Desert Tortoises

Question
my kid has tortoises (don't know what exact species, maybe Gopherus addassizii,light brown, popular in petshop ), about 3 years old & 4 inches long. She left it inside glass tank and place it outside for sun exposure but with shade for a while yesterday (Los Angeles Time). She took it back inside house, the tortoise hide inside the shell and won't open eyes and arm. When we touch it and tried to pull its arms/legs, it tight. We place it in dish with water for a while, nothing happen. Is it dead or hiding under excess heat? How we can do to save it? Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you

Answer
Hi Phoebe,

What your daughter has is a sulcata, which grow to be very large.  Desert tortoises are illegal to sell in CA (and also illegal to remove from the wild) and can only be possessed with a permit.  

Putting a turtle or tortoise in a glass tank in the sun will cause it to rapidly overheat and die.  Generally it becomes obvious that a tortoise has died very soon after death--it will become rigid and the eyes will sink in.  However, from what you describe the tortoise is near death and probably won't survive.  You can try rushing it to the vet to see if anything can be done, but likely there is already internal damage from overheating.

If your daughter is interested in getting another tortoise, I strongly suggest that she (and you) do research first so that you know what species to get and how to keep it properly.  Had it lived, her sulcata could have reached 200 pounds and required a large outdoor pen with heated shed.  They are very powerful and can be destructive, so their enclosure needs to be strong.  They also poop and pee A LOT (which is why you don't want one in your house), so cleaning can be quite a chore.  My guess is you weren't prepared for all that!  In general, tortoises should not be kept in glass tanks--they require plenty of room and an open and airy enclosure.  They need proper lighting (including a good UVB source) or outside accommodations, and they need a good, varied diet (most are herbivores and need a mix of greens/weeds/grass).  They aren't a pet that can be kept in a 10 gallon tank and fed pellets.

Here's some websites on the most common tortoises in the pet trade to get you started.

www.africantortoise.com
www.russiantortoise.org
www.redfoottortoise.com