Casa Tortuga Turtle Shell-ter

You can make a difference by donating today to Casa Tortuga Turtle Shell-ter. We are a forever home to wayward and unwanted turtles, tortoises and other small animals. Casa Tortuga is a 2 acre property in Las Vegas, NV that houses over 70 shelled friends and provides them with natural lives. Most of the residents are "mercy released" or surrenders. Many of them come in with respiratory infections, injuries or malnutrition.

Recently we received a released non-native pet turtle (Sunny) that had swallowed a fishing hook in a man made lake. She required surgery to remove the hook and is now recovering. Additionally, we took in Edgar, a female red eared slider that was left in a park with no water source nearby. She was brought by a concerned citizen who found her with a puncture wound on her shell from an animal.

One of our mail goals is education and advocacy for those who cannot speak. Pet turtles should never be released in non-native habitats. Las Vegas has very harsh weather in winter and summer, and these pets are not able to survive once they are released. Once the shelled friends arrive at the shell-ter they can never be released as none of them are native (with exception of our desert tortoises and once they are captive they can never be released). This month's vet bills reached over $1,500 with follow ups to go. You can see our shell-ter residents and advocacy work on Instagram @casa_tortuga_shellter.

We also offer a foster program if someone wants to see what keeping a shelled friend is like. Thank you in advance - all of our shell-ter residents are dependent on volunteers and donors for their habitats and food.