Help ID this tortoise

[Critta]

We found this tortoise today at my work in New Orleans, LA. We seem to think its a Sulcata and someone's pet. We put up fliers to find its owner but wanted to know if it is a sulcata or some other kind of tortoise. It's rather large.



Thanks

 

[mike taylor]

That's a leopard tortoise . The care is like a sulcata tortoise . post pictures of him up . That's a lost pet . I would be sick if I lost my tortoise .

 

[tortdad]

Yep defiantly a lost leopard. Thanks for trying to find its owner.

 

[Tom]

That is someone's lost leopard tortoise. It is a gorgeous animal and someone is probably crying a river right now over this loss.

Please make every effort to find the owner. Put up flyers, call local vets, pet stores and animal control. Make the callers ID the tortoise and species. Don't put too much info on the flyers. Ask them to show you pics of their lost tortoise, if needed.

 

[ascott]

We found this tortoise today at my work in New Orleans, LA. We seem to think its a Sulcata and someone's pet. We put up fliers to find its owner but wanted to know if it is a sulcata or some other kind of tortoise. It's rather large.



Thanks View attachment 139505View attachment 139506

Where do you work? Could someone have purposely left it to be found or do you work in a lush place?

 

[Critta]

Where do you work? Could someone have purposely left it to be found or do you work in a lush place?

I work in a pretty large facility. It is very secure and entirely fenced in. The gates are only open 6am-6pm M-F otherwise you need an electronic card to get through the area. We're pretty sure he wandered in sometime early this morning and he was found about 9:30 in one of our fields around the building. I don't think anyone dropped him off though. There is a large area of residential neighborhoods around us as well as a large park and golf course. Maybe he got too big and someone dropped him off in the park and he made his way over here. So far no replies to the Craiglist found ad that was posted.

 

[mike taylor]

Why can't I find tortoises just walking around ?

 

[Jodie]

Why can't I find tortoises just walking around ?

Right!

 

[Jodie]

That is a beautiful tortoise. Sure hope the owners find him.

 

[Critta]

Took him home for the weekend while waiting to hear from whoever may own him.

 

[ascott]

View attachment 139586 Took him home for the weekend while waiting to hear from whoever may own him.

Any number of events could have been in play here...if the owner is looking for him then you should know in the next couple days...if nothing, then you will have a lovely additiin to your family...

 

[bouaboua]

Why can't I find tortoises just walking around ?

+1 here.

 

[Critta]

So I haven't heard from anyone about the Craigslist ad I posted. I've got him in my backyard and I've tried feeding him Friday, Saturday and today. When I brought him home on Friday he must've pooped about a dozen times in the container he was in throughout the day. It was all grass from what I could tell. So I assume he'll do fine eating the grass in my yard. I read up on some care sheets and I've tried to feed it what they said was appropriate. I've tried collard greens, a bell pepper, parsley, hibiscus leaves and even went and bought a small succulent from South Africa at Home Depot to try the leaves from that. He wouldn't eat anything. I just want to make sure he won't starve or anything if he's not eating anything I put out for him. I've soaked him about 15 minutes yesterday and today. He seems to be making his way around the yard and hiding in the shade each day. So other than not seeing him eat anything he seems to be doing fine. Is there anything else I should do to get him to try and eat or just leave him be?
Also, I'm pretty sure it a male since the bottom of his shell is really concave. I thought he was deformed or something but from what I read he's probably a male?

Thanks

 

[Neal]

From his shell shape it appears to be male, but a shot of his plastron (bottom part of the shell) and tail area will confirm.

About him not eating: Adult tortoises don't handle new environments as well as younger tortoises, and they usually respond by not eating normally. He may also not recognize some of the items you are offering as food, as in, his owners may have only fed him certain types of food and he became accustomed to that and will refuse anything else. They can go for long periods of time without eating, but I wouldn't give up trying new foods. Try everything and anything you can think of until something works. If you're keeping him full time outside in your lawn, he will should to graze on the grass once he feels more comfortable. Do you fertilize your lawn or treat it with pesticide?

I do hope you are able to locate its owner.

 

[Critta]

Update: I went out in the yard this evening and he was munching away on the grasses behind my garage. So he is at least eating now. The yard hasn't been fertilized or treated with insecticide/pesticide or weed killer before. Here is a pic of the plastron.

 

[Alaskamike]

I hope now that you've decided to keep him, you will keep this thread going and post an update now and then. This tort sparked allot of interest (and some interesting exchanges in the "adoption" thread) Large adult Leopards are not as common as some of the others, and he seems a very healthy active one. I would be interested to know his plastron length and weight.

He is certainly not as big as he will get yet. Though they slow down growth as they age, they seem to never really stop growing.

I look forward to the saga as he becomes a member of the family.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

What a great find. And found by the right person, apparently.