This tortoise arrived several months ago with his carapace (top shell) separated from his plastron (bottom shell), likely an injury resulting from being hit by a car.
Angie Sawyer, the DTCC’s research coordinator, has her hands full making sure that the facility is up and running to its full potential, and she makes sure we have everything we need to care for the tortoises. With 12 years of zoo-related experience under her belt, she is definitely up for the challenge.
It takes teamwork! Research associates Rachel Foster, Kirsten Dutcher, and Daniel Essary change the tortoise's bandage every week and assess how well it's healing.
As for myself, I am the conservation program manager at the DTCC. I have nearly a decade of experience in working with North American tortoises (Gopherus species) and am looking forward to managing the Center and conducting important conservation research that will help to save the Mojave desert tortoise.
All of us are dedicated to caring for the tortoises that come through our doors, and we are so happy to be able to share our experiences here with you. Over the next few weeks, we’ll share with you the stories of some of our favorite tortoises, so check back frequently for updates!
Paula Kahn is a conservation program manager for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research.
Will the top and bottom shells of the tortoise in the picture heal by “growing” back together with the help of the bandage keeping everything in place? Animals are so amazing. It’s hard to imagine that a turtle could even survive an encounter with a car but now he’s on the mend. Thank you for helping him and all the other tortoises.
Maybe a dumb question, but I will ask anyway: what is peak tortoise season? Is this when there will be lots of baby tortoises that have just hatched?
Thanks for a great update. I look forward to learning about individual tortoises in future reports.
Melissa,
Thanks so much for your comment and for following our progress. Great questions! Tortoises are amazing critters – some can recover from substantial trauma to the shell with the correct medical care and support. We were able to clean out the tortoise’s wound and wrap his shell, and we can now see the healing in progress. The shell will never be perfect, but the bone will continue to grow and hopefully fill in the gap in the shell as much as possible. We are hopeful that this tortoise will be able to move out of the infirmary and into a natural outdoor pen with a burrow and food plants in the very near future.
Peak tortoise season comes twice a year for us, once in the spring when tortoises come out of brumation (reptile hibernation) and spend a fair amount of time basking, eating, and socializing, and again in the late summer/early fall, which coincides with the high point of the mating season and hatching of baby tortoises. During these times of year, we receive several hundred desert tortoises at our Center!
Thanks again for following our work. It’s great to know that we have people who support our efforts in saving this wonderful, peaceful, desert dwelling species.
Paula, thanks for answering my questions! Tortoises are such relaxing animals to watch and be around and they really do have a lot of personality. I wish you continuing success as you are soon to be inundated with tortoises. (Lucky you!)
Paula,
Thanks for organizing a wonderful field trip to the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center for Nevada State College students and staff. It was an incredible privilege to witness your commitment to this beautiful species. The consequences of your dedication and innovation are touching. I look forward to your future blogs to see how your three-legged tortoise is coming along after loosing a leg to predation. These tortoises are lucky to have you and your staff to oversee their wellbeing, and so are we!
Andy
Do any of the tortoises that come into your facility ever make it back to the wild?
Absolutely! The main purpose of the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center is to take in unwanted or displaced desert tortoises, ensure that they are healthy, and then put them back out in the Mojave Desert where they belong. We hope our efforts will help to recover this species so that some day wild populations of desert tortoises will once again thrive!
it amazes me how every known species known to man-kind has a certain brand of specialists that are totally interested in their survival and future breeding for generations to come. this is indeed wonderful for everyone envolved and especially the animal or bird involved. the care and nuturing and medical practices rendered where needed and all the research that is done!! wow!!! how did you become so interested in the Mojave tortoise if you don’t mind my asking? I didn’t know that I could become so interested in such a big old desert dweller! I will tell you a corny little joke that I tell my young grandchildren!
question: do you know why the tortoise is so SLOW?
answer: you’d be slow too if you had to carry your house on your back!!!
I TOLD YOU IT WAS CORNY!!!!
Nancy,
My entire staff has spent many years working with reptiles and amphibians, specifically dealing with conservation issues. While we still enjoy spending time with all kinds of animals, we’re incredibly happy to be able to work with desert tortoises every day, and we hope to play a role in preventing them from ever becoming extinct! We often talk about how lucky we are to come to work at the DTCC in the Mojave Desert every day to work with these special animals.
Dear Paula and Staff: We have two desert tortoises that are 13 years old. They were born in captivity and I adopted them when they were quite young and also have them licensed. They are doing great but it is a continuing challenge to provide them with their natural plant food items. I plant poppies for them as well as feed them dark green leaf lettuces, kale, and other greens, squash, apples, hibiscus and rose leaves and flowers, and a small amount of other veggies like corn, broccoli, tomato pulp, cactus, etc. I give them a variety every day dusted with tortoise vitamins and calcium. Do you have any other suggestions for safe food or plants that I can provide? I would like to plant more of the natural food sources/plants/flowers found in the desert in their area. They definitely exhibit food preferences! I’ve met other tortoise owners who feed theirs mulberry leaves and wandering jew plant leaves. Mine didn’t care for the mulberry leaves.
