Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey everyone, i live here in la and i have one male desert tortoise and i want to get him a friend/mate. how do i go about this? is the process through the california turtle and tortoise society difficult and long? any shared experiences would be appreciated.

thanks everyone

-Tony (818)

CTTC would be a great place to start, they place a lot of lost and wandering rescued tortoises and members have hatchlings most years. Get on the list and get prepared. Contact other clubs as well, and let animal rescue groups and even The Dept. of Fish & Game know you are interested. You have to jump a few hoops, get the tortoise I.D. via DFG etc. Keep in mind your male tortoise may be pretty territorial and/or amorous etc. when you introduce a new animal, so consider dividing the territory and keeping separate. Also it would be good to quarantine any new additions to your herd. good luck and provide a great home, they are really fun to work with if you keep them healthy. vic
h. p.s. Griffith Park in L.A. used to have lots of them, too many-you might check with them.

thanks a lot, i appeciate it, ill try all those places and keep everyone posted. in griffith park did you mean they are wild walking around the park?

No, that is way too close to the coast for native desert tortoise. Years ago, before folks knew better, the abundant desert tortoises were collected in the desert by the pick up load and sold to city dwellers. They grew weary of them and looked for a place to dump them. L.A.'s Griffith park used to have an enclosure, and they kept a few tortoises themselves. However, folks started "dumping" animals into the enclosure (a common problem in parks and zoos), and they would regularly find themselves with dozens of unloved, unwanted tortoises...I have a friend with two from this source, he has had them over 45 years and they were large adults when he got them. good luck, I hope you give a lost tortoise a second chance. vic h.