Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just adopted (2) desert torts from a tortoise club here in Southern Ca. They are probably 15-16 years old; one female, one male. I have a decent sized back yard with lots of greenery, some green leaf veggies, red hibisucus and yellow roses.

I have a "home" for them which I can close up at night to protect from the occasional raccoon. I have a thick bedding of alfalpha hay and a Kane Mat underneath the bedding for warmth.

The male is off and running and checking out the yard, but the female is not doing much of anything. I'm worriued about her. She has a rear leg problem which is old but she can get around if she wants to. Problem is that she isn't.

She generally stays right around one area when I put her there. Today I decided to leqave her in her home and see what she does. Well, she didn't move all day long and didn't touch any of the food I set near her either.

Is there a chance she's just getting used to being in a new area. Both of these torts lived for the last 15 years in the same city I live in so they are used to the climate.She doesn't have a runny nose, and the vet gave her a clean bill of health right before I got them.

Hope someone can help...

David

Remember they have just been moved from 15 years in the same place. Torts develop a mental map of their area, which helps them know where food, hiding places, water, and danger is located. They typically take 6-12 months to develop this map, depending on how large their environment is, and don't start to exhibit "normal" behavior until that point. That being said, many torts take no time to acclimate. Our first female Russian acted like she was a captive bred RT who'd been living in her new pen for a decade when we purchased her. All of our others took from 3-12 months to get acclimated.

I had Berlandier's (the Texas version of your Cal Desert) 33 years ago and they took about 15 months to acclimate.

I'd say she is just trying to acclimate herself and is stressed from being moved from her known environment. Give her a week and try to temp her with a favorite food.

Thanx for such a speedy reply - sure was appreciated...

My wife has been saying to just leave her alone and not try to force her out of her home where she probably feels safe. I let her read your reply and of course now I've gotta live with the "I told you so" syndrome...

I just may have the same Texas version you spoke of. The adoption people said these are a little small for 15 years old and that they might just be a Texas Tort.

You mentioned tempting her with favorite foods - well, what might some of those be? Should I set out food for them daily? I've heard they like endive, squash (zuchinni), peas, broccoli. We've only has them for 3 days now and I've been setting a little dish of that kind of stuff out for them.

Thanx again...

David

The only foods you want these torts eating are grass, weeds, cactus pads, and cactus fruit. Stay away from vegetables and fruit. The damage it does to them is unbelievable.

Try cactus fruit first. They can be found in most grocery stores this time of year or in any hispanic market. Typically they are red and all torts are wired to eat anything red. Cactus pads are a good second choice.

Ernie