Need Help Identifying This Florida Turtle Immediatly.

i'm not really sure. it didnt look like like any turtle ive seen before. but one from africa that is pretty strange. Well if i keep it, will literally be a life long friend. Ive got the space for it. just need to pick up maybe a cage or fish tank or something to keep it in. any suggestions on this would help.

Originally Posted by justor

Can you describe what's going on with the plastron(bottom shell)? Is there something protruding from it or stuck to it? It's hard to tell from the pics but it looks like it may be a yolk sack which means he is only days old at this point.

sorry that was only because i had him in a bit of water before i realized he wasnt supposed to be in water. but hes all dry now and his bottom looks clean. no holes or any leakage or anything like that. he seems healthy.

Where are you located in Florida?

south west florida. city called north port just south of tampa.

There is someone in florida who has lost their pet;
Lost turtle / tortoise

strangely enough thats the same type of tortiose but the design on the shell is just a bit diffrent. and id be very suprised if it trucked 200 miles to my house. lol

yeah, that would be quite the trek for the little one! I'm not familiar with Florida at all

looking on craigslist though, theirs several people selling these tortoises. maybe 1 escaped and bred somewhere around me and the little one headed in the wrong direction.

Alright that's good. If you plan to keep it you could start it off in a tank for a few months. A 40 gallon or so should do. Eventually you will want a more open "table" type setup, and ultimately it must be kept outside in a warm, arid environment. You want to provide deep diggable substrate. A mix of organic top soil and children's washed playsand will work. You need a ratio that will will retain a decent amount of moisture as well as being able to hold a burrow. Roughly 50/50 or 60/40 soil/sand is what you want to aim for, but do some experimenting to find out what works best. Although they are desert animals it is essential to keep them relatively humid at a young age to ensure proper, smooth shell growth. Diet and UVB exposure will also play a role in this. It is perfectly acceptable to give them daily soaks in Luke warm water as well and I would recommend you spray the carapace (top shell) while soaking also.

A temperature gradient should be provided of about 75 on the cool side and 85-90 on the warm side. UVB lighting must be offered if kept inside. This lighting will help the tortoise create vitamin d3 which will allow it to make use of the calcium in its diet; again, essential for proper shell growth as well as overall health.

Diet should be almost entirely grasses and weeds. Dandelion and mustard greens are good options you may be able to find at the store. If you have dandelions growing in your yard you can feed those if you are certain pesticides/other chemicals have never been used around them. Alfalfa hay is not the best, but other grass hays make a good staple. They can be found at feed supply stores. Keep fruits and vegetables to a minimum, only offering on occasion and in small amounts. Squashes are a favorite as well as various berries and mangos. Avoid citrus. Offering too much fruits and veggies will contribute to shell pyramiding, and may result in a picky eater who won't like hay (which means feeding will become very expensive as the tortoise gets bigger).
Food should be supplemented with reptile calcium 2 to 3 times a week.

I probably didn't cover it all, and you should do lots of research anyways, but that should give you an idea of what you're getting into.

Baby gopher tortoise. Gopher tortoises are native to FL, and very protected. They typically frequent areas that are sandy and dry (not swampy)