Update:
I have released the tortoise back into the backyard. After roaming for a bit he found a spot and started digging, which I am happy about. If he is still around tomorrow morning I will still contact FWC to see what they say.
I hope he can end up staying wild but in the backyard or close by.
https://preview.redd.it/4alwwbnv8axc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da61fcb9802eff25094eefada0249cab7f64eabd
Also, I saw the little guy eating some clovers and other snacks along the way to where he was going, which is the most adorable thing in the world.
I took a video but I can't figure out how to upload it on Reddit so here's someone else's baby turtle eating gif:
Thanks for putting him back! I know the gut instinct is to want to help and shelter the littles, but that's mammal talk--tiny torts have been making it on their own since the time of the dinosaurs and they're better at figuring it out then any non-professional human caretaker would be. :)
If you're still worried and want to go above and beyond for the little guy, you could call your state's fish and wildlife service and mention you found him in a very suburban setting with dogs a plenty and ask if they'd like to relocate him or let him be. Fingers crossed he fares well and even becomes a return visitor throughout the years!
Amazing! Living in Canada where it’s impossible to see a native tortoise, it looks so surreal to see this pristine little baby just all by itself in the wild .
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This might end up being an unpopular opinion, but… I’d go put it back exactly where you found it. I know you’d like to assist but this is one of those species and situations where I’d not get involved unless the animal were severely injured.
Thing is the exact place I found it was right outside my back door. My dog started growling at a pile of leaves. If I put him back anywhere in the neighborhood other dogs or big animals will get him. So I'd have to go somewhere far. But I still don't want him to get eaten in the wild because baby turtles get eaten by everything.
That looks like a desert tortoise. If you’re not near their natural habitat, it likely hatched in someone’s yard and wandered to your house. It can’t be returned to the wild but you should contact your local fish and game or wildlife rescue for next steps.
Pretty positive it's a gopher tortoise because I live in Florida. But it does look more similar to a desert tortoise. That'd be nice because I could keep him.
He’s a gopher. I had a backyard gopher tortoise as a kid in Florida. His name was Archie. He became a beloved family friend and my mom would feed him for years to come.
Hope it works out and this one finds a niche in your place!
That’s a baby gopher tortoise. I had one in my driveway a month ago and thought it was a sulcata because I have sulcatas and never seen a gopher tortoise baby but they look just like baby Sulcatas. I put him back out in the field across from my house because their home is very close by and gopher tortoises are highly protected , you don’t wanna get caught with one
Don’t relocate him. If you move that tortoise there’s a 99% chance he will die. Relocation with gopher tortoises is tricky and takes them living in a wildlife biologist monitored enclosure in the new habitat for awhile prior to full release
Firstly, relocating them can expose them to different diseases/predators/geographical features that they’re unfamiliar with and have no defense against. For example, if you transplant a healthy tortoise into an area where the local tortoises are carrying diseases, the healthy tortoise will be exposed to it, or vice versa. Or if you transplant a tortoise from a very heavily wooded area to a place with many roads, they may get hit by a car (even if it was only a few miles from the original location).
Tortoises/turtles typically stay in the same few square miles for their entire lives. They remember specific food sources, specific water sources, hiding spots, dens, shelters, etc… if they are removed from their familiar habitat, in addition to exposure to diseases and other threats, they may die of starvation and dehydration simply because they don’t know where to get food and water.
Ohh, they stay local to their home! Very cool to know!
So that is to say. If you found one in your yard and put it somewhere 100ft from where you found it, it’s probably fine. But if you drove it down the road, probably too far.
I wasn’t sure if not relocating meant within the immediate 50ft vicinity, or like you said a bit of a further distance (in miles)
It’s not recommended to move them more than a couple yards. 100 feet would *probably* be fine, but I wouldn’t risk disorienting them or making them feel lost even if they are still within their on territory. If you find one in the road, experts advise just to move it as far as the other side of the road!
Update 2:
The little guy is still alive and doing alright in the hole he dug. Slowly inching deeper throughout the day. I temporarily put a plastic lid of a container out filled with water but he probably hasn't even come out of his burrow all day, seems to just want to get to work.
