Desert Tortoises: A Sad Week
Posted at 10:20 am June 10, 2009 by Paula Kahn
Lucy and Ethel
Caring for a tortoise, or any reptile for that matter, is a simple and balanced equation: they need the proper light, heat, and nutrition so they can thrive. If one of these is not being provided adequately, a reptile’s health will fail, and in the case of tortoises, it may be weeks, months, or even years before someone will notice that there’s something not quite right about the tortoise. And by then, it’s usually too late to correct the problem.
I recently asked the DTCC staff to start calling the previous owners of some of the sick tortoises we received to ask about how they cared for the tortoises before they arrived at our facility. In every case, the previous owners said at least one of two things: they didnt know their tortoise was in bad condition when they surrendered it; they thought they were taking great care of their tortoise because they let it outside from time to time and they fed it lettuce. When my staff explained to them how to properly care for tortoises, almost every tortoise owner said that they didn’t know about the basic requirements that tortoises need to thrive, and many felt terrible that they were directly responsible for the poor condition of their tortoise.
One desert tortoise came to our facility two weeks ago and our hearts broke when we saw him. His shell was sunken on top, the scutes (outer layer of the shell) were deformed, both his shell and skin were discolored, he was lethargic, and he was barely able to open his eyes. We knew immediately that the only thing to do was to humanely euthanize him. We talked over the case with our vet at the Zoo, Dr. Nadine Lamberski, who ordered immediate euthanasia to end his suffering. I cried all the way to our local vet just thinking about how long this tortoise suffered before he came to us.
Research associates Rachel Foster and Kirsten Dutcher called the person who surrendered the tortoise and asked how the tortoise arrived in this condition. The man said that the tortoise had belonged to his roommate, who kept him in a dark room for over a year. When the roommate moved out, he abandoned his tortoise in the apartment, so this man called to have the tortoise picked up and brought to us. This poor animal received no heat and no light for over a year! No heat or light means his food could not be digested, and to make up for the lack of Vitamin D and calcium, the tortoise’s body took the calcium it needed straight out of its bones and its shell, which left him soft, deformed, and extremely ill. Eventually, a tortoise in this condition will suffer from organ failure and a prolonged and likely painful death.
I am blogging this today because if you choose to keep a desert tortoise as a pet, we at the DTCC want it to have the healthiest life possible. So following are some simple guidelines to help you make sure your tortoise is getting its basic needs met:
- Before getting your desert tortoise, read read read read. Did I mention read? Learn everything you can about desert tortoises and prepare all of the things you need BEFORE you legally adopt your tortoise.
- Never take a desert tortoise (or any reptile) from the wild. That’s where they belong and that’s where they will have the healthiest, most natural lives (not to mention, it’s against the law!). If you absolutely insist that you must have a desert tortoise as a pet, contact your local turtle and tortoise group or your local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office to find out how to go about legally adopting one.
- Heat and UV Light: There is no lightbulb on the face of the earth that can provide the exact amount of heat and light that a tortoise needs. Therefore, desert tortoises must live outside. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, seriously. If tortoises are kept inside without the proper heat and light, you may see them eat, but they simply cannot digest their food or use the nutrients.
- Living Space: Never keep your desert tortoise in a tank, aquarium, or terrarium, no matter how small they are. Tortoises need lots of space, not just to walk around and stretch their legs, but to thermoregulate; this means that they walk to sunny spots to warm up and to shady spots to cool off. In the wild, desert tortoises spend over 90 percent of their time below ground in burrows, and that’s what they need to do in captivity, too. Help your tortoise by building a burrow for him in your yard!
- Nutrition: Do not feed your desert tortoise (or any reptile) lettuce as its only food source. And absolutely never feed your desert tortoise dog food or cat food. The best thing you can do is to feed your tortoise a variety of veggies, grasses, legumes, and anything natural from their environment. You could also try feeding a complete tortoise diet like tortoise chow.
- Water: Desert tortoises need water! We receive lots of tortoises here at the DTCC that are dehydrated because their owners think they don’t need water. While desert tortoises in the wild get most of their water from food and the occasional rain puddle, you should try soaking your tortoise in a shallow tub of water every two or three weeks during the active season (April through October). Don’t be alarmed when they stick out their head and submerge the entire thing in the water. Desert tortoises store 40 percent of their body weight as water in their bladders! That’s why it is unlawful to touch a desert tortoise in the wild: if they void their bladder, they lose their water supply, and if it doesn’t rain soon thereafter, they can die.
These guidelines apply to many kinds of reptiles so I encourage you to read about whatever reptiles you have or are thinking of adopting so you can care for them in as natural a way as possible. Please help us by sharing this post with your friends and family members who keep reptiles, and particularly with those who have or are considering adopting a desert tortoise. We hope that all desert tortoises in captivity can be kept healthy so they can live out their very long lives in comfort! And remember, if you cannot care for your desert tortoise properly and you live in Nevada, you can surrender it to us with no questions asked, and we will do our best to care for your tortoise here.
