SALT LAKE CITY — If you've been considering the addition of a pet desert tortoise, there's a unique opportunity for Utahns to adopt a reptile.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources reports they have received 20 desert tortoises that need loving homes in Utah.
A few things to be aware of before you invest in this unique pet. Tortoises can live 60-70 years and owners are responsible for all veterinarian costs.
“Captive tortoises make great pets,” DWR Wildlife Biologist Ann McLuckie said in a press release. “They have their own unique personality, they will gladly eat the weeds in your backyard and they are fairly independent as long as they have shade and food. They also hibernate for roughly five months out of the year, making them a fairly low-maintenance pet.”
In order to be considered as an adoption option through DWR, interested parties have to live in Utah. However, if you live in Washington, Kane or Iron Counties, you are not eligible to receive one of the reptiles.
Applicants first submit their application and pay a $10 handling fee before designing a safe outdoor and indoor space for the tortoise using guidelines provided by the DWR.
Once approved for adoption, $75 is due to the DWR for a Certificate of Registration.
Available tortoises that come into the possession of the DWR come from a variety of different places. Some have been illegally removed from the wild, others wandered into an urban area where they would not survive. Some come from individuals who were illegally housing the reptile and others must be surrendered because the family is relocating.
Desert tortoises were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1990 and since then, have been protected animals under federal and state laws.