Thank you for your dedication to these and other reptiles. They are fascinating creatures.
Sincerely, Joan
Harley and Rosie, too!
Joan,
It sounds like you are providing a wonderful diet for Harley and Rosie. And good for you for trying to incorporate more native plant foods into their diet – it’s so important for their continued health since they can live to be 100 years old in captivity! Following are some plants you can grow in your yard for your desert tortoises to eat: evening primrose, verbena, ivy geranium, hollyhock, desert willow, winterfat, grapes (for the leaves, not the fruit), morning glory, petunias, pansies, filaree (aka heron’s bill), prickly pear cactus, spineless cactus, dandelions, and one of our tortoises’ favorites, globemallow (they eat it like it’s candy, both the leaves and flowers!). Try not to give them supermarket produce that is high in oxalates, like spinach, and, of course, avoid iceberg and romaine lettuce since they have little nutritional value. A varied natural diet is best for them, so keep up the great work!
You also might want to get regular vet checks for your tortoises. Many people don’t do this because it seems strange to take a “wild” animal to the vet. But there are many exotic vets, particularly in the Southwest, with lots of tortoise experience who can do simple checks to make sure your tortoise is healthy and comfortable. They can check for bladder stones and nutritional deficiencies, which can easily be remedied if diagnosed early. Best of luck planting a delicious garden for your tortoises!
Can anybody visit the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center in Las Vegas? If so can we get the address and hours? We have 2 desert tortoises (sisters) that are over 20 years old. We received them as hatchlings from my father’s uncle who raised them in San Diego. I believe he used to raise and give tortoises to the San Diego Zoo many years ago. My 2 daugthers would like to go see the Center if open to the public. Thank you.
arent morning glories considered toxic?
Thank you
I am also concerned about the confusion on whether or not morning glories are toxic. Some websites say they are and others say they aren’t…please help as I have it growing in my tortoise pen and she loves to eat it but I’m afraid to let her and want to pull it out but I get conflicting info…
To Carole, #12, and Tracey, #13:
I checked in with the Zoo’s nutritionist, Mike Schlegel, about the question regarding the toxicity of morning glories and if they are okay to feed to tortoises. He said that there are several species of morning glories, as well as varieties within each species, and all have different toxicities. In fact, depending on the species, the roots, foliage, and seeds can all be toxic. However, most toxicity references are based on mammals (dogs, cats, livestock, and humans) and do not often discuss the effects on reptiles.
Mike did some research for us and found that “The Tortoise and Turtle Feeding Manual” (A.C. Highfield, 2000, Carapace Press) lists morning glories as toxic, but he also found some species in the morning glory family as edible (Cornucopia, 1990): Ipomoea aquatica (young tips), I. batatas (sweet potato, leaves), I. digitata (leaves), and Operculina turpethum (leaves).
Basically, our nutritionist’s recommendation is this: If your tortoise is already eating morning glories in your yard and you have not noticed any harmful consequences, then perhaps the plant species you are growing is not toxic to them (although you should be aware that it can take years to notice slowly progressing toxic effects in tortoises). However, if you have not fed morning glories to your tortoise, then it would be best not to start doing so, just in case the plant species you select are toxic. If you live in a place like the southeastern U.S. where morning glories grow naturally and you have a pet gopher tortoise that eats them in the “wild,” then that’s great, but if you live in the desert southwest where morning glories are not native, it’s not really the best food source for your desert tortoises. Try globe mallow or desert marigolds or Indian rice grass or prickly pear or any of the natural native desert plants we have here in the Mojave!
Hope this information is helpful for you!
We were quite happy—as was she—with a single desert tortoise. She was thriving. But about three years ago
we were given a ‘don’t want’ male, and our little Speedway’s life has been in a turmoil ever since. At first we thought hatchlings were cute, which of course they are, but now I’m concerned with the eventual welfare of
more and more little ones. I’ve researched having Franklin neutered, but the idea of his shell being cut in half
then glued back together seemed too cruel. We’ve tried separating them, and Speedway is thrilled but Franklin
becomes grumpy and agitated trying every waking moment to climb out of the habitat. If my tortoise isn’t happy, I’m not happy.
I like to keep the babies at least two years before I place them in homes, but now that I’m running out of friends who can provide appropriate living quarters (granted, I’m somewhat picky) would any of my ‘grandchildren’ qualify for your Nevada release program? In Arizona we cannot release captive tortoises to the wild because to do so is unhealthy for the native population, so I was surprised to hear of your release efforts. Also, we are permitted to keep hatchlings for only two years, otherwise I’d turn the other half of my yard into a ‘home.’
