Buckeye residents looking for an unusual family pet can help protect one of Arizona’s native species.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking adopters for more than 100 non-releasable Sonoran desert tortoises. Recent surrenders have filled the department’s tortoise care facility with animals of different ages and sizes.
Many surrendered tortoises were the result of illegal captive breeding. They cannot return to the wild because captive tortoises can carry respiratory infections. Those infections could spread through Arizona’s wild tortoise population, which already faces habitat loss and drought.
“Many people don’t even consider opening up their homes to desert tortoises, but they make fantastic and personable pets,” said Tegan Wolf, the department’s desert tortoise adoption specialist.
Adopting a desert tortoise requires a long-term commitment. The animals can live between 80 and 100 years. Families should prepare a succession plan because a tortoise may outlive its original caretaker.
The tortoises live outdoors and need a secure backyard enclosure. They also require a prepared burrow to escape Buckeye’s extreme summer temperatures. Applicants must complete the enclosure and burrow before submitting an adoption application.
Desert tortoises are herbivores. Their diet should include grasses, leafy plants, flowers, and other appropriate vegetation. Ideally, an adopted tortoise should have space to graze throughout the day.
Applications are accepted throughout the year. Applicants must live in Arizona, and adopted tortoises cannot leave the state.
Residents can review habitat requirements, burrow-building instructions, care information, and the application on the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Tortoise Adoption Program website.
People who cannot adopt may donate to the program to help provide food and care for the tortoises until they find homes.
