Desert Tortoise

We were fortunate enough to be able to acquire a Desert Tortoise. Garrett's past Kindergarten teacher (Thank you Kristi!) was kind enough to gift¹ us a hatchling. It² was hatched in October of 2005. Garrett gave it the name of "Duke". He obtained this name from a character in a book he enjoyed reading.

Since Duke is too young to stay outside, for safety and other reasons, we currently have him in a temperature controlled, 75-85 degrees, 20 gallon aquarium, measuring about 12"x30". Duke has a UVB light to produce the needed sunlight to insure its shell grows and is strong. Duke's cage is lined with a newspaper base, with some shredded newspaper for burrowing (which he loves to do!) and a tunnel for more shelter. In a few more years we will have an area outside for Duke to reside in. Right now, Duke goes outside for sun and play with us.

Duke is fed a few times a day. Most (75%) of Duke's diet consists of leafy greens (dandelion, endive, collards). He also gets some vegetables (broccoli, his favorite, carrots, peas) and fruits (mangos, grapes, apples)

Normally the Desert Tortoise will hibernate from October until about March or April. But, it is recommended for the first couple of years not to allow them to hibernate due to not having enough fat stored up. To prevent hibernating you just need to keep the temperature up, 75+ degrees, and allow exercise and eating. He still seems to sleep through the night and frequent naps during the days.

October 2006 - Update: Duke's ONE now. He's doing great and has about doubled in size since we obtained him last year, as a hatchling. He still eats the same type of foods and still a few times a day, but in bigger quantities. He still prefers us to chop up his food. Well, he seems to eat more when we do. We've had to upgrade some of his surroundings, a bigger water bowl, larger tunnel etc. due to him being bigger now.

We're thinking this will be his last year to not hibernate, and then building him an enclosure outside for the spring and beyond.

October 2008 - Update: Three years old now. He hibernated last year, inside our house, in his aquarium without a heater. It was November when we brought him in. The evenings were getting much colder (under 50 degrees) so we thought it would be a good time. He started sleeping for one or two days for about a week and then he kept adding days to his sleeping schedule. It then turned into a weekly sleep, and then by early December he was out until March. During his brief wakings I would have food available for him. He was eating maybe 25-50% of his normal intake but it seemed that is why he was up and about. He would eat for an hour or so, and then back to sleep. We will provide the same environment for him for this winter's hibernation.

¹Desert tortoises are protected both at federal and state levels. As a consequence of this, it is illegal to collect desert tortoises from the wild without a permit from both the federal government and the states of California, Nevada, Utah or Arizona. It is illegal to buy or sell desert tortoises, regardless of their point of origin. The only legal way for the average individual to acquire a desert tortoise is to adopt one from a State Game and Fish sanctioned organization or to receive a captive born hatchling as a gift. Information about desert tortoise adoption programs is readily available from the State Game and Fish departments, herpetological societies, and turtle and tortoise clubs located in the states within the natural range of the desert tortoise.

It is illegal to buy or sell desert tortoises. If anyone tries to sell you one check it out. It may not be a desert tortoise, but if it is please report this matter to California Department of Fish & Game, 1.800.952.5400

² I call it "it" (and he) because we do not know the sex, and will not know the sex until he is 7-10 years old. You can tell, at the later age, by looking at the bottom of their shells. The males have a concave area near their tails while the females remain flat.

Some more reading:

Desert Tortoise Description and Natural History

The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is one of four tortoises endemic to North America. The other three endemic species are the gopher tortoise (G. polyphermus), the Berlandier's tortoise (G. berlandieri), and the Bolson tortoise (G. flavomarginatus). The natural range of the desert tortoise encompasses both the Sonoran and Mojave deserts of the southwestern United States, and includes parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and Mexico (Fig. 1). There are two genetically distinct populations of the desert tortoise; Sonoran tortoises are found south and east of the Colorado River, while Mojave tortoises are found north and west of the Colorado (USFWS, 1989). Desert tortoises have a highly domed, distinctly ridged carapace ranging in length from 8 to 15 inches (20 to 38 cm). The carapace is brown or horn colored while the plastron is yellow hued and without a hinge. Male tortoises have extended gular shields used in combat with other males during the breeding season (Stebbins, 1985). Both sexes have stout, elephant-like limbs with allows these reptiles access to an amazing range of microhabitats, from shallow desert washes to extremely steep mountainous slopes. Like many desert reptiles, desert tortoises thermoregulate by moving between areas that provide a wide range of temperatures such as open ground, temporary rest areas, and permanent sheltersites. Desert tortoise activity at any time of the year is driven by temperature and forage availability. During the spring months (March to May), temperatures and forage availability are the most favorable, and desert tortoises spend a significant portion of their day foraging and searching for mates. As temperatures rise with the onset of the summer months (June to late July), desert tortoises begin to aestivate; spending more and more time inactive underground in sheltersites. In the Sonoran desert, summer monsoon rains during the months of July to October bring the tortoises out of aestivation to build up their energy reserves before winter hibernation. Mojave tortoises do not have access to the summer monsoon and mainly feed in the spring. When temperatures begin to decrease in the late fall and winter months (October to February), desert tortoises hibernate in sheltersites until spring.