Granted I’m projecting in about a year or two, but if Speedway has her usual group of hatchlings, I’d feel better
knowing they will eventually live in the type of environment that nature intended.
In the meantime, kudos to your good work.
Susan in Phoenix
Susan,
I understand your concern about your female tortoise being bothered by the newer male. Sometimes in captivity, female tortoises can live happily with their male friends, but more often than not, the females end up spending more time in their burrows, basking less, eating less, and hydrating less simply because they don’t want to have to come out and deal with the pesky boys that share their habitat. As a result, they are not as healthy as the males, and they may die sooner than they would have if they lived alone or with other females (tortoises are social, so it’s not a bad idea to have more than one of the same sex if they get along).
In the wild, male tortoises can roam for miles looking for mates, but in backyards, all they can do is pester the only girl around, so if you have mixed sex groupings of tortoises, you should always keep an eye out and make sure your girls are comfortable. If not, I strongly suggest re-homing your male tortoise.
I am not aware of the laws in Arizona for keeping and trading desert tortoises there, but here in Nevada, I would suggest that people surrender those males to the hotline (call 702-593-9027) so they can come to the DTCC. Please check with your local FWS to determine if there is a desert tortoise rescue in Arizona that can help you re-home your male. Please remember that no one, under any circumstances, should ever release a pet or captive desert tortoise into the wild without permits from local governing agencies.
Your other option is to neuter your male tortoise, which can be done without harming the shell. There are new procedures that allow veterinarians who are experts with tortoises to perform the surgery in a minimally invasive way. Be sure that your vet has significant tortoise experience, since we have seen some mishaps with inexperienced vets.
As far as the hatchlings, it would be ideal if healthy babies could be used to repopulate the desert and help to recover the species, but by the time people surrender them to the hotline, many times they are too sick for release and many cannot recover. Since your desert tortoises are likely Sonoran, and ours here in Nevada are Mojave, we cannot exchange tortoises as pets, and desert tortoises should never cross state lines without appropriate permits.
Moral of the story: keep same sex individuals housed together to prevent making hatchlings and to prevent your tortoise girls from being pestered by those pesky boys.
Hi there, we’ve had a desert tortoise for 25 years, since he was a baby. He’s quite sick right now with kidney problems and we’ve tried taking him to the vet but they don’t want to put any more intravenous fluids into him until he urinates. We don’t live in an area with many vet resources – do you have any contacts or recommendations for good reptile vets? I would really appreciate it as we love the little guy and are very afraid he won’t make it.
Elisabeth,
We are so sad to hear that your tortoise is not doing well. Are you certain that he is having kidney problems? If he has already received fluids from the vet, and you are soaking him daily (everyone should be soaking their tortoises at least twice each month when they are healthy!), and he has not voided (urinated or defecated), then he very likely has a blockage.
Has he been palpated or x-rayed to see if he has a bladder stone? Many captive tortoises develop bladder stones because they are not provided the right amount of natural foods. Over the years, bladder stones can grow to be so large that they prevent normal bodily functions, and if they are not surgically removed, the tortoise will die. To determine if your tortoise has a bladder stone, hold him upright facing away from you and using your right hand, gently press inwards and upwards on the skin inside the right rear leg hole (very gently, because that skin is thin), then do the same to the left. If you feel something round, hard, and lumpy, that’s a bladder stone and it needs to be removed. If you don’t feel a bladder stone, then there could be an intestinal impaction, which again will require the use of an x-ray to be sure.
Keep soaking your tortoise for 30 to 60 minutes every day in a bin with just a few inches water (enough for him to stick his head in and drink), and make sure he’s eating well-balanced meals. I’m not sure where you live so I can’t recommend a vet, but if you contact your local turtle, tortoise, or reptile rescue group, they should be able to point you in the right direction. Definitely get an x-ray as soon as you can and let us know what happens. All of us here at the DTCC wish you and your tortoise the best.
Hi!
As of less than two weeks ago my family adopted two Sonoran Desert tortoise hatchlings (they were born in captivity). They’re about a month old at most. We are just very concerned that they aren’t getting all that they need. We have been feeding them a lot of different foods, but not too many fruits because we’ve heard that’s not good. We feed them mulberry leaves, dichondra, bermuda grass, rose petals, hybiscus flowers, cilantro, spinach, romaine, a little bit of avocado, prickly-pear fruit, grated carrots and that’s about it. So in terms of lettuces they should eat, you had mentioned spinach and romaine being not the greatest, so should we give them red and green leafed? Do hatchlings need anything vastly special or different from adult/older tortoises? Vitamins or supplements? Also, at this point we have them in a 25gallon terrarium type of deal with artificial UVA lighting and heating and places for them to climb. We live in Arizona, and obviously have access to intense light and heat, but we don’t have an outside enclosure yet. We’ve been taking them outside a couple of times a day to wonder/eat (observed) and take in sunlight but is that enough? We talked to our vet (who does exotics too) about hibernation and because they’re so young he said that we shouldn’t hybernate them. We figured if they really needed to hybernate we could do it for a shortened amount of time? I would think that hybernation is really a big hatchling killer -I mean if they’re not prepared. Also, our little ones really like it if they have access to water at least once a day. I know we’re supposed to not give them a whole lot of water, but if it wasn’t good for them wouldn’t they not want it? I mean they have really strong instinctual drives… We’ve been having a really hard time finding out information about hatchling diets and everything, so any advice would be really helpful. Thank you for your time -we hope to hear from you soon!
