First: how did it get out?
Walk the whole boundary before anything else. VCA's veterinarians advise that a tortoise yard needs a very secure fence with its bottom buried 6 inches into the ground, and for box turtles they advise burying fencing 6–12 inches deep, because turtles can dig out of enclosures. The California Turtle & Tortoise Club adds that box turtles can dig under or climb over fences.
Look for fresh digging along the fence, a gap under a gate, a pile of soil or plants it could have climbed, or a gate left open. Where it got out tells you where to start.
Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals, Gregory Rich, DVM, "Owning a Tortoise"; VCA Animal Hospitals (veterinarian-written), "Box Turtles – Housing"; California Turtle & Tortoise Club, "Box Turtle Care"
Why the weather matters
Turtles and tortoises, like all reptiles, are ectotherms: VCA explains that their body temperature follows the temperature around them, and that they slow down when it is cooler. For box turtles kept outside, VCA advises bringing them indoors if the temperature drops below 60°F (16°C).
In Philadelphia and South Jersey, that happens for most of the year. At Philadelphia International Airport the normal overnight low is below 60°F in every month from October to May: about 49°F in October, 39°F in November and 44°F in April.
Cold also changes what a tortoise does. Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine explains that many turtles and tortoises go through brumation, a hibernation-like dormancy that usually begins around October or November, and that to prepare for it they stop eating and bury themselves. A tortoise that escapes in autumn may already be underground. Texas A&M also warns that a turtle or tortoise spending the winter outdoors faces temperature extremes and predators, and can freeze if it is not insulated or buried deep enough. Treat an autumn or winter escape as urgent, even if your tortoise is a species that normally hibernates.
Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals (veterinarian-written), "Box Turtles – Housing"; National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mount Holly, climate normals for Philadelphia International Airport (1991–2020); Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, Pet Talk, "Turtle Brumation"
Where to look
Search slowly, at ground level, and look for a shape rather than for movement. A still tortoise can look exactly like a stone or a clump of earth.
- Start where it got out, and search along fences, walls and hedges first before widening out.
- Check anywhere it could dig in or wedge itself: under decks, sheds, steps and bushes, in compost and leaf piles, and in soft, freshly dug soil. The California Turtle & Tortoise Club notes that some tortoises build their own burrows.
- Look for signs as well as the tortoise: fresh scrapes, a new hole, or plants that have been nibbled.
- Search again on the next warm, sunny day. VCA explains that turtles move around their surroundings to warm or cool themselves, so a tortoise that was hidden may come out to warm up.
- Ask your neighbors to check their yards, sheds and garages, and to look before they mow or dig.
- Keep your own dog indoors or on a leash while you search. Texas A&M names dogs, foxes, raccoons and rodents among the predators a turtle or tortoise outdoors can face.
Sources: California Turtle & Tortoise Club, "A Guide to the Care of the Desert Tortoise"; VCA Animal Hospitals (veterinarian-written), "Box Turtles – Housing"; Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, Pet Talk, "Turtle Brumation"
Tell the people nearby
The ASPCA's advice for any lost pet applies to tortoises too: call your local animal control, veterinary hospitals, shelters and rescue groups, and put up flyers with a clear, recent photo. Reptile keepers add: say the species plainly, list the date and place it was last seen, and post flyers in the streets around where it got out.
You can also post an alert on Petside's Lost & Found. Choose Reptile as the species, write "tortoise" and the kind in the breed field, and add up to five photos and the place it was last seen. Anyone can browse the alerts, filter them by species and by a radius of 5 to 100 miles, and add a sighting. People nearby who have lost & found notifications turned on are told when a pet goes missing near them. Posting needs a free account.
Petside is only just getting started in Philadelphia and South Jersey, so use it alongside your calls and flyers, not instead of them.
Sources: ASPCA, "Finding a Lost Pet"; Reptiles Magazine, "Tips for Creating Your Lost Reptile Flyer"
Found a tortoise or a turtle?
First, work out whether it is someone's pet. VCA lists the tortoises most often kept as pets (sulcata, leopard, red-footed, Russian, Greek and Hermann's) and notes that they come from Africa, Central and South America and the Mediterranean, so one of these in a yard or on a street is almost certainly an escaped pet. Keep it somewhere safe and quiet indoors, away from other pets, and report it as found: on Petside's Lost & Found, and to your local animal control or shelter.
