Tortoise Surrender

Question
I have a sulcata tortoise & my family & I are unfortunately unable to take care of him anymore he's become too expensive to feed & we are trying to find a place that will take him in. I've searched the internet looking for a place that may take him but so far no luck, now I might be looking in the wrong places but I don't know, we did find a place that would take him but they didn't take tortoises that are kept as pets. I live in Phoenix Arizona & apparently most of out shelters don't take in tortoises. So I was hoping you could maybe give me more info, I just don't know what to do anymore.

I have no idea how old he is my grandma bought him for me when I was about 11 or 12 from a pet store called "Pratt's" at the time my family & I had no access to the internet & only read a few books about him but had no idea that things would end up like this.

Answer
Hi Ciera,

Unfortunately sulcata are very common in rescues and therefore can be difficult to find homes for.  Many people buy them as hatchlings without understanding how large they can get and what kind of accommodations they need, and then they eventually end up in rescue (or worse, dumped).  You're actually lucky because you live in a warm climate and there are more homes available for sulcata.  Here are some contacts you can try:

JanCooperAZ@gmail.com (she runs a tortoise rescue in Tucson, or did as of 2011)
http://www.phoenixherp.com/

There is also an Arizona Herp Association in Phoenix, and the Tucson Herp Society, but I'm not sure if they handle adoptions.


Bear in mind that you will likely need to keep your tortoise until a new home is found, and will probably have to pay any costs to transport him to a new home.  Rescues are run by volunteers and they don't have the funds to pay for transportation on top of other costs, and they usually have limited room for sulcata (they almost always have as many as they can handle already).  If your sulcata has been kept well and is in good health, it may be easier to rehome him as well.  Good luck!