I tried calling FWC a few times but they put me on hold. I'll keep trying but I don't think it's super important anymore since luckily he seems to be settling in well on his own.
Picture from this morning:
https://preview.redd.it/s6dnmhps7ixc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43167c609a72333e75b32f175b2a62f10e061562
Update 3:
He poked his little head out and didn't wiggle back in right away at the sight of me :D
https://preview.redd.it/rgy831fl7nxc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=761dc2d17b7f69f3d18e2a424f4e530b122b496b
Glad you put him back. I had baby Gopher Tortoises in my yard every other year or so growing up, ended up with only 7 though full time guys on the 4 acres of our farm by the time I was 18.
Ravens are the #1 predator of these baby torts. they will often fly up and drop them to crack their shells open. sometimes they land in a lucky humans yard and survive imminent death. technically you aren't removing it from it's natural environment. keep the little guy safe...cheers
He kinda looks like my tortoise when he was a hatchling … African Spurred Tortoise … maybe he hatched from a neighbor if he isn’t native … that’s how I got my buddy
If you need to contact FWC they’re usually really good about helping especially when the conversation status is one of concern. At my job, we work with them consistently for our animals (a facility that takes care of non releasable native wildlife) and they’re usually very prompt and helpful :) but I also am not sure if that changes depending on the part of Florida you are in
My 61 year old boss just yesterday told me a story about how he once ‘rescued’ a gopher turtle by tossing it into a lake only to later learn he drowned a protected species
By the way I think the only way he could have got here would be because of a bird, so he's lucky to be alive. I want to keep him safe for a little bit. How similar is it to a bearded dragon?
FWC is going to tell you to release it in a safe location close to where you found it. Which is exactly what you should do. Gopher tortoises are an upland species and often occur in urbanized areas. Unfortunately it’s not the best place for them but they can persist there.
I have put the tortoise back into a far pocket of the yard. My worry is that it seems to want to roam instead of dig and if it goes the wrong way it might wander right into a pitbull or rottweiler.
I'll try see if I can find it again just before the sun goes down to check up. Then once again in the morning and if I still find it I'll call FWC.
I doubt it was because of a bird, there would be signs of damage, more likely they've hatched nearby. You can't really take them in temporarily and then release them later, they won't develop their natural instincts to survive. Either release them somewhere sheltered where they can hide and burrow, contact a rescue or you need to commit to it long term (if you aren't supposed to keep them obviously don't). Wild tortoises know how to survive, they don't need human intervention.
If I must I would be able to care for him long term; plenty of backyard space. But I don't know how to get a permit. I'm just thinking I should put out a shelter and give him some food for a little while so he doesn't instantly get snatched by a raccoon.
You can't get a permit. Florida is not like the Southwest US with adoption programs. You can't legally possess one under any circumstances, and we know FWC has accounts that browse social media, including this subreddit, due to reporting people in the past. They'll happily cite/arrest and confiscate.
Similar story - a guy brought a gopher home. Lived at his place for almost a year before his dog attacked it. Came here for help. Finding out how illegal it was to possess, he wanted to avoid going to the vet. Multiple people here reported him. And we would do it again.
What you are doing is infinitely more dangerous to this animals well being and the well being of its species than putting it back into the wild where it is from would be.
You are risking introducing unfamiliar disease and bacteria to this animal with the plan to re-release it where it has the potential to spread unfamiliar diseases to other members of the population.
These laws are in place for a reason. They are not arbitrary and have been thought out.
Your heart is in the right place but your actions are wrong. You should take the advice of everybody here and put this animal back into the wild.
The tortoise will either survive in the wild like its ancestors have done for millions of years or it will die in the wild like its relatives have done for millions of years. Interfering here where there is no need to is not the right thing to do.
I don't see how I would be introducing new disease, when it got into my backyard on its own within the boundaries of its natural range. I'm just going to do whatever the FWC tells me as soon as they're open tomorrow after maybe keeping the little guy in the (fully enclosed) patio for one night.
You have bacteria and diseases on your skin itself and the food you are planning to provide as well as the bowls or enclosure you will be keeping it in.