Paula Kahn is a conservation program manager for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Scroll to the end to leave a comment. Pinging is not allowed.
June 10th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
how very sad for these poor tortoises to suffer like they did! maybe people don’t read, as you say, on how to care correctly for a tortoise!! I know someone who has had a tortoise for many years & brought in pictures of albert to show everyone. it looks healthy, so I am assuming that she knows how to care for it correctly! maybe I should ask her more questions about how she cares for it! goodness, maybe they should just stay in their natural habitat! very, very sad!!!!
June 10th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
It is amazing to me how many people get a pet – of any kind – and are clueless as to how to care for it. I would think tortoises and other types of reptiles would be particularily at risk because they seem to not need much. People do need to educate themselves beforehand and make sure they are willing and able to give the time and attention to the needs of whatever kind of pet they adopt. You make excellent points, Paula. Hopefully people will learn from your message.
June 10th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Paula – This is so very sad – it brought tears to my eyes. How can a human being in this day and age take a wild creature out of its environment and not take the time to learn and understand its needs?
Lets hope that the advice you give in your blog will prevent some of these abuses in the future. Thank you so very much for taking care of these tortoises and all the other animals in your care.
June 11th, 2009 at 7:23 am
Thank you so much Paula for educating the public on how to care for these beautiful creatures. I think too many people think “cool pet”, but never get the proper schooling on how to care for a reptile of any sort.
Some get tired of the upkeep, & care that they require and let them go. Either case is quite sad.
Again I thank you for educating us on how to properly care for them, and for the hard work you did to rescue them from their unfortunate situations. You are awesome !
June 11th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Wow, followed a blog site and am now more educated. You may want to list places to get tortoise food if anyone out there is interested… a little more info aid as it were.
June 11th, 2009 at 9:28 am
today I talked to my tortoise owning friend about your post. her tortoise is not a desert tortoise. but, she is very informed as to the care of albert as she calls him. she has read books and is on some web site that re-habs turtles and tortoises. so if she has any questions, she contacts them. she has an outdoor enclosure that you would not believe. she has a four foot swimming pool enclosure filled with the correct blend of soil so he can tunnel down but not escape. she even has a will stating to where he goes if she dies. she has had him for 7-years and he is almost 20-yrs old. she said she even has a license for him! his outdoor enclosure has a wire top so that nothing can get in and he can’t get out. he has a very good diet consisting of meal worms, romaine lettuce, carrots, berries, other fruit that he likes with a sprinkling of vitamins. she said she even has turtle toys!? lol! my friend loves animals, birds, and apparently tortoises.
this was very interesting and informative on her end and your end also as you are the experts!
June 11th, 2009 at 9:34 am
I forgot to add that he only stays outside weather and tempture permitting! he also has a neat indoor enclosure! sounds like he is very well taken care of!! she is writing a book on this tortoise! after the death of my friend’s two sons ( only children ) she has turned all her love and attention on her pets!
June 11th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
How terrible for you all Paula. This sort of thing makes me so very sad, I can’t bear to think of any animal suffering. Here in the UK tortoises are not allowed to be imported any more, although some people manage to get hold of them. The problem here is with terrapins, which end up being taken to the nearest park and dumped into the lake or pond. If I want to get a pet and I don’t know anything about it, I make sure I read all about it first (not difficult with the internet these days) and then I go out and buy everything that pet will need. Even now, after having cats in my life for over 50 years and kept them myself for 37 years, I still learn things about them. Good luck with the surviving tortoises.
June 11th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
I’m so sorry about the sad loss of your recent charge. I know how heart-breaking it must be for you to see these special creatures suffering so much! But BRAVO for getting the word out about proper care and feeding for tortoises!! I worked in rabbit rescue and education for a number of years. And I saw many, many cases of well-meaning pet owners hurting or killing their bunnies because they simply didn’t know any better. In my experience, education and outreach are the key to preventing these tragedies from happening in the first place. I applaud you and everyone else at the DTCC for you efforts and your dedication to helping all the creatures in your care!!
June 11th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
This is just a hearbreaking story. Tortoises belong outside in their natural environment as nature intended them to be. Every time I read a story like this it makes me loose a little more faith in humanity, we may be the top predator but we surely are not the most intelligent.
