Yuma, AZ - This cute, hard shelled desert tortoise could be your new best friend.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is looking to give away free Sonoran Desert Tortoises. They have an abundance of captured bred tortoises and they are putting them up for adoption.
Catherine Robinson with Yuma Game and Fish says even though tortoises are low maintenance they still need care.
"A tortoise isn't for everyone. You can't just leave them in your backyard because they do need attention. They need the right food and you have to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't end up upside down because they could die in the summer heat," says Robinson.
Robinson tells News 13 tortoises are protected in Arizona and can not be legally taken from the wild.
She says Game and Fish doesn't give away tortoises on a regular basis.
She says they make great pets and she even owns one.
"Our tortoise likes our dogs, the dogs love him, they even sleep with him in his den. The tortoise comes out and roams around and likes to be near us when we are in the backyard. They have nice personalities and they don't make a lot of noise which is nice," says Robinson.
Desert tortoises can live anywhere between 50 and 100 years and on average they grow to be about 15 pounds. They eat plant material , grasses and wildflowers.
To adopt you must have a safe yard with an enclosed area and you will need to construct a burrow similar to this one so that it can keep cool during the summer and hibernate during the winter. You will also have to fill out an application to make sure you're a good match.
Robinson says once a desert tortoise is captive, they should remain captive.
"We don't want people to release them out into the wild because they can kill off the wild species because they could carry diseases," says Robinson.
Arizona Game and Fish is also hosting adoptions in other parts of Arizona.
For information on how to start the adoption process visit: www.azgfd.gov/tortoise
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