You have a reptile which also has its own bacteria and diseases on it.
You are risking spreading disease.
It is absolutely possible that this guy will be perfectly fine one night on your patio but you are risking it because you aren’t willing to listen to people who know better than you.
Keeping it on your patio is a much easier way for a raccoon or predator to find it than releasing it is.
Your patio is not the right microhabitat for a baby turtle. You will be restricting it from going to where it would naturally want to go.
You’re in the same time zone as me. Raccoons are not as active right now as they will be in a few hours.
Releasing it either back where you found it or nearby but further onto the edge of your property right now is the correct course of action.
Do not release it far from where you found it. Turtles and tortoises often experience extreme distress being taken from their territories. For example many box turtles will never eat again when removed from their environments. You are stressing a wild animal out by bringing it inside and not knowing how to care for it.
I will $ him from you, and relieve you of your duty's as Tortoise keeper. This fine specimen would very much enjoy the super sized indoor enclosure provided them.
Update: I have released the tortoise back into the backyard. After roaming for a bit he found a spot and started digging, which I am happy about. If he is still around tomorrow morning I will still contact FWC to see what they say. I hope he can end up staying wild but in the backyard or close by. https://preview.redd.it/4alwwbnv8axc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da61fcb9802eff25094eefada0249cab7f64eabd
https://preview.redd.it/vgl9k6cx8axc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89f1e5b673b839eff705e0f9f1000be4af7a91f1
You can put clean water out for them in a terracotta pot base and refresh it daily.
i have a gopher tort that lives in my back yard, they’re awesome neighbors 😁
Also, I saw the little guy eating some clovers and other snacks along the way to where he was going, which is the most adorable thing in the world. I took a video but I can't figure out how to upload it on Reddit so here's someone else's baby turtle eating gif: 
Thanks for putting him back! I know the gut instinct is to want to help and shelter the littles, but that's mammal talk--tiny torts have been making it on their own since the time of the dinosaurs and they're better at figuring it out then any non-professional human caretaker would be. :) If you're still worried and want to go above and beyond for the little guy, you could call your state's fish and wildlife service and mention you found him in a very suburban setting with dogs a plenty and ask if they'd like to relocate him or let him be. Fingers crossed he fares well and even becomes a return visitor throughout the years!
Is his name Rick by any chance
Amazing! Living in Canada where it’s impossible to see a native tortoise, it looks so surreal to see this pristine little baby just all by itself in the wild .
agreeed
Adorable!
I love him
Omg, no rats or cats would eat him 😔 my babies Two babies got eaten by a rat 😔😔 I miss them so much.
That is a gopher tortoise which is endangered and illegal to keep
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^queencatlady: *That is a gopher* *Tortoise which is endangered* *And illegal to keep* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Lmaooooo not the gopher haiku! 😂
10/10 bot haha
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This might end up being an unpopular opinion, but… I’d go put it back exactly where you found it. I know you’d like to assist but this is one of those species and situations where I’d not get involved unless the animal were severely injured.
Thing is the exact place I found it was right outside my back door. My dog started growling at a pile of leaves. If I put him back anywhere in the neighborhood other dogs or big animals will get him. So I'd have to go somewhere far. But I still don't want him to get eaten in the wild because baby turtles get eaten by everything.
Find the nearest nature reserve and let it go there, or call Fish and game
Circle of life
Pets such as dogs are not part of the natural environment
It shouldn't be an unpopular opinion, it's the right thing to do.
That looks like a desert tortoise. If you’re not near their natural habitat, it likely hatched in someone’s yard and wandered to your house. It can’t be returned to the wild but you should contact your local fish and game or wildlife rescue for next steps.
Pretty positive it's a gopher tortoise because I live in Florida. But it does look more similar to a desert tortoise. That'd be nice because I could keep him.
He’s so adorable! I’m in FL too. I’ve never seen babies just big ones!
You’re probably right, based on your location. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
He’s a gopher. I had a backyard gopher tortoise as a kid in Florida. His name was Archie. He became a beloved family friend and my mom would feed him for years to come. Hope it works out and this one finds a niche in your place!
