Found Russian tortoise, Contra Costa county CA

[Boris' G Ma]

I have found a wandering Russian tortoise in Martinez, Pacheco , CA area. Please message me if you know anyone or if you are missing yours. Hopefully I can get the sweet little guy back to his family. Not sure if this is posted correctly and if not, please direct me as to where it should be posted and how, LOL! I'm new to this board and it took me two days to do this! I have a 6yr old sulcata. Also, thanks to this forum for all the helpful info on how to care for the found little guy and how to care 4 Boris my daughters Sulcata! I was reading about an RI bacteria the Russians torts can carry that can be deadly to other tortoises. How concerned should I be? Obviously, keeping them in separate spaces for the safety of the little one, however, should I be concerned about germs in the bath or even on my hands from holding the little one? How is this RI disease or infection transferred? Thank you for your help with this as well and allowing me to post the "found" message. Lori

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome!

Your tortoise can’t transmit disease to you, only to your other tortoise. You can make a habit of washing your hands after interacting.

An RI in a tortoise will result in a runny nose or eyes, to start with. I wouldn’t worry as much about it as getting a decent enclosure set up, particularly as it’s been so dry (typically a Russian needs to be exposed to some damp conditions to develop an RI). If you are still worried about it you can post a picture in the health thread and we will give you some feedback.

There is a lost and found sub forum if you look a little further down.

Many people post on their local FaceBook lost and found and have success, along with posting signs and knocking on doors. If you do post, don’t put in all the details; ask people to show you a picture or give some of the missing description. There are always unscrupulous people who will pick up “their” tortoise and then resell it.

If you have a local tortoise and turtle group, contact them as well. (Google Tortoise Society of your county and see what pops up.)