June 11th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Many years ago I was acquainted with a family who had several turtles as pets. Before his mom would agree to having her house turned into a house for turtles, she insisted her teenage son read about “the care and feeding of turtles”. This is how they came to have a large kiddie pool in their living room, partially filled with water and including an “island” of sand. When the pool was being cleaned, the turtles enjoyed the outdoors in a fenced enclosure his mom referred to as “the playpen”. Friends were allowed to look, but not touch. Knowing the work he did caring for those turtles, and reading this post about tortoises, reminded me that many people confuse turtles and tortoises because they look similar. I would add that people looking for shelled pets should make certain of exactly what species they are acquiring. Great job to the DTCC. Are there any plans to feature your center on any of the cable networks devoted to animals or nature?
June 12th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Thanks everyone for your heartfelt thoughts and stories. It makes us feel better knowing there are people like you out there who genuinely care about animals, including both household pets and wild critters.
Nancy, I applaud your friend for the amazing aquatic setup she has for her turtles, and for her commitment to them, which even includes turtle toys, which we call enrichment – so important! Kris, you are correct, reptiles are particularly at risk for neglect since they don’t seem to need much. It’s easy to put off feeding them or changing their water or making sure they are comfortable in their enclosure, in part because they don’t make noise so you don’t hear any complaints! And the truth is that if you have the right set-up for them, care for desert tortoises can be easy. This is not so true for aquatic turtles, though. Cleaning a tank or artificial pond can be a weekly time-consuming endeavor, and as the cute little turtle that someone buys in the pet store gets bigger, so does his appetite and his poop!
I have to agree with Kathy, wild animals belong in the wild. Turtles, which are mainly aquatic with webbed feet, and tortoises, which are mainly land animals, can live a very long time, so Nancy’s friend has the right idea by leaving them in her will. But this is something important to think about before adopting a reptile: do you really want a pet that can, and likely will, outlive you?!
LaVerne, to answer your question about food, if you prefer a nutritionally complete prepared diet for turtles and tortoises, there are some great products out there, like the one we use called Mazuri Diet, which we get from our local feed store here in Las Vegas, Wakimoto Feed Store (if you live in Vegas, they are absolutely wonderful and have helped us with a number of things here at the DTCC). But I encourage you to supplement the diet with natural foods because, just like with our human diets, processed foods may say that they are nutritionally complete, but there’s nothing like wholesome natural foods to keep you as healthy as you can be.
Joy, we love your idea of featuring the DTCC on a television show, in part because of what all of you said: education and outreach are going to be the keys to saving the desert tortoise species and to helping all turtles, tortoises, and reptiles to live healthier, fuller lives in captivity.
Thanks again to everyone for your comments and your support. You really help keep us going through some of our challenging days!
June 12th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Nancy #6 – Albert is one lucky tortoise.
Thank you for sharing a glimpse of Albert’s life with your caring friend.
June 15th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
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.
Paula responds: The DTCC is not open to the public. It is operated in partnership with federal agencies and currently remains a federal facility. However, we plan to implement an educational outreach program, which we hope will involve visits by our staff to local schools, as well as on site field trips and tours. Stay tuned for more information about this in the future!
June 15th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
arent morning glories considered toxic?
Thank you
Paula responds: It is my understanding that the seeds are minimally toxic, but tortoises eat the leaves and flowers. Good question! Let us know if you discover conflicting information.
June 15th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
It broke my heart to read about the poor tortoise who had to be put down because of neglect. I remember when I was younger and my dad would bring home a desert tortoise he found while out hunting or just shooting targets. I never knew what happened to them…they just disappeared.
My supervisor has an adopted desert tortoise from Fish & Game. Before he could adopt “Shermie” he had to build a proper burrow for him and have his home inspected by Fish & Game. He’s had him for two hibernating seasons now (almost 3 years) and he seems to be doing just great. I wish everyone who desired a desert tortoise as a pet would learn what was needed to keep it healthy first. I wish it was a requirement before you could even get one.
June 15th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Hi! Turtles and tortoises are extremely hard to take care of as pets, and yes, they are fun to have and watch when people do have one. I used to have a couple of those little green turtles when I was in 5th grade in my home in Texas, and they were mostly outside when the weather was good. We fed them greens, made sure they had some water in their aquarium that had no top on it, some turtle food, and made sure their tank was cleaned up every once in awhile. Don’t really remember what happened to them, but after a few months, we didn’t have the turtles anymore. But, they were fun to watch and I enjoyed taking care of them. I haven’t had any pet turtles since then. Here in Florida, we have gopher turtles, snappers, and other types of turtles that live in retention ponds and rivers. I’ve been able to take turtles off the road a few times and take them to one of these ponds where they are safer and will get the needed food to eat. Gopher turtles are the biggest land turtle and love to open up their mouths to let you know that they don’t like to be handled! Fortunately, I’ve figured out how to catch a turtle from behind and get the turtle to where he needs to be.
