Russian tortoises (Testudo horsefieldi) are wonderful little tortoises with big personalities.  Ranging in size from 5 to 8 inches long and weighing about a half pound to two and a half pounds (300 to 1500 gms), they can be kept outdoors in Arizona or can often do quite well with relatively modest indoor caging.

What is “pyramiding”?

Pyramiding is the excessive upward growth of the scutes (the individual segments that make up the tortoise’s carapace or shell) that results in each segment taking on a pyramid-like shape.

Upper Respiratory Tract Disease, often abbreviated as URTD or URP, is a common condition in Sonoran desert tortoises.  "Upper respiratory tract disease" refers to an infection of the nose, nasal sinuses, and trachea (wind pipe)  It typically starts as a clear nasal discharge that may persist for weeks.  Sometimes the discharge dries around the nose and forms a white crust.  Some tortoises may have bubbles blow out their nose and som

Hibernation is an important part of the natural cycle of  desert tortoises, box turtles, and many other turtles and tortoises kept as pets in Arizona and Colorado. Make sure you know if your turtle or tortoise is supposed to hibernate or not.

A sad fact is that dogs and tortoises are not a predictable mix.  The family dog that has never hurt a fly often becomes overwhelmed with an irresistible urge to chew on the tortoise.  Even dogs that have lived peaceably with tortoises for years have these lapses in decorum.  Make sure that any interactions between your dog and your tortoise are closely supervised and make sure the tortoise is too large to be swallowed!  Be

Insights into Medical Management

Bladder stones cannot be dissolved medically like they often are in mammals.  Surgical removal is the only treatment.

Most tortoises recover with surgery even if the bladder stone has been present a long time.

The desert tortoise is a threatened species throughout much of its range which includes both the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. Recently the desert tortoise was split into 2 separate species.The Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizi) lives in the Mojave deserts of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona west of the Colorado river. The Morofka's desert tortoise (Gopherus Morafkai) resides in the Sonoran deserts of Arizona east of the Colorado river and Mexico.  The 2 species can interbreed and many of the captive tortoises in the Phoenix area are hybrids, which can only be determined by genetic testing.

Wild desert tortoise populations are threatened by development and destruction of natural habitat. In the meantime, captive tortoises have the opposite problem and have become over-populated. Large numbers of tortoises now sit homeless in sanctuaries throughout the southwest US. Wildlife officials are unable to return these captive to the wild because many are hybrids and there is a high risk of exposing wild tortoises to any diseases carried by these pet tortoises.

Respiratory infections in reptiles are often associated with exposure to low environmental temperatures, either by consistently keeping the temperatures in the lows 70's°F or simply occasional drops to much lower temperatures.  A lot of times these drops are due to a power outages that disrupts the heat elements in the enclosures.  Sometimes the cold temperature is due to a failure of the heat source for the cage, either the light burns out, a fuse or circuit breaker fails, or the heat source is simply not warm enough for the size of the cage.

It is very important to recognize what is normal and abnormal in the droppings of a reptile.  If you see abnormal droppings, you shouId collect a sample and bring it to a veterinarian so it may be checked for parasites and other diseases.

Mites are small parasites that can live on the skin on reptiles and cause disease. Sometimes they can be seen with the naked eye on your pet reptile or in its cage. Other times, a microscope may be needed to see them. Mites can cause clinical signs in your pet reptile such as loss of appetite, inflamed or infected skin, itchiness, restlessness, rubbing on cage decorations, more frequent or longer soaking, and frequent or abnormal shedding.