Desert Tortoises

I have a desert tortoise. His name is Tortuga.

Desert tortoises are Nevada's state reptile.

Not many people appreciate desert tortoises. Every summer, people come across them and bring them into Petsmart to get some more information about them. It is against the law to take a desert tortoise from the desert. But it is becoming more common for the tortoises to cross into neighborhoods as construction destroys their natural habitat. So it's best to be familiar with the species while living in Las Vegas.

My favorite customer interaction regarding desert tortoises... After I removed the desert tortoise from the bowl full of water...
"This is a desert tortoise, an endangered species." I informed them.
"What's endangered mean?"
"That it's in danger of going extinct." I replied.
"What's extinct mean?"
"That if they die, there will be no more." I sighed, cursing the lack of knowledge regarding the fragility of the natural world.

Gopherus agassizii, the desert tortoise, is a tortoise species native to the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. They are able to live in areas where ground temperatures can get higher than 140 degrees Fahrenheit due to their burrowing behavior. They are herbivores that eat grasses, herbs, wildflowers, cactus, and soil. They get their water from the foods they eat and concentrate their urine to conserve moisture which is precious in the desert.

Female desert tortoises lay three to five eggs. Unlike other reptiles who have leathery eggs, the eggs of the desert tortoise are hard to prevent water loss. Ravens, gila monsters, foxes, badgers, roadrunners, and coyotes often prey on these few eggs before they are even able to hatch. they have a high mortality rate as juveniles. Threats to adult tortoises is habitat destruction and illegal collection. The populations have declined by as much as ninety percent. The species is listed as threatened.

Very few baby tortoises survive to adulthood. Please do not risk losing the species by being a danger to those adults that do survive.

It is possible to adopt captive tortoises through the Tortoise Adoption Program.