A box turtle or another turtle may be wild. Texas A&M's veterinarians say uninjured wild turtles should stay in the wild, and that if one is crossing a road and you can safely stop, you can move it to the side of the road in the direction it was heading. If it is injured, take it to a wildlife rehabilitator or a veterinarian. If you can't tell whether it's a pet, a veterinarian who treats reptiles can help: the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians keeps a directory.
Wash your hands after handling any turtle or tortoise. The CDC notes that reptiles can carry Salmonella even when they look clean and healthy, and advises washing with soap and running water after touching a reptile or anything from its enclosure.
Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals, Gregory Rich, DVM, "Owning a Tortoise"; Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, Pet Talk, "Why did the turtle cross the road"; Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, "Find a Vet"; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Reptiles and Amphibians"
Once it's home: making the next escape less likely
When your tortoise is back, a few changes help keep it that way.
- Bury the fence. VCA advises a tortoise fence buried 6 inches into the ground, and fencing buried 6–12 inches for box turtles, or bricks or rocks along the perimeter to stop digging.
- Stop the climbing. The California Turtle & Tortoise Club suggests adding a lip along the top of the fence and trimming plants that grow alongside it.
- Supervise time outside the enclosure. VCA recommends supervising a turtle outdoors to prevent escape or attack from wild animals.
- Give it shelter from the cold. VCA advises a crate or enclosure to shield an outdoor tortoise from bad and cold weather.
- Keep clear, recent photos of the top and the underside of its shell on your phone, so a flyer or alert takes minutes.
Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals, Gregory Rich, DVM, "Owning a Tortoise"; VCA Animal Hospitals (veterinarian-written), "Box Turtles – Housing"; California Turtle & Tortoise Club, "Box Turtle Care"
See a reptile vet
If your tortoise was out overnight in the cold, got wet and cold, was found underground or has any injury, have it checked by a veterinarian familiar with reptiles, even if it seems fine. The California Turtle & Tortoise Club warns that a wet and cold tortoise may develop a respiratory illness or pneumonia. VCA lists bubbles in the mouth, nose or eyes, nasal discharge, wheezing and open-mouth breathing among the signs of a respiratory infection, and says any tortoise that is not behaving normally should be seen by a veterinarian familiar with reptile diseases.
Don't let it go straight into hibernation after an escape. Texas A&M's veterinarians say a sick or injured turtle or tortoise should never brumate, and that brumation should only be started by an experienced keeper or a veterinarian.
Sources: California Turtle & Tortoise Club, "A Guide to the Care of the Desert Tortoise"; VCA Animal Hospitals, "Common Diseases of Tortoises"; Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, Pet Talk, "Turtle Brumation"; Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, "Find a Vet"
Questions people ask
- How far can a lost tortoise go?
- We could not find a reliable source that gives a distance, so we won't guess. Search the nearest cover thoroughly before widening out: under decks, sheds and bushes, and anywhere it could dig in. A still tortoise is easy to walk past.
- Can a tortoise survive a winter outside?
- It is a real risk. Texas A&M's veterinarians warn that a turtle or tortoise spending the winter outdoors can freeze if it is not insulated or buried deep enough, and that a sick or injured one should never brumate. VCA advises bringing box turtles indoors below 60°F, and the normal overnight low in Philadelphia is below that from October to May. Keep searching, and see a reptile vet once it is found.
- Will my tortoise come back on its own?
- Don't count on it. We could not find a reliable source saying that tortoises find their way home, so plan as if it won't: search, ask your neighbors, and post alerts.
- What should I do if I find a tortoise?
- A pet tortoise species in a yard or street is almost certainly someone's escaped pet: keep it safe indoors, away from other pets, and report it as found on Petside's Lost & Found and to your local animal control or shelter. A turtle may be wild; if it is uninjured, Texas A&M's veterinarians say it should stay in the wild. Wash your hands after handling it.
This guide is general information, not veterinary advice. Every pet is different: if you are worried about your animal's health, talk to a veterinarian who treats that species.