What type of Tortoise is this?

[Giancarlo Minotti]

Could I get help figuring out what breed of tortoise this is?

 

[Big Charlie]

From what I can see, it looks like a sulcata baby.

 

[Melis]

I agree it appears to be a sulcata. It also appears to have sand on its shell. If that's the case, the substrate should be changed immediately as sand is an impaction risk. Orchid bark or coco coir seem to be the substrates of choice by most.

 

[wellington]

I agree with species and about the sand

 

[Yvonne G]

I would be more inclined towards desert tortoise.

 

[Michael Malone]

I was thinking desert also cause of the darker color and the spurs do not look as pronounced but I am not even close to being a professional lol just my opinion.

 

[Tom]

Could I get help figuring out what breed of tortoise this is?

Where are you? Where did you find this tortoise?

 

[Tom]

I would be more inclined towards desert tortoise.

I agree the color does look a little desert tortoisey, but I've had sulcatas that were dark and had that sort of patterning with the dots in each scute. The leg scales are sort of in-between the two species.

The deciding factor for my guess is the lack of a nuchal scute. DTs have one. Sulcatas don't.

Maybe we're all wrong and its a little Chaco baby. Those don't have a nuchal scute either, and that might explain why the leg scales don't really fit on a DT or a sulcata. I have zero experience with Chaco babies.

 

[Markw84]

Sure looks like a young chaco to me. They commonly get those dark, almost black new growth seams. The lack of nuchal. The scalation on the front legs. General scute layout. All looks chaco. Chelonoidis chilensis

 

[TammyJ]

It's a little beauty! Can we hear more about it?

 

[Anyfoot]

Wow, I didn't realise how similar the baby Chaco's are to sulcata.
Here's a couple of photos of chaco's out of a book. See if that helps you all.

 

[Giancarlo Minotti]

Ive been confused as to whether it was a Sulcata or Desert- i originally though it was a DT but had my doubts due to her being lighter/tan on her body. But now that yall brought up Chaco's im even more confused hahaha, shes not mine shes a neighbors, the neighbor seems to think its a Sulcata- but I had my doubts so I thought it would be a good question to ask on TF

 

[Anyfoot]

Do chaco's have those gulars you can see on this one?

 

[Anyfoot]

2nd post

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/chaco.103078/

 

[Big Charlie]

2nd post

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/chaco.103078/

I wondered about the spots in centers of the scutes but then I saw plenty of baby pictures of sulcatas that did have those dots.

 

[Anyfoot]

Think we need a good photo of the beak head on.

 

[Giancarlo Minotti]

Think we need a good photo of the beak head on.

These any good?

 

[tortadise]

I agree the color does look a little desert tortoisey, but I've had sulcatas that were dark and had that sort of patterning with the dots in each scute. The leg scales are sort of in-between the two species.

The deciding factor for my guess is the lack of a nuchal scute. DTs have one. Sulcatas don't.

Maybe we're all wrong and its a little Chaco baby. Those don't have a nuchal scute either, and that might explain why the leg scales don't really fit on a DT or a sulcata. I have zero experience with Chaco babies.

Nah chacos when they are babies are very distinguishable from deserts and Sulcatas.

Chacos are dark and have areola spots.
The 2 small ones are 5 weeks old and the larger one a year.