Hi – I had written a response and it seemed like it went through, but is not showing up. Can you let me know if it came through? Thanks, Elisabeth
Moderator’s note: Please resend it, Elisabeth. It may have gotten caught in our spam filters.
Thanks for the tips. We checked for bladder stones, but couldn’t feel anything. We’re taking him to the vet again today, to get another IV (his third) and hopefully an X-Ray. We’re soaking him in warm water about 20 minutes, twice a day. He’s (for lack of a better word) pooped a few times, some of it runny, but no urine. It’s been almost a week and we haven’t seen urination. The vet, who is a reptile expert so that is good, said he was dehyrated (hence the IVs) and took a blood test and said the uric acid levels were extremely high. The vet is recommending putting him to sleep, but we don’t know what to do. We don’t want to give up on him! He can’t move himself much, he’s turned around a little, and moves his head and legs when he can, but is too weak to walk right now. He also has no interest in eating or drinking.
Oh, I forgot to mention – he lives in the backyard and he had somehow worked himself into a bucket at a slight angle (this has never happened before and we’re not sure how the bucket got knocked down). My dad found him trapped there within the day, but afterward he started vomiting his food and was listless, which is why he took him to the vet in the first place. I just feel so awful for him.
Elisabeth,
I really feel for you. High uric acid levels are definitely a bad sign, and may indicate bladder stones even if you didn’t feel them. Without seeing your tortoise, it’s hard for me to say if putting him to sleep is the right thing to do, but the thing about tortoises is that once they start showing signs of illness, many times it’s too late to help them.
Our standard for determining if a tortoise is failing to thrive, meaning that his quality of life is not very good, is when a tortoise decreases his eating and drinking, decreases or stops voiding, and appears lethargic and/or sickly. It sounds like your tortoise fits this description so you may want to take your vet’s advice and not prolong his suffering.
Unlike mammals, tortoises can suffer for months, even years, before dying naturally so if you feel he is uncomfortable at this point, you may want to let him go peacefully, knowing that you really have done everything you can to help him.
Hi New Owner in AZ,
Congrats on your new little ones. Here are some answers to your questions … all desert tortoises should be outside all the time, no matter how small they are. You need to build them a habitat quickly, and be sure to make it predator proof if you need to. There is no lightbulb or heat lamp in the world that will provide the correct amount or type of heat and light they need – they must have sunshine. A few minutes outside a couple of times a day will not be sufficient.
It sounds like you’re giving them a good diet with lots of veggies and greens. Definitely hold back on the spinach and give them other dark leafy greens like kale and collard greens (red leaf and green leaf lettuce are delicious but not as nutritious). If you are still concerned about their nutrition, you could supplement them with a complete tortoise diet and/or calcium. There are several prepared diets on the market so be sure if you are going to use one that it is specifically for desert tortoises, not other tortoises that have different nutritional requirements, and always feed natural foods as well.
As far as hibernation goes, I feel that it is one of the single most important factors in raising healthy tortoises, aside from having them live outside in a semi-natural habitat with deep burrows. In fact, it is most important that they hibernate during their first year of life because studies have shown that hatchlings that hibernate starting in their first year are healthier in the years to come as long as they are also provided with all of their necessities, like sunshine, heat, water, and an outdoor burrow. I provide hatchlings with water by soaking them in a shallow bin every day for their first 30 days of life, then I soak them weekly during the active season, and do so less frequently as the time for hibernation approaches.
Tortoises have been around for a long time so don’t worry – they will put themselves in their burrows when they are ready to hibernate, and they will eat less and drink less prior to that time. Enjoy your new babies, and be sure to put them outside!
Alright we will do that asap. We will continue to give them water, build them a habitat, and feed them more nutritious foods (they’re already picky eaters!). Thank you so much. When we’re done we’ll attach a pic for your viewing pleasure
Paula—hello and great site! I have several d.torti and am in a quandry as to grocery store diet. My tortoises, including a Horsefelds live in seperate 25×25 enclosures. They can not run free in the yard or they will become dog toys!! So feeding them is at best a challenge. They are avoracious and can wipe out new plantings in one day. Not to mention trying to deal with plants and this horrendous desert heat! I have a limited amount of “natural or planted” vegetation in the pens. I am forced to feed grocery store food. My vet says NO FRUIT! I use spring mix. I have spent many $’s over the last 4 years-thats ok—but–can I give them anything else besides radicchio,kale, curley endive?? How about zuchinni, bok choy, carrots—please—-you tell me. I struggle mightily with this issue. Anxious to hear and thank you in advance. Mike
Paula responds: Sounds like you’re doing a great job in trying to get your tortoises the best food possible. Here are some grocery produce ideas you can try: broccoli, dandelion greens, watercress, parsley, mustard greens, carrots, collards, kale, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, alfalfa or alfalfa hay, clover, and Bermuda grass hay. You can also try these in moderation: stringbeans, zucchini, peas, cabbage, and tomatoes.