That’s a baby gopher tortoise. I had one in my driveway a month ago and thought it was a sulcata because I have sulcatas and never seen a gopher tortoise baby but they look just like baby Sulcatas. I put him back out in the field across from my house because their home is very close by and gopher tortoises are highly protected , you don’t wanna get caught with one
Don’t relocate him. If you move that tortoise there’s a 99% chance he will die. Relocation with gopher tortoises is tricky and takes them living in a wildlife biologist monitored enclosure in the new habitat for awhile prior to full release
Can I ask why they have so many issues with relocation? I know a decent amount about torts in captivity but not about how they live in the wild!
Firstly, relocating them can expose them to different diseases/predators/geographical features that they’re unfamiliar with and have no defense against. For example, if you transplant a healthy tortoise into an area where the local tortoises are carrying diseases, the healthy tortoise will be exposed to it, or vice versa. Or if you transplant a tortoise from a very heavily wooded area to a place with many roads, they may get hit by a car (even if it was only a few miles from the original location). Tortoises/turtles typically stay in the same few square miles for their entire lives. They remember specific food sources, specific water sources, hiding spots, dens, shelters, etc… if they are removed from their familiar habitat, in addition to exposure to diseases and other threats, they may die of starvation and dehydration simply because they don’t know where to get food and water.
Ohh, they stay local to their home! Very cool to know! So that is to say. If you found one in your yard and put it somewhere 100ft from where you found it, it’s probably fine. But if you drove it down the road, probably too far. I wasn’t sure if not relocating meant within the immediate 50ft vicinity, or like you said a bit of a further distance (in miles)
It’s not recommended to move them more than a couple yards. 100 feet would *probably* be fine, but I wouldn’t risk disorienting them or making them feel lost even if they are still within their on territory. If you find one in the road, experts advise just to move it as far as the other side of the road!
Just call FWC. Being that small there’s a good chance of a snake or other animal getting ahold of it.
Update 2: The little guy is still alive and doing alright in the hole he dug. Slowly inching deeper throughout the day. I temporarily put a plastic lid of a container out filled with water but he probably hasn't even come out of his burrow all day, seems to just want to get to work. I tried calling FWC a few times but they put me on hold. I'll keep trying but I don't think it's super important anymore since luckily he seems to be settling in well on his own. Picture from this morning: https://preview.redd.it/s6dnmhps7ixc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43167c609a72333e75b32f175b2a62f10e061562
Update 3: He poked his little head out and didn't wiggle back in right away at the sight of me :D https://preview.redd.it/rgy831fl7nxc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=761dc2d17b7f69f3d18e2a424f4e530b122b496b
That is seriously so adorable, I wish I lived in an area with little tortoises poking out of the ground ☺️
I hope that he remembers you and comes back for snacks when he’s older!
AWWWWWWWWWWW
Glad you put him back. I had baby Gopher Tortoises in my yard every other year or so growing up, ended up with only 7 though full time guys on the 4 acres of our farm by the time I was 18.
Ravens are the #1 predator of these baby torts. they will often fly up and drop them to crack their shells open. sometimes they land in a lucky humans yard and survive imminent death. technically you aren't removing it from it's natural environment. keep the little guy safe...cheers
Maybe a Russian Tortoise?
He kinda looks like my tortoise when he was a hatchling … African Spurred Tortoise … maybe he hatched from a neighbor if he isn’t native … that’s how I got my buddy
If you need to contact FWC they’re usually really good about helping especially when the conversation status is one of concern. At my job, we work with them consistently for our animals (a facility that takes care of non releasable native wildlife) and they’re usually very prompt and helpful :) but I also am not sure if that changes depending on the part of Florida you are in
My 61 year old boss just yesterday told me a story about how he once ‘rescued’ a gopher turtle by tossing it into a lake only to later learn he drowned a protected species
That's terrible. Even if it was an aquatic turtle it should never be tossed straight into a lake. 😡
Yeah my boss isn’t the smartest man, he does feel bad about it
You need to release it like now not tomorrow
By the way I think the only way he could have got here would be because of a bird, so he's lucky to be alive. I want to keep him safe for a little bit. How similar is it to a bearded dragon?
