Needing information on cherry head

Hello I'm new and I'm looking to get a cherry head I can't find much info on them and I was wondering if it would be ok to keep him indoors. I will take him out on warm days but being in West Virginia I can't keep a tortoise outside. Also, is cherry head care just like redfoot tortoise?

Does anyone have a cherry head tortoise they keep indoors? Wanting to get a tortoise but the one I get will have to be indoors most of the time. Love the looks of a cherry head. Any advice would be great!!

Hi, WV, and welcome to the forum!

Take a look at RF care at the Tortoise Library

And, yes, Cherry head care is the same as RF care.

This is a pretty nice one:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/heres-dales-new-enclosure-picture-heavy.11023/#post-95174

That is very nice. Will it do ok in something like that all year round? I live in west Virginia I can't keep one outside.

wvgirl said:

Hello I'm new and I'm looking to get a cherry head I can't find much info on them and I was wondering if it would be ok to keep him indoors. I will take him out on warm days but being in West Virginia I can't keep a tortoise outside. Also, is cherry head care just like redfoot tortoise?

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Welcome.
Obviously, the very best situation is for your tortoise to live outdoors. However, many,many members house their Cherryheads and Redfoot indoors.
You'll need a very large enclosure. And you'll need a "closed chamber" design.
Your parameters will be 80-90 for overall temperature. As low as 70 at night and humidity of up over 70% constantly.
You will need a good source of UVB. Most of us use florescent light strips for this. No bright lights. A simple CHE will be better than a fancy lamp for heat.
Please DO NOT purchase one of the spiral shaped, COMPACT FLORESCENT light bulbs. Or anything else that a pet store will try to sell you.
Go over to our Redfoot tortoise care section and start assembling everything you will need and get it up and running and tweaked to suit you. Then and only then....Go find your new tortoise.
And don't get a pair.
Remember that tortoises are solitary in nature. The last thing it will want is competition for everything.
Good luck to you.

Don't you have another post about this?

Yes but I thought I put it in the wrong place.

wvgirl said:

That is very nice. Will it do ok in something like that all year round? I live in west Virginia I can't keep one outside.

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Yes, providing you have the right kind of lights and heat.

Thank you very much just wanting to make sure I know what I need to before getting one. So I can decide which tortoise is right for me.

Don't get me wrong.....I LOVE my redfoots - but they really aren't suited to my climate in Oregon. If you are just getting one though and aren't going to go all "Crazy tortoise lady" like I did you can easily house them indoors year round with trips outside in the summer. I would guess that my tortoises spend less than 60 nights a year outside. (More days outside, but they would come in at night meaning I still had to keep their enclosures warm and running)

Ideally I should have selected a smaller breed of tortoise for the long run as housing SIX redfoots indoors most of the year is a real challenge.

The size is another concern of mine. But I say I would only have one.

MPRC said:

Don't get me wrong.....I LOVE my redfoots - but they really aren't suited to my climate in Oregon. If you are just getting one though and aren't going to go all "Crazy tortoise lady" like I did you can easily house them indoors year round with trips outside in the summer. I would guess that my tortoises spend less than 60 nights a year outside. (More days outside, but they would come in at night meaning I still had to keep their enclosures warm and running)

Ideally I should have selected a smaller breed of tortoise for the long run as housing SIX redfoots indoors most of the year is a real challenge.

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That's some dedication there!

wvgirl said:

The size is another concern of mine. But I say I would only have one.

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Most "Cherryheads" stay smaller than most non Cherries. But still expect a 10" tortoise.

Oh ok I thought I seen on line they would be 12" thanks

wvgirl said:

Oh ok I thought I seen on line they would be 12" thanks

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They do get larger, but I would expect that to happen when kept outdoors and in the "tropics" such as southern Florida.

Ok thank you so much for your help

Here's a good example of the size of my largest redfoot at 10 years old. He's bigger now, since he came from a crappy situation and immediately began to thrive under my care.

Is that the biggest he will get? Do you think these are great for first time tortoise owner?

I LOVE my redfoots. They are filled with personality. I could watch them for hours (It's terrible since i'm self employed) - Vern is still adding lots of growth rings and has gained a little over 2lbs in a year and a half.

Something to consider that I did not - do you rent, own or live with family? When I was first moving from my parents house I had a 13lb Iguana. It made finding a rental very difficult. Then I went on to put an offer on a house and foolishly get my tortoises before closing on it. Now I'm stuck in a pretty cruddy rental because I couldn't find a quality space that could accommodate my pets. If you plan on renting or if you are a student who will live in a dorm you may want something smaller. (or to wait a while)