You gave us some very good info on how to take care of turtles and tortoises in your article. Hopefully, those people that still want a turtle for a pet will take that info to heart and refer to it constantly. Turtles and tortoises are very good barometers of our environment, and we need to leave the wild ones out IN the wild!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
June 15th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Heartbreaking.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Bless you Paula and your colleagues for caring for these poor creatures who can not care for themselves or communicate to the unknowing owners who don’t mean them any harm. Lack of knowledge is one of the most dangerous things about humans and our environment is showing the results.
Reading on any subject prior to acting on it is crucial for success. It applies to all living things, Desert turtles, reptiles, even dogs and cats, and plants.
June 16th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Why do human beings feel they have the right to take any living thing out of its natural enviorment? If they found a turtle big enough to take, its obvious its doing well where it is. I can see if it needs help take it to the proper place, like a vet. We are our own worst enemy.
June 17th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Bless you for all you do!
June 19th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Chari,
The gopher tortoises in Florida and throughout the southeast are cousins of the desert tortoises we have here in the southwest – they are of the same genus Gopherus. Gopher tortoises in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi were my first love of the reptile world, and I spent almost six years working with them before moving out here to the Mojave Desert.
You bring up a good point about moving turtles out of harm’s way – In many places, like Florida and here in Nevada, development is taking over a lot of habitat that is native to turtles and tortoises, so they sometimes need our help making it across roadways. It’s great to give them a helping hand, but be sure to keep your limbs away from their face and only pick them up off the ground high enough to move them (just a few inches). Most importantly, always move them in the direction they were headed – they know where they’re going and if you put them back on the side of the road they were trying to leave, I guarantee you they will try to cross again as soon as you leave!
August 14th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Thank you for sharing Paula. We can all pass on this info and hope that it gets out to anyone who seriously thinks about keeping a tortoise. Education is a wonderful tool.
August 19th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
We have had three desert tortoises. First one we got as a tiny baby in 2003 from a neighbor. We named it Bob. In 2004 we got a new house and Bob had free reign of the backyard. We built him a burrow under our shed that we raised up on a platform so he’d have plenty of height. In 2005 we rescued a pair of babies from a friend who had them living in a small box. We set up a fenced off area for them. One was a digger and quite the escape artist, the other just liked being with it’s sibling and hanging out. Always came running when I came to feed them. As they got older and bigger they needed more space. Bob wasn’t happy with them and tried to mate with one and kill the other. We gave up Bob to the Las Vegas rescue group last year. We didn’t know the sex of the twins until this year, both boys. Which is good because the one who comes running to me when I am outside and would rather be inside chasing our cats I had named My Little Boy. The two took over Bob’s burrow and happily spent the days digging. They had a large tub of water they could climb in and out of. Everyday they got greens and scoops of Rep-Cal pellets. My Little Boy would scratch on the back door when he was really for food. But they started fighting and the digger kicked Little Boy out of the burrow. I thought of just giving up the one but our backyard is bare with weeds and not full of the plants they need to be eating. They were growing fast but I don’t know how healthy they really were. Plus I don’t know if we will even have a house next year. As hard as it was this morning I had the rescue group take them both. I will miss my little boy, he had such a personality but I know the rescue group will do a great job finding them a home with the best of habitats and keep tabs on them. I don’t know if tortoises get attached to people, or even remember them, but I’ll never forget my little boy.
August 28th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Do you have any specific websites/books that you recommend on diet for a desert tortoise? I inherited one when my husband found his friends wandering in the street because it had gotten out of the yard. It is about 5 years old and seems to be very active and healthy but has a few little holes/cracks in its shell (maybe from a dog). I have been feeding it things like kale and broccoli, which is what my sister was told to feed hers (about one year old) but I came accross a diet guide on the internet that said those things are not good to give a turtle. Im confused because everything is conflicting and I want to do the best thing for her. we have a perfect protected little yard for her to play in with plenty of shade and sunlight.
Moderator’s note: Paula addresses tortoise diet in comment #10 of the following post http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2009/04/29/desert-tortoise-team
August 31st, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Kristine,
Good questions. There isn’t a lot of information out there about what to feed desert tortoises or even how to care for them. Your best bet is to feed your tortoise dark leafy greens like kale and endive, but avoid spinach and any foods that contain oxalates – these can cause bladder stones in captive tortoises and they can be fatal if not removed surgically.
There are a couple of “complete” tortoise diets on the market, so if you want to feed one of those, that’s okay, but make sure it’s not a diet for a turtle – totally different critter – and be sure to supplement with natural foods.
Here at the DTCC we feed our tortoises salads full of kale, endive, green and yellow squash, cucumbers, and an occasional small treat like a bite of strawberry, avocado, or banana. They love natural plants like globe mallow and prickly pear cactus as well. And please remember, you absolutely positively must have a deep burrow available for your tortoise at all times. The shade of a bush or tree, no matter how big, does not protect them from the heat and cold the way a burrow does. Good luck on finding your tortoise’s favorite foods!