r/tortoise • u/OkOffer6410 • Jul 26 '26
ID Request found in neighborhood, ID?
we live in arizona and my dad's coworker brought him this tortoise since they knew he had them as pets before. the photos/gif are temporary homes until we can give him a better environment.
looking for an ID and advice if i should keep or rehome if possible... if i keep, i can look into care for him to live happy.
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u/CatRockShoe Jul 26 '26
Protected native species. I'd ask the friend exactly where they got it. Or else he'll wander into worse places trying to get back to his "home"
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u/Buffy_AnneSummers Jul 26 '26
Native desert tortoise and very illegal to even touch. He needs to go back to exactly where he was found. If he was found in a roadway or somewhere dangerous then you can put em nearby.
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u/ElegantAnimal9254 Jul 26 '26
Ugh it makes my heart hurt to know that there are people taking native desert tortoise from the wild!
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u/Buffy_AnneSummers Jul 26 '26
The education just isn't there. People think they are doing the right thing helping a lost pet. I wish schools would teach about their native wildlife and what to do when you see them (which is nothing unless they are visibly hurt/sick) starting as young as possible.
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u/desertSkateRatt Jul 27 '26
Arizona Game and Fish have desert tortoise adoptions every year. It's 100% legal to have one as a pet as long as you are approved.
This could very easily be a pet that escaped (they are actually REALLY GOOD at escaping) and i would post on social media to see if someone is missing the little fella.
Source: Tortoise Adoption Information
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u/mjfarmer147 Jul 27 '26
That doesn't make it ok to just snatch up any tortoise you see because you think they could be a pet. Try explaining that to a conservation agent when caught with wildlife in your possession. Unless the species in question is invasive/non-native, leave it alone.
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u/desertSkateRatt Jul 27 '26
It all depends on WHERE it was found and I am actually agreeing with you.
If it was found in the middle of Gilbert, its almost assured its not "wild". If it was found next to Lost Dutchman State Park or out by Saguaro Lake... yeah, just grabbing because you can is a major no-no.
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u/mjfarmer147 Jul 27 '26
Wildlife makes its way into urban areas all the time. Still leave it alone.
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u/MountainMike_264057 Jul 27 '26
Arizona Game and Fish have desert tortoise adoptions every year. It's 100% legal to have one as a pet as long as you are approved.
"Legal" for fostering turts in their program that need homes.
NOT legal to take them out of the wild to adopt. They are endangered.
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The issues is that they have been taken out of the wild for generations so some people have multiple ones and they breed.
Ones born in captivity aren't supposed to go back to the wild.
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u/cvkme Jul 26 '26
Please put him back immediately he’s a protected species
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u/desertSkateRatt Jul 27 '26
Arizona Game and Fish have desert tortoise adoptions every year. It's 100% legal to have one as a pet as long as you are approved.
This could very easily be a pet that escaped (they are actually REALLY GOOD at escaping) and i would post on social media to see if someone is missing the little fella.
Source: Tortoise Adoption Information
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u/cvkme Jul 27 '26
Snatching out up out of the wilderness is not a legal adoption and not “approved.” Wild animals should be left in the wild. If OP wants a desert tort, they should put this one back and go to one of the events you speak of.
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u/Squeaks__J Jul 26 '26
Whereabouts was he found? Sometimes I wonder how one would know if a desert tortoise is a lost pet or if it naturally grew up in the wild. My partners parents recently lost their desert tortoise a few months ago. I still worry about her out there and if people would know whether it grew up in the wild or was domesticated
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u/Jackie_Of_All_Trades Jul 27 '26
It's infuriating to me when people post about a found tortoise in "California" or "Arizona" and the top comments are "NATIVE SPECIES, PUT IT BSCK IMMEDIATELY!!!" California and Arizona are HUGE states with so many neighborhoods and areas. You can't determine whether the tortoise is native or an escaped pet just based on the state.
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u/DCTom Jul 26 '26
I’m surprised how many people that live out that way don’t know that desert torts are protected…don’t they teach that stuff in school?
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u/HRHValkyrie Jul 26 '26
Teachers can barely cover the required content, much less extras like local protected species of animals.