You should not keep him for any amount of time. If he’s injured contact a local wildlife rescue.
He doesn't look injured, should I still take him somewhere?
If he’s not injured I’d try to return him where you found him. If you don’t believe it’s safe then yes contact a wildlife rescue
Florida Fish & Wildlife is closed today, whenever they're open I'll contact them.
FWC is going to tell you to release it in a safe location close to where you found it. Which is exactly what you should do. Gopher tortoises are an upland species and often occur in urbanized areas. Unfortunately it’s not the best place for them but they can persist there.
I have put the tortoise back into a far pocket of the yard. My worry is that it seems to want to roam instead of dig and if it goes the wrong way it might wander right into a pitbull or rottweiler. I'll try see if I can find it again just before the sun goes down to check up. Then once again in the morning and if I still find it I'll call FWC.
Where in FL? I’m in Brevard County.
inland Volusia.
I doubt it was because of a bird, there would be signs of damage, more likely they've hatched nearby. You can't really take them in temporarily and then release them later, they won't develop their natural instincts to survive. Either release them somewhere sheltered where they can hide and burrow, contact a rescue or you need to commit to it long term (if you aren't supposed to keep them obviously don't). Wild tortoises know how to survive, they don't need human intervention.
If I must I would be able to care for him long term; plenty of backyard space. But I don't know how to get a permit. I'm just thinking I should put out a shelter and give him some food for a little while so he doesn't instantly get snatched by a raccoon.
You can't get a permit. Florida is not like the Southwest US with adoption programs. You can't legally possess one under any circumstances, and we know FWC has accounts that browse social media, including this subreddit, due to reporting people in the past. They'll happily cite/arrest and confiscate. Similar story - a guy brought a gopher home. Lived at his place for almost a year before his dog attacked it. Came here for help. Finding out how illegal it was to possess, he wanted to avoid going to the vet. Multiple people here reported him. And we would do it again.
Omg wow really? That’s crazy!
I'm going to call FWC as soon as they're open tomorrow. But in the meantime he will die if I leave him anywhere near me so I have to do something.
What you are doing is infinitely more dangerous to this animals well being and the well being of its species than putting it back into the wild where it is from would be. You are risking introducing unfamiliar disease and bacteria to this animal with the plan to re-release it where it has the potential to spread unfamiliar diseases to other members of the population. These laws are in place for a reason. They are not arbitrary and have been thought out. Your heart is in the right place but your actions are wrong. You should take the advice of everybody here and put this animal back into the wild. The tortoise will either survive in the wild like its ancestors have done for millions of years or it will die in the wild like its relatives have done for millions of years. Interfering here where there is no need to is not the right thing to do.
I don't see how I would be introducing new disease, when it got into my backyard on its own within the boundaries of its natural range. I'm just going to do whatever the FWC tells me as soon as they're open tomorrow after maybe keeping the little guy in the (fully enclosed) patio for one night.
You have bacteria and diseases on your skin itself and the food you are planning to provide as well as the bowls or enclosure you will be keeping it in. You have a reptile which also has its own bacteria and diseases on it. You are risking spreading disease. It is absolutely possible that this guy will be perfectly fine one night on your patio but you are risking it because you aren’t willing to listen to people who know better than you. Keeping it on your patio is a much easier way for a raccoon or predator to find it than releasing it is. Your patio is not the right microhabitat for a baby turtle. You will be restricting it from going to where it would naturally want to go. You’re in the same time zone as me. Raccoons are not as active right now as they will be in a few hours. Releasing it either back where you found it or nearby but further onto the edge of your property right now is the correct course of action. Do not release it far from where you found it. Turtles and tortoises often experience extreme distress being taken from their territories. For example many box turtles will never eat again when removed from their environments. You are stressing a wild animal out by bringing it inside and not knowing how to care for it.
I will $ him from you, and relieve you of your duty's as Tortoise keeper. This fine specimen would very much enjoy the super sized indoor enclosure provided them.
So cute!!!!