hands on experience

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J

jason longboard

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 12, 2007
3,830
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california
can anyone in California give me the pros and cons of keeping desert tortoises.I live in Bakersfield and have had some friends keep them,now a lady who rescues herps is offering 2 small 5-6 inchers to me.ive kept herps all my life but not these,i am looking up lots of info on the net and have a good foundation of their needs but if anyone here has good hands on advice and is in Cali maybe please give up your input,i am picking your brain,thanks guys.I called a breeder and they said even if i moved to a coastal area eventually,witch i plan on some day,that they should still be fine with proper heating and such.The humidity is why i asked that.Anyway,what ever you can contribute is appreciated.Man thank god for spell check.:)
 
I'm not from California but is the species native where you live? I would keep it outdoors if so, in a large fenced in pen with plenty of digging space and some sort of dry, heated shelter.
 
i am in cali and so is the tort.They are small enough for cageing at this time but will soon be good out doors,well actualy i dont know how fast they grow.It is a cali desert tort.In the books it says the coast is fairly humid for them,the breeder i talked to said with a heated dog house and a fenced enclosure they would be fine,i dont think cali coast line is as tropical as others.Im just thinking of moving closer to the coast in several years so i dont want to rescue a herp that will not handle a move like that.Come on there has to be desert tort keepers on this site.thanks though.Again,right now i live in a very dry valley so i know it will be fine here,just want some hands on insight.:)
 
i keep Sulcata tortoises. they require high fiber, high calcium/D3, and very low protien. they also need full spectrum UV lighting, a basking area of around 100 degrees, and an area to soak/cool off. Most desert tortoises grow pretty slowly. this is pretty general info for keeping a desert tort. do you have a ny pics of the tortoises you might be getting?
 
jason you cant if i recall keep california desert torts if youre a private keeper. They are a threatened if not endangered species due to dune buggies and loss of habitat. I would talk to FW about if first before jumping into it. But if all is clear keep them outside year round give them 2 feet of dirt to hibernate in the colder months.
 
varanio;1259234; said:
jason you cant if i recall keep california desert torts if youre a private keeper. They are a threatened if not endangered species
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I was kind of thinking this too, but figured it was ok if he was getting them from a tortoise rescue, with proper permits or whatever.
 
they are rescues and its leagal to give them away.you cant collect from the wild,sell,and your not supposed to bread them i think.you are not to ever release them back to the wild do to a respiratory problem they get.its spread bad enough and they dont want it any harder on the wild ones.they dont all cary it but most do and live with it fine under good conditions.your supposed to get them licenced.you can also adopt but they screen you with an ap.so far the worst i here is if they turn themselvs over and your not around,they dehydrate fast and can die.
 
so do tortoises flip over all the time or what,i keep hearing this,if so how long can they go before you know what?i cant beleive nobody here keeps the ca deserts.How many here are even in cali,well i forget its mainly a fish site,oh well.
 
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