Keep giving your tortoises a varied diet and do your best to keep planting native forage. You may want to plant seeds in pots away from your tortoises, let them grow to a good size and then either replant them in the tortoise enclosure, or just dig a hole and put the whole pot in the ground. You will have to replant your native forage every couple of years as the tortoises devour it, so you may want to keep a supply growing outside the enclosures all the time!
I’m so grateful you have this blog! I’ve been doing a lot of research regarding which plants are healthy to grow in the backyard (containing the habitat) and which veggies to grow to minimize reliance of “store bought” food. I’ve read opposing views on many of my questions and it’s getting a bit confusing.
Do hatchlings need a higher protein diet than the older tortoises? If so, what besides mulberry leaves, alfalfa sprouts, dichondra, roses (petals & leaves), bermuda grass, grape leaves and spurge should I be feeding the babies?
Do you have any good sources for native seeds?
I’ve read that chard and kale and several other veggies are not good for tortoises! Please let me know what you all believe. We have built our enclosure and are cementing it into the ground this weekend. Yay!!! I have heard that the fencing must be placed at least 8 inches underground (w/cement) so tortoises cannot escape…is this correct?
please send any extra ambiguous info that may be helpful! Thank you so much for your dedication!
Paula responds: Good for you for being so proactive in finding out what’s best for your tortoises! You’re correct: there isn’t a lot of straightforward information available, so I applaud you for digging around to learn as much as you can. I am going to send your questions on to our nutritionist to see how complete an answer I can get for you because we are still trying to figure it all out as well.
There are numerous hatchling nutrition studies underway, not just here at the DTCC but with other organizations and agencies that work with desert tortoises, so we hope it won’t be long before we have a solid base of nutritional information about the little guys. I can tell you that we have not found a good source for native seeds yet, but we are actively working with the Springs Preserve here in Las Vegas to learn how to collect seeds from native plants that naturally grow here at the DTCC.
Chard and kale and supermarket veggies are okay to feed to your tortoises, but they are certainly not our top choice since you don’t see much of them growing in the desert! We are going to compile a list of foods that are good for the little guys, and I will post it in the near future. In the meantime, know that you are doing a great job with the tortoises and their enclosure. The footer on your enclosure should be at least 6 inches in the ground, but if that same enclosure is going to hold the tortoises even as adults, then you should go down 12 inches to be safe, and you will want the walls to be at least 3 blocks high to make sure adults can’t climb on each other’s backs and escape (we have seen it happen!).
Also, please remember that females can store sperms for many years so this means that even if you separate your males from your females after the first clutch hatches (that will be 15 years from now if you only have hatchlings right now), those females can still make babies for years afterward, so please make sure to keep them apart as they enter their teenage years.
And one more thing … for those of you who have hatchlings, the best thing you can do for their health is to allow them to hibernate! I know it’s scary, but they will be stronger and healthier, and they will have a better start to life if you allow them this very important down time that their bodies require.
Good luck and check back to our blogs for a hatchling nutrition update soon!
Hi. I have a captive desert tortoise that was abondoned and now is part of our family. When he came to us he had a broken horn (Haus is a boy). However, the shell around where the horn broke away from appears to have healed and grow a bit, which is great, but my concern is that he has this part of the horn that is broke away from the shell and while does not appear to bother him much, eating and walking and such, what is the chances that his shell will continue to grow and begin to rub and push on the broken horn that is still attached to his neck/throat skin? Or am I simply overly concerned? Looking for a piece of advice here is all. Thank you.
Hey tortoise blogging experts! I just received some alfalfa and clover seed from mail order. I have the 2 hatchlings and am trying to feed them correctly. I swear, I feel like a new mother
Anyway, am I to grow the alfalfa into a plant or have them eat the sprouts? I thought the plant would be higher in protein but want to make sure. Also, the only clover available was red clover. Is this safe or is there a type of desert clover (which seems unavailable to purchase if it exists)? I read that legumes are a great source of protein for hatchlings; do you know which legumes these are? If I could just make them a bean burrito I’d be thrilled !!!!!!! Thank you all so much for your hard work and helpful info. We tortoise lovers are truly grateful.
Liz
I just donated a tortoise and I cannot find the info form to fill out. Where is it? Can you provide me a link maybe? Thanks, Duane.
