogs, wolves, bears? He can hold his breath for a long time - check the water areas really well. He'll look like a rock at the bottom. Lastly, there are people who will take any opportunity to catch a turtle/tortoise and make soup. Call the septic company and tell them he is missing since they have been out, and ask if they might have seen him. Tell them all about his being a beloved family pet that you have had for 12 years - most of your childhood.

Don't give up on him. Hopefully he will be found even if some time has passed, especially after it warms up.

I know your heart is aching. Prayers for success. And make sure you check his nightbox regularly - he just might make it back there on his own.
 

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