Sacramento County Tortoise & Turtle Rescue

09/12/2025

As a reminder, surrenders are not currently being accepted. We suggest using Google to locate alternative rescue organizations in your area. Thank you.

09/12/2025

https://fb.watch/C4nSNgxIQq/?mibextid=wwXIfr

08/21/2025

Here's your regular reminder to hydrate!

This collared lizard is most of the way through shedding its skin. Like other reptiles, as collared lizards grow, their skin doesn’t stretch and they have to replace it. Shedding also helps remove parasites and repair minor damage, keeping them healthy. Staying hydrated or soaking in water can help ease the process.

Photo: Steve Enter

08/21/2025

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1141055781219575&set=a.392828322708995&type=3&mibextid=wwXIfr

For you, a hermit crab’s lifespan is measured in months. Your kid picks one out at a beach souvenir shop. Its shell is painted to resemble SpongeBob’s freckled face. Dutifully, you buy accessories. To the shoebox-sized tank, you add some sand, a plastic palm tree, a little dish of water with a sponge, and a sprinkling of food pellets. The crab proves an unsatisfying pet. It barely moves. It curls into its shell when you approach. One day, there is a smell.

Hermit crabs were meant for so much more. They are social creatures, who can live for decades in the wild—the hermit crabs for sale on the boardwalk were all plucked from beaches. A dedicated group of crab activists rescues crabs that are abandoned at the end of summer, spending thousands of dollars on spacious "crabitats" filled with enrichment activities like climbing walls and swings, as well as specialty food. One woman is even trying (and succeeding!) at breeding hermit crabs, with the hope that someday, we'll regard the humble crab as a pet akin to a dog, or even an exotic bird: a pet with a rich life, that takes time, resources, and dedication to care for.

Read more about America’s most misunderstood pet—and the humans are fighting to change their fate: https://slate.trib.al/bV0aXSE

08/16/2025

We have CA desert tortoises available to good homes. Sacramento area. Custodianship requires a permit from CADFW, it’s free. Contact me if interested in a tortoise and look up this site for more info.

California Turtle and Tortoise Club, dedicated to the care, preservation, conservation and study of the world's chelonians since 1964.

08/16/2025

08/16/2025

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1236944535128248&id=100064381405573&mibextid=wwXIfr

What's something that's "turtle-y" cool? Local conservation! 🐢✨

We are proud to work with the Bushy Lake Restoration Project, which works to research and preserve the natural environment of Bushy Lake here in Sacramento. That includes research into restoring the declining populations of Western pond turtles, California's only native freshwater turtle species!

Western pond turtles face predation as hatchlings by species introduced into their native range, such as bass and bullfrogs. The Sacramento Zoo runs a "headstart" program to raise Western pond turtles to a size they are less likely to face predation at.

The Bushy Lake Restoration Project is working to restore Bushy Lake to a sustainable habitat for native fauna and flora. To learn more about the incredible work they're doing to help local species, check them out at Bushy Lake Eco-Cultural Restoration Project !

08/09/2025

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1192328499558536&id=100063441926938&mibextid=wwXIfr

Learn about the ecological importance of snakes, identification of Californian venomous vs. non-venomous snake species, precautionary measures to avoid snakebites, and first aid and treatment in the event of a snakebite. You also will learn facts and dispel myths about snake species in your backyard! In this fun, interactive and family-friendly program, educators will help answer all your questions about snakes.
https://www.effieyeawnature.org/natureofthings

08/06/2025

08/06/2025

Black-tailed prairie dogs raise their young in underground burrows within tight family groups. Inside the safety of the burrow, pups nurse and grow until they’re ready to explore the surface—usually around a month old. Above ground, young prairie dogs learn by watching and mimicking adults: how to forage, when to freeze, and how to respond to the colony’s alarm calls.

Photo: N Axelson at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

08/06/2025

Another boy needing a new home. Only 14 yrs old. Pm me your property pic where he would live and tell me your tortoise experience. Thanks!

08/06/2025

https://fb.watch/BjBOVQ5XMo/?mibextid=wwXIfr