What breed of tort?

Ciki

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Some times I look at pics of sulcatas and think oh, that looks like her. But then the same thing happens with desert tortoises.

20190504_091322_HDR.jpg 20190504_091307_HDR.jpg
 

Ciki

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The head looks un sulcata.
But those aren't what I'm most familiar with....
My guess (and that's all it is) is a member of the Gopherus family.
Did you find him?
Buy him?

I actually found her outside a few months ago and thought I should take her in since I'm pretty sure it's not natural for her to be out in a neighborhood where there's no place for her to actually live (live a desert space). Later found out she belongs to a neighbor who lost two (other one was found by another neighbor) and asked if I would like to keep her. Whether or not I truly wanted her is a bit of a complicated story but I have her now. And thank you^^
 

Ciki

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Well then, it needs to be released or rehabbed at a certain place?
I believe people can own one but you need a permit. And that is really expensive.. I dont want to get in trouble but I live in a low income family that can barely afford food, so I need to wait a bit.
 

Ciki

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Well then, it needs to be released or rehabbed at a certain place?
According to A website "Progeny of lawfully held desert tortoises may, for 24 months from date of hatching, be held in captivity in excess of the stated limit. Before or upon reaching 24 months of age, such progeny must be disposed of by gift to another person or as directed by the Department. An individual who receives a desert tortoise that is given away under this rule is also exempt from the special license requirements."
 

Tom

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As Yvonne said, its a desert tortoise. Not a breed, but a species. Used to all be one species, but now we have Gopherus agassizii from the Mojave Desert area and Gopherus morafkai from the Sonoran Desert. Yours is most likely the latter unless someone moved the adults from one area to another years ago.

In any case, 100% not a sulcata. The leg scales are the primary clue for me.

The care info for either desert tortoise species is horrible and usually results in the death of the baby. Its just awful. The recommended care typically kills adults too, it just takes a lot longer. Care for these is the same as for a Russian tortoise, but I feed a little more grass to DT babies, where Russians don't need any grass. That baby needs a humid hide and daily soaks. Check these out:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Questions and comments are welcome.
 

Yvonne G

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I believe people can own one but you need a permit. And that is really expensive.. I dont want to get in trouble but I live in a low income family that can barely afford food, so I need to wait a bit.
Here in California permits don't cost anything. I really doubt the permit costs anything in your state either.
 

Ciki

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As Yvonne said, its a desert tortoise. Not a breed, but a species. Used to all be one species, but now we have Gopherus agassizii from the Mojave Desert area and Gopherus morafkai from the Sonoran Desert. Yours is most likely the latter unless someone moved the adults from one area to another years ago.

In any case, 100% not a sulcata. The leg scales are the primary clue for me.

The care info for either desert tortoise species is horrible and usually results in the death of the baby. Its just awful. The recommended care typically kills adults too, it just takes a lot longer. Care for these is the same as for a Russian tortoise, but I feed a little more grass to DT babies, where Russians don't need any grass. That baby needs a humid hide and daily soaks. Check these out:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Questions and comments are welcome.
Rhank you! Didn't know that the care sheets are generally terrible, I do have a humidifier that I turn on for a few hours to make sure that the humidity is at least 70% (I have a gauge) and I spray the inside of her hide with water just a tad bit. And she does get soaks everyday in the morning. As for grass, I gave up on that for a short while since she would always refuse to eat it, and I ran out of grass haha. I'll buy grass seeds though. I do as much research as I can, so I believe I'm on the right track with most stuff?
 

Tom

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Rhank you! Didn't know that the care sheets are generally terrible, I do have a humidifier that I turn on for a few hours to make sure that the humidity is at least 70% (I have a gauge) and I spray the inside of her hide with water just a tad bit. And she does get soaks everyday in the morning. As for grass, I gave up on that for a short while since she would always refuse to eat it, and I ran out of grass haha. I'll buy grass seeds though. I do as much research as I can, so I believe I'm on the right track with most stuff?
I don't like to run humidifiers. Damp substrate and a humid hide should be enough for this species, and yours is looking good.

Introducing any new food takes time. For little babies you need soft tender freshly sprouted grass. You can buy the little wheatgrass plots from pet store or from Whole Foods Markets. Just finely chop a small amount with scissors and mix it in with the days greens. Keep the plots watered and in a sunny window sill and you can get 8 or 9 cuttings from it. Over time add more and more, but start with a tiny amount of anything new. It would be good to introduce spineless opuntia cactus pads in the same way. You should be able to find those in local Mexican grocery stores. We have Vallarta and Tres Sierras stores here that sell them.
 

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