Finding Your Match
We believe every captive box turtle or tortoise deserves to live outdoors where it can enjoy natural sunlight, dirt and grass, lots of plants to eat or hide under, lots of hiding places, clean fresh water, and a chance for hunting or grazing as if it were in the wild. We require minimum habitat size requirements below for adoptions, but encourage you to provide the largest habitat that your space allows, as free-ranging tortoises in the wild use ranges measured in hectares or square miles.
African Tortoises
African Spur-Thigh (Sulcata), Leopard Tortoise
-Sulcatas can reach 150lbs or more. Leopard tortoises can reach 80lbs or more.
-African tortoises may live to be over 100 years old and need to be included in an estate plan and/or a plan for when they become too heavy to care for as their keepers age.
-Your yard should have a mix of sun and shade areas to allow tortoises to thermoregulate.
-These tortoises are herbivores who eat primarily grass and cactus. They don't need grocery store produce and cannot tolerate high concentrations of oxalates.
-African tortoises do not hibernate, and require heated winter housing that they can access whenever outdoor temps drop below 50 degrees.
-Sulcatas don't typically get along in groups, just one per yard is sufficient. Yours isn't lonely, I promise.
Minimum space to dedicate to this animal:
6,000 square feet
Mediterranean Tortoises
Russian, Greek, Hermann's Tortoise
-Mediterranean tortoises may reach up to 3lbs and live 50 – 80 years.
-Enclosures should have a mix of sun and shade areas to allow tortoises to thermoregulate.
-Enclosures should have a lid to prevent raccoons or other predators (if the enclosure is not already inside of a fenced yard).
-Enclosures should have an overhanging lip on the top to prevent climbing out.
-These tortoises are primarily herbivores and should be allowed to graze on grass, cactus, and other tortoise-safe plants that are planted in their enclosure.
-Most Mediterranean tortoises brumate in the winter, so you may not see them much between December and April.
-These tortoises typically do not get along in groups.
Minimum space to dedicate to this animal:
100 square feet
Box Turtles
Ornate, three-toed, desert box turtles
-Box turtles may reach up to approximately 1lb and live 50 – 80 years.
-Enclosures should have a mix of sun and shade areas to allow tortoises to thermoregulate.
-Enclosures should have a lid to prevent raccoons or other predators (if the enclosure is not already inside of a fenced yard).
-Enclosures should have an overhanging lip on the top to prevent climbing out.
-Box turtles are omnivores and will eat worms and bugs and also graze on grass, cactus, and other tortoise-safe plants that are planted in their enclosure.
-Most box turtles brumate in the winter, so you may not see them much between December and April.
-Box turtles generally get along in groups but need to be monitored closely for signs of stress or fighting.
Minimum space to dedicate to this animal:
100 square feet
Red/Yellow-footed Torts
Tropical Forest Species
-Red-footed tortoises may reach up to 30lbs and live 50 – 80 years.
-These tortoises are from tropical areas of South America and should have a lush yard with many hiding places as well as sunny spots for basking.
-Red-footed tortoises are omnivores and will eat small animals, worms and bugs and also graze on grass, cactus, and other tortoise-safe plants that are planted in their enclosure. With a well planted enclosure they do not need grocery store produce.
-Red-footed tortoises need heated winter housing that they can access whenever outdoor temps drop below 50 degrees. They do not hibernate.
-Red-footed tortoises generally get along in groups; however, if multiple animals are housed together they need to be monitored closely for signs of stress or fighting. If they all get along, up to three animals can be kept in 600 square feet.
Minimum space to dedicate to this animal:
600 square feet
Adoptable Animals
Applications only work on PC. You cannot submit an application using a mobile device.
To submit an application, simply click the picture of the animal you are interested in below and then click the "Apply for Adoption" button.
Adoption Process
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We don’t ship/transport or meet part way. Your adoption will take place on site at our facility in San Marcos or Pflugerville (depending on the location of the animal).
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Click on the animal you are interested in and use the "Apply for Adoption" button to submit your application.
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E-mail your photos with authentication (your name on a piece of paper is fine) in the same frame as the picture, to: contact@texastortoiserescue.com
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We will review your completed application once we receive the photos and follow up with any questions we have.
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Once you’re approved, you will receive an e-mail with a calendar link to schedule the adoption. Please note that our availability IS limited to the available dates and times in our calendar. If dates are greyed out it is because we have reached the maximum number of appointments that we can accommodate for that day. The calendar link is a live link that will update daily to show you our availability over a 30-day period. If nothing works for you, check back in a few days, as more dates will have opened up.