Update 5-19-08
CRITICAL NEWS, URGENT HELP NEEDED FOR DESERT TORTOISES IN CALIFORNIA
http://tortoise-aid.org/desert_tortoise_survival_alliance.html
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stoptortoisetranslocation
Please visit the links above, please sign the petition to STOP Desert tortoise Translocation programs until methods can be investigated that will work better than the recent Ft. Irwin, Ca. translocation did (is). PLEASE send the petition to everyone you know, many of the translocated tortoises have died as a result of predation and hardships in this untimely movement. Thank you. Don
Welcome to the home of Fokkerdon and my Desert Tortoises, a website dedicated to providing the latest, most accurate information available on the proper care of my shelled friends, - Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) - often referred to as Mojave Desert Tortoises, Sonoran Desert Tortoises and California Desert Tortoises.
The construction of this website actually began with the first found hatchling in Sept. 2000 when I found that the prevalent "captive" care suggestions for them went against common sense. My goal is to investigate and disseminate the latest correct care information to counter the massive amount of outdated, often incorrect, sometimes hazardous information contained on the internet in regards to my favorite tortoise. Keeping them in captivity requires more than just buying lettuce and sticking them in the back yard; proper care requires thinking about how they exist in natural habitat areas in the wild and doing our best to duplicate that in captivity. As a rule, we cannot exactly duplicate their environment, but we can make good efforts to maximize their care.
The Care Sheet is the one that is currently used by the Kern County Chapter of the California Turtle and Tortoise Club (CTTC) and the Plants and Foods is the current dietary information we also hand out here in Bakersfield, Ca. with rescued torts via our adoption program.
Please visit often, tortoise care and research is an ongoing process and as new/more information becomes available, updates will be posted.
Please enjoy your visit, peruse the photos, writings and if you have comments/suggestions, please feel free to write. Information on proper care is always changing, and I am more than willing to consider other opinions/evidences.
70 y/o male DT in burrow, my back yard
Juvenile desert tortoise burrows, my back yard.
The Care Sheet link is active, containing a Basic Care Sheet ( more detailed info is available on the old site - link on care sheet page - but this care sheet is the one we hand out in Kern County, Ca. with adopted desert tortoises). They both will be updated as new information becomes available.
Plants and foods page contains the Suggested Feeding Guidelines sheet for Desert tortoises being distributed with permit tags in the Kern County Ca. area. (More updates forthcoming specifying Native plants the tortoises prefer over alien plants in their natural habitat, with emphasis on PEP (Potassium Excretion Potential plants) since we are finding they need more of these plants to properly void stores of harmful chemicals and digestive by-products).
The Photo Gallery is always under construction, containing photos of habitats (both indoor and outdoor), dietary food sources (plant photos - coming soon), and a section for general photos of Desert Tortoises.
Please remember, there is NO ONE WAY to care for our friends; however, the care sheets will contain the latest, most agreed upon information available.
For questions, feedback, comments, etc. contact me at:
May You Walk In Beauty
Don and the Torts (Serenity, Mojave, Odie, Popcorn and Knobby )