female turtle will finally be ready to lay her eggs. Nests usually are constructed along washes in nests scooped out of the ground. Incubation lasts 3-4 months with hatching from August to October. In addition to adequate amounts of suitable herbs, grass, or cactus for food, adequate soil moisture also is needed for the survival of tortoise eggs and young.8DietThe desert tortoise is herbivorous, feeding mostly on native grasses and leafy plants. In captivity they do well on a diet of grass or grass cuttings, and other garden plants, flowers and shrubs, greens and carrots. Lettuce is not sufficiently nutritious and should be avoided. Cactus fruits and vegetables should be fed in small amounts at most once a week. In the wild, desert tortoises generally emerge from their burrows mid-March to feed on ephemeral plants. During a roughly six week period fresh green grass and spring wildflowers are their primary nutritional source. Dry stems of grass and cactus pads provide sustenance in dryer times. Introduced plant species have greatly intruded upon native plant species in the desert tortoises natural range, degrading the existing natural ecosystem. 9ConclusionIf properly cared for, a desert tortoise pet may well outlive its owner. The longevity of desert tortoises may tempt some individuals to release a captive tortoise into the wild if they no longer wish to care for it. Releasing captive desert tortoises into the wild should not be done under any circumstances to prevent upper respiratory tract disease (URTD), inappropriate genetic mixing, and the release of tortoises into an unsuitable habitat. Desert tortoises, with their ability to tolerate long periods of water and electrolyte imbalance, are among a unique group of animals adapted to the hostile climatic extremes of the North American deserts. Adopting a desert tortoise allows for a glimpse of the ecology that keeps these deserts alive, and is an educational experience for the entire...
