Low maintenance and educational, tortoises make a unique family pet

Do you have a yard big enough for a dog, but no time to take one for daily walks and weekend outings? Do reptiles fascinate you? Is someone in your family allergic to pets with fur or feathers? If so, consider adopting a desert tortoise through the Arizona Game and Fish Department's tortoise adoption fair on Saturday, April 26th.

Desert tortoises offer a unique alternative to more traditional family pets, and can teach many of the same life lessons to children, including responsibility, compassion and commitment.

Those interested in sharing their yard with a tortoise must mail a completed application form and photos of their enclosure to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, ATTN: Tortoise Adoption Program, 2021 N. Kinney Road, Tucson, AZ  85743. Application materials need to be postmarked by April 7th. Enclosure specifications and application forms can be downloaded at www.azgfd.gov/tortoise. People interested in adopting a tortoise will find frequently asked questions on the Web site, but may also call the Tucson area Tortoise Adoption hotline at (520) 883-3062 with additional questions.

"People are pleasantly surprised at how fun a desert tortoise can be for the family, and how easy they are to care for," says Stéphane Poulin, coordinator of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's Tortoise Adoption Program. "Tortoises make a good tool for parents to teach their children about wildlife, the environment and how to care for an animal."

The adoption fair will be held at Game and Fish's Tucson office located at 555 N. Greasewood Road from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tortoise experts will be on hand to answer questions, and they will give presentations about proper care at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. A veterinarian will also be available in the afternoon to answer health questions, but please do not bring any animals from your home to this event. Examples of proper outdoor enclosures and burrows will be on display.

Tortoises are available for adoption to pre-approved Tucson homes at scheduled appointment times. Tortoises are marked with identification and pass a health check before being available for adoption. State law prohibits taking these creatures from the wild. Federal law bans the transport of them across state lines. 

Desert tortoises can live up to 100 years. They grow to be about 15 pounds and hibernate in the winter months. They eat plant material, including grasses, wildflowers and native cactus fruits. Once captive, desert tortoises can not be released back into the wild. Captive animals can pass an upper respiratory disease to wild tortoise populations.

Game and Fish discourages tortoise custodians from allowing their animals to breed. Each year, there are more tortoises than good homes for adoption.