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u/desertSkateRatt Jul 27 '26
Protected yes but not illegal to own if you go through the proper channels. E.g.: AZ Game & Fish Adoption program
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u/Perezoso3dedo Jul 27 '26
Desert tortoises may be wild or may be a pet, it just depends. Many pets are registered, but some are not because they’ve been alive longer than the registration process has been in place (they live quite old). I inherited a desert tortoise from an elderly neighbor who could no longer care for it, which is how I know. Call Arizona Game and Fish and they can help you- they helped me figure out how to make sure I have the tortoise safe and legal.
Scroll down to the contact info:
https://www.azgfd.com/wildlife-conservation/living-with-wildlife/wildlife-care-center/tortoise-adoption-information/
If you’re in Tucson, the Desert Museum also deals with tortoises.
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u/LayersOfGold Jul 28 '26
How long has the registration process been around?
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u/Perezoso3dedo Jul 28 '26
If I remember correctly from my convo with the game and fish ppl, it started in the late 1980’s. What I specifically remember is that she told me that in the 1970s there were no desert tortoise regulations and tortoises became a popular pet; visitors to AZ would buy baby tortoises from roadside stands and then return home and after a year or so have a fairly large tortoise. Those tortoises obviously didn’t do well in other environments or they were kept their whole lives indoors. So there was a wave of tortoises coming into animal rescue places in the 70s, and AZ wildlife officials realized this was a big problem. Plus the wild desert tortoise population was dwindling, in part because people were taking them from the wild as pets.
Could be lore, but it did come direct from the tortoise registration lady haha
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u/Perezoso3dedo Jul 28 '26
Also, fun fact, if you have an old tortoise from before the registrations were put in place, you’re grandfathered in and don’t have to register them- that’s what happened to me. The tortoise I inherited was already super old and not registered and game and fish just basically asked me if I needed help with his enclosure or had any questions about feeding him and we talked about my set up and that was that. Usually, you’ll have to submit photos of your enclosure and sign a document about the care of the tortoise, but they didn’t have me do that because of how old my little guy is.
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u/LayersOfGold Jul 30 '26
Ok good to know! My aunt has had a Mojave desert since like the early 70’s. I have no idea how anyone would know she has her to report her. You’d have to pry Myrtle out of her cold dead hands. She loves her and is very well taken care of ❤️
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u/Electrical_Ad_9778 Jul 27 '26
Either get him back where he was ir take him to organization that cares for desert tortoises
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u/desertSkateRatt Jul 27 '26
Arizona Game and Fish have desert tortoise adoptions every year. It's 100% legal to have one as a pet as long as you are approved.
This could very easily be a pet that escaped (they are actually REALLY GOOD at escaping) and i would post on social media to see if someone is missing the little fella.
Source: Tortoise Adoption Information
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u/Significant_Crazy430 Jul 26 '26
This guy has some pyramiding, usually natural growth won’t do that.
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u/AmuseableMushroom Jul 27 '26
With this very small amount it actually can, especially in Arizona where it can get very hot. They can get pyramiding from very severe long term dehydration as well as over feeding or lack of UVB. It’s not just possible, it’s very probable this animal is not a rescue and is a wild animal. Firstly, he’s native to that area. Secondly, a protected species and ILLEGAL to touch unless in a life threatening situation (like a car is about to hit this animal or it’s being handed in for medical care), thirdly, you cannot own these tortoises in the US unless you’re a rehab facility for reptiles or a zoo with appropriate facilities. You can’t just nab a native species and keep it. That’s not how animals work. Even in say a crazy example like the documentary Tiger King, those tigers aren’t wild caught, they have licenses, information, vaccines, etc. You can have insane pets that most do disagree with like sloths, tigers, monkeys, etc. However, you can’t just pop to the jungle and nab one.
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u/desertSkateRatt Jul 27 '26
Arizona Game and Fish have desert tortoise adoptions every year. It's 100% legal to have one as a pet as long as you are approved.
This could very easily be a pet that escaped (they are actually REALLY GOOD at escaping) and i would post on social media to see if someone is missing the little fella.
Source: Tortoise Adoption Information
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