Moderator’s note: Desert Tortoise info form or http://www.sandiegozoo.org/desert_tortoise/
Do desert tortoise loose their eyesight as they age ? I have one that seems to not hit his food target and instead consumes alot of dirt and sand. He has been moving the dirt and sand out when he goes to the restroom but I don’t see much of anything else in there? He seems to be really on the older side and I just wanted to know if their eyesight goes like ours does as we age? Please help.
Hello tortoise lovers! I have more a few more questions regarding food. I pulled all the weeds around my house and I’m wondering if any of these plants are safe for the tortoise babies:
common name proper name
red spiderling beerhaavia coccenia
common purslane portulaca oleracea
dallisgrass paspalum dilatatum
wild lettuce/prickly lettuce lactuca serrida
butterfly bush (not a weed) buddleja marrubifolia
also, what other types of “mallow” are good for tortoises besides globe mallow? Thank you all so much. You all do such great work. Can people come and visit the Las Vegas sight? Any possible volunteer type work? Thanks again!
Liz
I live in Az and have 2 desert tortoises that were given to me. They were born in captivity. They are appx. 3 years old. My question is can I plant ivy in their enclosure? I have some ivy that I have grown from cuttings I picked up outside a hotel in California. I can’t seem to find anywhere if it is safe or harmful.
Thank you
Janie
Paula responds: There are so many types of ivy that I would need to know the species of the plant, or at least the genus so I can narrow it down. When in doubt, don’t do it!
We have a desert tortoise that was given to us, it was probably on 5 to 6 inches in length and now it’s about 8 maybe 9. Problem seems to be the top shell seems a little soft and actually looks sunken in. She eats (kale, brocoli, carrot, and sometimes apple) but not sure what’s wrong and what can be done to help her.
Paula responds: Without seeing your tortoise, it’s hard to say what’s wrong with her, but it sounds like your tortoise has developed metabolic bone disease. This happens when a tortoise does not receive the correct type and amount of heat, light, and/or nutrition. If your tortoise always lives outside with a burrow and free access to sunlight, then your tortoise may be suffering from a nutritional deficiency. She needs to be eating a well-rounded complete tortoise diet that includes natural desert forage as well as supermarket produce. If you don’t have natural desert forage for your tortoise, you may want to consider using a prepared tortoise chow to supplement her diet. While kale, broccoli, and carrots are acceptable food options for tortoises, apples and other sweet fruits should never be fed to tortoises, so you should start by eliminating apples from her diet.
Other things to consider are heat and light. If your tortoise does not live outside, you need to build her a burrow and move her out there in the spring (it’s too cold to move her now). If you are keeping her inside with a UVB light and heat lamp, that’s not enough – it can’t replace the natural heat and light from the sun, and it does not allow her to thermoregulate as her body needs. If tortoises don’t get the exact type and amount of heat and light they need to maintain their metabolism and body functions, then they are not able to digest their food and their body begins to suck the calcium right out of their shell and bones, making them soft, while their food just sits in their stomach. It can take a long time for a tortoise to become soft from insufficient heat and light, so if you can actually feel that she has gotten soft, it is urgent for you to get her the proper heat and light right away. It can take months for her to recover from this type of situation, and in more advanced cases, tortoises cannot recover at all so I urge you to stop feeding her apples and put her under the correct heat and light as soon as possible. Please let us know what changes you make and keep us posted on her progress!
Hi. We have a desert tortoise in southwest Arizona that has been hibernating for about one month. My son and his friend woke the tortoise up and immediately told us about it; so I put the tortoise back in its hibernating spot. Should I be concerned about her health? Should I just keep and eye on her to be sure she goes back to sleep? What signs of trouble should I look for? If she does not settle down and go back to sleep, what should we do? Thank you in advance for your advice! -Meg
Paula responds:
As you obviously know, disturbing a desert tortoise during its hibernation can be physiologically very stressful for them. When you say you put the tortoise back in its “hibernating spot,” I am hoping you meant back in its burrow – that’s the only safe place for a hibernating tortoise, unless you have her overwintering in a box in your garage. In any case, if the tortoise didn’t void (pee or poop), and the disturbance was minimal, then you did just the right thing by putting the tortoise back in its burrow or box. You should continue to monitor her for signs of trouble, such as voiding. Once you are sure she is hibernating again, she should be fine for the winter as long as she is not disturbed again. If she doesn’t go back to sleep, you may need to give her a good long soak in room-temperature water to ensure she’s hydrated and then ease her back into hibernation by putting her in a room where you can lower the temperature just a bit every day until she’s naturally hibernating again. Of course, to be safe, if you have any concerns at all, you should bring her to a local reptile veterinarian or call your local turtle and tortoise group for advice.