Threatened Status and Desert Tortoise Law

The decline of desert tortoise populations in the last few decades spurred the emergency listing of the desert tortoise as an endangered species on August 4, 1989. The final ruling however, listed the Mojave population as threatened on April 2, 1990 (USFWS, 1990). There are many causes contributing to the population decline of the desert tortoise such as collection of tortoises for pets, raven predation of eggs and juveniles, habitat disturbance and loss, and the spread of chronic upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) (Luckenbach, 1982). Although a combination of the above factors has lead to population declines of the desert tortoise, two causes outweigh the others in both severity and impact. As with many other threatened or endangered reptiles, the largest threat facing desert tortoise populations today is habitat disturbance and loss. Land development over the natural range of the desert tortoise has not only resulted in the direct removal of habitat, but has also resulted in increased on and off-road vehicular activity, and livestock grazing. Increased vehicular activity increases the numbers of tortoises killed while attempting to cross roads, and is a significant cause of tortoise mortality (Berry, 1984). Off-road vehicle usage and livestock grazing have made the way for the introduction and spread of non-native plants. When habitat is disturbed, invasive, non-native plants can outcompete native plants causing a shift in the vegetational ecology of an area. Jacobson (et al., 1991) suggested that desert tortoises depend upon the superior nutrition they receive from a diet composed of native vegetation to maintain their health and resistance to disease. The other major threat facing desert tortoises is the incidence and spread of upper respiratory tract disease (URTD). Over the last ten years, URTD has spread into wild populations of desert tortoises with devastating effects. Although the mortality rate of URTD is not as high as researchers once feared it would be, it is, and will continue to be, a significant cause of desert tortoise mortality. Researchers have found that the pathogenic agents responsible for this disease can occur naturally in the respiratory tracts of healthy desert tortoises with no apparent ill effects. It is currently believed that stress, caused by such factors as overcrowding, poor diet, or incorrect environmental conditions increases a tortoise's susceptibility to URTD (Brown et al., 1992). Any tortoise that is subject to stress can develop or carry URTD, therefore, it is imperative that captive desert tortoises are NEVER released back into the wild, as they may carry URTD which could possibly infect healthy wild populations. It is also inadvisable to keep desert tortoises in inappropriate habitats, and therefore captive desert tortoises should only be kept by individuals residing in or close to the natural range of the desert tortoise.


You can see he isn't all that big. His shell measures about two inches long by 1-1/2 inches wide.

Out for some sunning in the backyard.

When sleeping he often just sprawls out.	Breakfast time, with a chopped up mixture of endive, dandelion, and collards

In action, at breakfast.	Garrett watching Duke eat.
March 2006, 4 Months Old

March 2006, 4 months later, it looks like he's grown at least 1/2 inch in length.	And some more sunning and exercise in the backyard
October 2006, 1 Year Old


October 2006, 1 Year Old! Duke's doubled in size since a hatchling. He's about 4 inches long and 3 inches wide now	1 year old and still checking out our back yard.
April 2007

During spring break 2007 Garrett and I built a new outdoor enclosure for Duke	Duke in his new enclosure. For now, he will use this during the warmer months
October 2007, 2 Years Old


October 2007, 2 Years Old! He's about 5 inches long and 4 inches wide now. He's pretty dirty lately because he gets to stay outside in his enclosure for the summer, and loves to dig. He enjoys coming out in the morning for some sunning and then breakfast and then hangs out for the day.	2 years old, dirty, and checking out our back yard. We'll let Duke try out hibernating this year. We filled his aquarium half way with dirt and will place a shoebox upside down with an opening in the hopes he'll find a nice spot to dig and rest for a few months once it gets cooler
October 2008, 3 Years Old

October 2008, 3 Years Old He's about 6 inches long and about to 4-1/2 inches wide now. His daily routine consists of eating first thing in the morning, for a few hours, I think. Then hanging out, roaming around, and eating a bit more. If he's not awake yet in the morning at feeding time, he wakes up when he hears me opening up his enclosure and comes pretty quick over to the food. He eats quite a bit now too. I give him a pile of greens about the size of him. Almost daily he eats it all. He really seems to enjoy his watering hole too. He seems to go through it daily. His watering hole gets filled automatically daily.	As normal, sometimes we bring him out in the yard for some free time exploring. We're still waiting for him to be big enough to always leave him in the back yard. With how small he is, we're still a bit worried some sort of predator may get him. So always leaving him in the back yard without supervision may be another year or so away.

Duke's F&G registration (with some numbers removed from the image))