bryanmundia
New Member
I need some help in determining what species of tortoise I have. I have had him for a couple of years but never have been quite sure of what species my tort Crush is. Any help would be awesome!
California desert tortoise. Most of the care info you find is old and wrong. Here is the current and correct care info: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-any-temperate-species-of-tortoise.183131/I need some help in determining what species of tortoise I have. I have had him for a couple of years but never have been quite sure of what species my tort Crush is. Any help would be awesome!
My wife and I do take tremendous care with him. He lives in our backyard with ample room to roam, a variety of places to both sun and shade and has a large heated box (just upgraded him to this larger box) for the evenings. The box itself is 4’x8’ and is insulated (insulation is behind wood side panels in the box so he can’t get to it). The box contains a UVB light for basking during the day as well as a ceramic radiant heater to keep a constant temperature in the box. In addition to this there is a heated mat (plastic) under hay for him during his times when he wants to bask in the box and not go outside. During hibernation he is kept inside in a large dark box at a constant temperature. Our backyard is what I would consider very turtle friendly with lots of grass and other foods that are safe for him to eat as well as being very secure so he can’t escape. We also give him the vitamins and supplements already that are on the care sheet. I actually did a lot of research before rescuing him and tore out any plant we had in our yard that was dangerous for him to eat.Looks to be a CDT California desert tortoise. Native to California.
Do you actually care for him or does he live wild and on his own in your yard?
The UVB light is above him in his outdoor box and the mat is below the UVB light. As for the white on his shell, he was trying to burrow underneath a couple of pallets on the side of the house. After these photos I gave him a light cleaning and it came right off. The light itself is about 12" above the top of his shell which I honestly don't know if that is too close or not so please let me know.He does not need a uvb light in his box as the sun will do enough and is better. Also the heat mat under him is bad unless their is a heat source above. They bask from above more then from their bottom. Unless you are having cold temps where you are, he shouldn't really need heat except maybe at night if the temps are still getting cold.
The white on his shell? He either has a heat source way too close and is getting burned/dried out terribly or he has tried burrowing under something that is scraping him?
@Yvonne G lives in CA and I believe has or had a CDT she can help further.
Get a temp gun and use that to temp the top of him and the mat when he is under the bulb and to be sure they are good temps and isnt too hot. 12 inches is a good height but a temp gun will reassure that. They are cheap and one of the best tools. I would remove the hay from the mat though.The UVB light is above him in his outdoor box and the mat is below the UVB light. As for the white on his shell, he was trying to burrow underneath a couple of pallets on the side of the house. After these photos I gave him a light cleaning and it came right off. The light itself is about 12" above the top of his shell which I honestly don't know if that is too close or not so please let me know.
In the nighttime right now it gets down into the high 40's and low 50's and during the day right now it is in the high 60's to mid 70's. During the height of summer we do see temps into the 90's and lot 100's but not for a long continued period of time and during those times we make sure to keep a close eye on him to make sure he is both getting sun and shade.