Thank you, Paula! Yes, the hibernating spot is her burrow in the side yard. She did not void when she was awake and seems to have settled back to sleep. We will continue to monitor her, but she does seem to be back to hibernating. We had a long talk with our son, and he will not be bothering her again this winter. Thank you again for your reassuring advice.
I just came in from outside to see if I could get some info for my desert tortoise. He has been in hibernation for about 6 weeks but today he is walking around. Before he went into hibernation he had just the top of a small dog kennel over the top of him without the bottom so he was on the dirt. I had styrofoam over the kennel to keep the hot Arizona sun from making it too hot for him in the kennel. When he went intyo hibernation I attached the bottom of the kennel and put styrofoam in the bottom of the kennel and some stuff from the pet store over that for him to burrow in. I also added more styrofoam around the kennel to keep him warmer. I stuck my head under the styrofoam and it was pretty warm for him, but not hot. He does seem to like the dirt best so I took the bottom of the kennel off again but I am unsure about letting him sleep outside now since it is in the thirty’s at night. I don’t know if I should feed him either. I have read they should have an empty stomach before hibernating so I don’t know what to do about feeding him. I would appreciate some advice on whether to leave him out or bring him in and whether to feed him or not. He is about 3 years old and this is the first year I have let him outside.
P.S to above. I did put him in some warm water to hydrate him. He did not drink and I might should have left him in longer but I was afraid the water was getting a little chilly and I didn’t want him wet when he went back to sleep.
Paula responds: It is very important that your tortoise be allowed to hibernate naturally in the winter if he is healthy – his body needs the down time and it may ultimately help him to be a healthier adult as he gets older. A tortoise should not go into hibernation with food in its belly because he will not be able to digest it – they need sunlight and heat for that. You should feed your tortoise less when we move from summer to fall and stop feeding him in late Sept or early Oct. However, we always recommend a good soak in water for 20 minutes every other week from April to October. This allows the tortoise to void (pee or poop), which eliminates toxins and allows them to hydrate. When temperatures fall below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s best to provide your tortoise with a burrow that goes into the ground. Some people in the warmer parts of Arizona use above-ground dog kennels as burrows for their tortoises, but we always recommend a genuine burrow with a dirt floor – check out the Web site tortoisegroup.org and print out their adoption booklet because, although this group is not affiliated with the Zoo, they describe a burrow construction that we highly recommend. This type of burrow will provide perfect protection from cold winters and scorching summers. Hope your tortoise enjoys a peaceful winter in a great burrow!
He is out again today! He had gone back in after I emailed you before but now he is out again. I am afraid he is going to starve if his metabolism doesn’t shut down for the winter. I am thinking about bringing him in and putting him under a light until our weather isn’t so unstable. Cold one day and warm the next. He really has a good home outside. The styrofoam is as good as a burrow and he is on the ground again so I don’t know how else to keep him cold enough to stay in hibernation. How long can they go without eating if their not in hibernation? Sure don’t want to lose the little guy.
Paula responds: With the weather being so unstable, it’s not unusual for tortoises to go in and out of their burrows until the colder weather sets in for good. Here at the DTCC, we still have a few tortoises that come out every now and again, and I have heard reports from the field that as of yesterday, some wild tortoises were doing the same thing. Not to worry – a tortoise can go for months without substantial nourishment, and up to a year without much fresh water. If you bring him inside and put him under the heat lamp, you will not be able to put him back outside to hibernate – the drastic change in temperature may be too much for his body to handle. As long as he ate well during the active season and you hydrated him recently, he should be okay. Just keep an eye on him to make sure he goes into his burrow at night.
I was so happy to find your website. I am part of The Mojave Desert Land Trust where we are currently trying to save 955 acres of prime desert tortoise habitat- so important for their survival. Thank you for all your hard work!
We were hiking a week ago and found a baby tortoise turned on her back and very lethargic. We brought her home and rehydrated her really well but we noticed a hole on her under shell (about 3/4 of the way down from her head). There seems to be some gooey matter coming from this hole? Not sure if she was injured?
It has also been 1 week and she is not eating the natural plants I have been trying to feed her. She moves around quite a bit an then suddenly stops, closes her eyes and sleeps for some time. She has also pooped a few times. We would like to release her but not sure if she is sick or injured.
Paula responds: Being a tortoise hugger myself, I completely understand your desire to save a helpless animal, especially when it’s a baby. However, as you likely already know, it is unlawful to remove a desert tortoise from the wild for any reason without permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In instances like this where you find an injured tortoise, you should call FWS immediately for their recommendation and direction. The possible injury you describe sounds like the yolk scar may not have closed up yet – that’s where the hatchling absorbed the yolk it still had when it hatched. If it is oozing, that may be a sign of infection, and it should be checked by an experienced tortoise veterinarian right away. Since tortoises should be hibernating during this time of year, it is not surprising that the hatchling is lethargic and not eating – right now she should be in a burrow hibernating until spring. Since you found her on the surface and not in a burrow, she may be sick or perhaps was too weak to return to her burrow after sunning, or she may have been dropped by a raven or other predator that was carrying her away.
