Greetings!

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deicid1

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Greetings all

Hello Everyone, I am new around here. I have recently adopted a baby tortoise, after saving him/her from being a cat toy. Our cat seems to have brought it in the house and was found scared in our bathroom. Seems completely uninjured by the cat (thankfully). This little guy is now stomping around the new tortoise tub I've made out of an old storage bin. so far I've been feeding him some grasses, grape leaves, celery tops, and a bit of spring mix. I think he is a baby desert tortoise (we live in Nevada). I am dedicated to properly caring for this cute lil tortoise. I have some experience with reptiles, having had a beardie for 10yrs, as well as caring for an Iguana that was abused and burned by a previous owners carelessness.

A couple quick questions before i venture off into the forums to get situated here.

-Can anyone confirm or correct me on the exact type of tortoise?
-Would he be better in the storage tub, or in my vacant 30+ gallon tank?
-Should he be kept indoors mainly (AC set at 80) or outdoors where its 100+ degrees currently
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deicid1

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tortoise007

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RE: Greetings all

Well first off, lucky you that you could save him... but, if it is nevada desert tort, it is part of an endangered species and I believe is illegal to pick up from the wild(which is probably where it came from) but if it were me I would probably keep him based on the fact that he has a 95% chance of dying if I return him...If you can post some pictures of him/her I could confirm wether or not it is a desert tortoise or not (I have 5 SDTS) For now you could keep him inside in the storage bin. just make sure that he has a shallow dish of water, a place to hide(not just a fake plant but something like a half log) and a basking spot of 95-105. What kind of light are you using? Make sure he is getting proper uva-uvb, no compact florescent bulbs, they hurt the eyes of the tort. Welcome to TFO!:D:D:D
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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I have 5 AZ desert tortiose males and I leave them outside year around and they seam happy really happy at feeding time:)
 

deicid1

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RE: Greetings all

The first thing i did was call the desert tortoise hotline here, quite to my surprise they have discontinued the service due to funding. So I've opted to register to raise the lil guy. I've got him all setup with a hide/burrow..etc.. Until now he's been mostly outside, but i have the lighting from my bearded dragons old setup, which includes a full spectrum and a basking light, I believe they are the ZooMed ones from petsmart. Once he gets a bit older, I am planning on building him a nice outdoor enclosure.
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Yvonne G

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Hi and Welcome!!

Your new little baby looks pretty dry. Be sure to give him a good soak...for about 20 minutes, in warm water. And while he's a baby, I'd soak him every day. Use a substrate that you can keep moist too. Baby tortoises spend a lot, in fact most, of their time underground where the soil is humid and moist. This helps them grow smoothly.

While he is living in the house, and doesn't have access to weeds and grasses, you can buy grocery store greens for him. Look in the packaged lettuces department and try to find Santa Barbara mix. That is radicchio, endive and escarole. Then to that you can add things that you pick from outside. Mulberry leaves, grape leaves, dandelions, sow thistle, grass cut up small, clover, etc. I used to tell people they could use Spring Mix (packaged baby lettuces), but they have started using too much spinach in the mix now and too much spinach isn't good.
 

kanalomele

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Welcome! Im glad this baby found you.
 

deicid1

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Here is a pic of the current tub he is living in (10gal) vs the tank (custom made, unknown gal) I have from my previous bearded dragon, dimensionally he would have a lot more room in the tank, but as I understand it, tanks aren't always the best option. I'd love to block off the perimeter so he cannot see through and have him enjoy the extra space. Would this tank work for him or should I stick to the tub? After a while I am gonna build him a nice table or outdoor area. 1373522993944.jpg
 
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samsmom

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I don't know anything about that particular species but I would imagine the bigger the enclosure the better? You can always make adjustments to the lid to create more humidity if needed and cover the bottom portion of glass so he cannot see out! I think he was roaming around outside looking for just the right person and your cat knew you would be perfect mom for this little guy! Good Luck!
 
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