Regardless of what may be wrong with her or how you found her, you cannot put her back in the desert without permission from FWS, and putting her back in the desert during the winter is almost surely a death sentence due to the shocking temperature change she will have to endure. I strongly recommend that you contact your local FWS office as soon as possible to ask them how to handle this situation before the hatchling’s condition worsens, or if you live in the state of Nevada, you should call the desert tortoise hotline pickup service (702-593-9027) to have the hatchling picked up and brought here to our facility today so our veterinary technician can evaluate her as soon as possible.
Hey, this may be a touch off topic, but do you have any websites or books, Veterinary & Technical or otherwise, that you could recommend regarding Metabolic Bone Disease? I’m trying to find (reputable, peer reviewed, and not just someone’s opinion) on dietary calcium levels for a Sulcata, which as I read somewhere, has similar nutritional needs as our Desert Tortoises.
Desert Tortoise Team responds: There are two books that we use regularly here at the DTCC:
1. Reptile Medicine and Surgery by Mader
2. Infectious Diseases and Pathology of Reptiles by Jacobson
I acquired my (approx. 30 yr old) desert tortoise, Toby, from the Desert Museum Tortoise rescue program last year. He went into hibernation around Halloween and came out Mar 2. I’ve been hydrating him regularly – putting him into a shallow basin of water – and have seen him take long drinks during his “baths.” However, I’ve only seen him eat once. He moves around very infrequently, preferring to stay in one corner of his yard nearly all the time. I’ve offered him all of his favorite foods and he’s still not eating.
Toby looks good and seems healthy, but I’m wondering if his energy level and appetite will come back eventually, or if it’s time to take him to the tortoise vet. He seems like he’s in post-hibernation hibernation, and I’m worried the long trip to the vet might be tough on him. Any advice?
Paula responds: It seems strange that he’s not eating yet and that he’s staying in one corner of the yard instead of going back into his burrow. Most tortoises that have come out of hibernation are eating and fairly active, at least on the warm days. His behavior seems a bit odd to me. Is he voiding? With all the water he’s drinking, he should be. You might want to check with other tortoise owners in your area to see if their tortoises are acting similarly, but if he isn’t using his burrow, and he isn’t eating or voiding, I think it’s time to see a DT veterinarian. You don’t want to wait too long because he may have a gastrointestinal impaction. Please let us know what you find out.
I am curious if Ginny’s tortoise is eating yet. I am also in Tucson. Mine is eating fine but I have seen only one poop. I was just about to take him to the vet when he finally pooped but I haven’t seen any more. Not the normal amount for sure. I think our weather being cold and then warm is confusing for the tortoise so I am bringing mine in at night and keeping him under a red light so he doesn’t get cold but I am wondering if I should stop feeding him until he poops again. I am soaking him every day in warm water for a short time. He always drinks. It doesn’t seem like he would have gone at all if he had an impaction but something isn’t right.
Paula responds: It’s curious that both of you live in the same area and are seeing issues with your newly emerged tortoises. If your tortoise went into hibernation with nothing in its stomach (which it should), then it may be a while before poop returns to what you might consider normal. It can take tortoises 2 to 4 weeks to digest their food and pass their waste, so be patient. Be sure to continue to hydrate your tortoise, and make sure it’s getting enough heat and natural light since it can’t digest food and use the nutrients properly otherwise. If you are concerned about your tortoise’s health because it’s behaving differently than it has in past years, then I encourage you to see your vet. Remember, it takes a long time to see visual signs that a tortoise is sick, so the sooner you catch a potential problem, the easier it will be to remedy!
Toby is doing fine! Took him to the DT vet (Dr. Jarchow) yesterday and vet says he’s in very good health. He told me to change his diet a bit – timothy hay and spring mix, instead of alfalfa. All the timothy hay I put out for him yesterday is now gone. Either Toby or the pack rats had big meal yesterday. I also found out Toby is closer to 40 than 30 (I suspected as much, since he’s always complaining about “these kids today”) and he’s plenty hydrated. He also came out of hibernation earlier than most older male torts.
Moderator’s note: Good to hear, Ginny! Thanks for keeping us posted on Toby’s health.
Paula Kahn responds: Great news! Dr. Jarchow is an excellent vet (I know him personally). Glad to hear Toby is doing well.
What is “timothy hay” and “spring mix”….what does “spring mix” consist of? Where do we find it and how are they sold? We have had our turtle for over 20 years, found wandering in a shopping mall with his shell cracked, weak and his legs bitten by something. He is registered and we have a certificate for him. We took him to the vet and after many, many visits we finally got the the thumbs up that he would be fine. I’d like to vary his diet some and add some of his native food. Where are they usually sold?
How long do desert tortoises live in captivity?