All My Annoying Questions

[Bear]

I'm considering getting a tortoise soon since I have always wanted one and now I have a decent amount of money set aside to assure comfort for said beastie, and I have plenty of stupid and annoying questions to ask that I would love for you to answer. Heres the few I can think of right now to start off:

What is the best/easiest to care for tortoise for a beginner to start with?
Are the dry tortoise foods actually good? Would they provide a stable diet? Are they horrible?
Is it that much of a horrible sin to get a tortoise at PetCo? Any horror stories out there?
Would a 40 gallon "breeder" aquarium be big enough for a single tortoise?
If dry foods ARE okay, even if they require mixing with greens and/or live food, which brand is the safest/best?
Is it better to use an edible bedding(such as alfalfa meal) or a bedding like cocoa fiber?
Also, will my future tortoise(depending on the kind of tortoise) require companion ship via another tortoise? Not as in breeding but as in will it pine if it is the only one of its species around.

I would love answers to these and any other answers to possible stupid questions you think I might think of eventually.
And incase anyone is suspicious about my mention of PetCo, the reason I bring it up is in a week theyre having some sort of tiny tiny reptile information seminar thingy, and for that day and the two days surrounding said seminar, all their reptiles(including geckos, tortoises, snakes, etc) will be available for 50% off with a coupon, and even if its PetCo, it seems like a very good deal to be passing up.

 

[Missy]

How much outdoor space you have can make a big part of your choice in your future tort, big tortoises need lots of space. I would rather see people get a tortoise from a rescue than a pet store. I suggest you read threads about hatchlings because they require lots of supervision and special care for them to survive. It is a good idea to get a tort a year or two old because they survive much better. You can also check this forum for torts for sale or google tortoise rescues in your area. The size tank you describe would be ok for a hatchling but only for little while depending on the breed. You should look at tort table ideas on this forum and outside pens. I had the same question about a buddy for Tank and all the feed back I got said you do not need a companion in fact its better to have them alone. There are threads on that subject to. I use soil mixed with play sand and cocoa fiber in Tanks inside pen but people use different stuff and guess what, there are threads on that to, lol. So I guess the best advise is look through the threads and read, read, read then make a list of questions that you still may have. Welcome to the forum its a great place to learn.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Bear:

You'll find answers to all your questions here on the forum. Happy hunting!

Welcome to the forum!!

 

[Bear]

Sadly I have an lack of outdoor housing space(I do have a front and back garden, but neither one would be suitable for a turtle living space). I've looked through threads and theyve answered most of my questions...kind of. I see a lot of people using cocoa fiber mixes but I havent managed to find any mentions of Alfalfa Meal as a substrate even using the search function.

I would honestly love to get a turtle form a rescue, I would, but the fact is the only rescue I currently know of/trust has no turtles or tortoises at the moment and 50% off a price of an animal is extreemly tempting.

 

[Seiryu]

Sadly I have an lack of outdoor housing space(I do have a front and back garden, but neither one would be suitable for a turtle living space). I've looked through threads and theyve answered most of my questions...kind of. I see a lot of people using cocoa fiber mixes but I havent managed to find any mentions of Alfalfa Meal as a substrate even using the search function.

I would honestly love to get a turtle form a rescue, I would, but the fact is the only rescue I currently know of/trust has no turtles or tortoises at the moment and 50% off a price of an animal is extreemly tempting.

How much room do you have for indoors? I am not sure about the smaller species of tortoises, but I am betting they require a good 6x8 ft enclosure (per 1 adult) as the bare minimum.

I wouldn't get a Leopard, or Sulcata for sure. Redfoots and Russians get decently big too.

As far as getting a tortoise, with no outdoors space at all, I am not sure that is the way I would personally go. Maybe consider getting an aquatic turtle of some sort?

 

[Yvonne G]

Alfalfa meal isn't a good substrate. It is true that if they eat it it won't harm them, however, its too dry. You need a substrate that you can moisten. In the "real world" most tortoises will dig down into the earth, or hide under bushes, and they get damp earth and humidity that way. This is necessary for smooth healthy shell growth.

 

[Bear]

I have plenty of indoor space, and I do have some outdoor space, I do, I am just not comfortable with having an tortoise in the outside space that I have.

As for the Alfalfa Meal, I was mostly wondering because of the fact that its not harmful if eaten, but it was really more of a passing fancy. Considering a lot of the habitats here reference to coca fiber & sand, I would most likely go that way, especially since I have bricks of coca fiber on hand.

As for space indoors, I have plenty, and I could make a tortoise table easily in this space, it just isnt my first idea to jump on because, well, im not as handy as I should be.

In the house I have at the moment up to 40g breeder tanks, and a 75g regular fish tank that at one point housed aquatic turtles before I got it and has been the death bringer to many a fish supposedly because of that(which makes me nervous about it, and I would love to get rid of the bastard spawn that it is), which was why I was asking about tanks, since I have them on hand. But after a little bit of reading, I want to put tanks aside completely(except MAYBE the 75g even though it makes me nervous) and instead I have been considering large tubs, for the moment.

WHATEVER the tortoise would be in for the moment would be most likely not a permanent housing solution.

I'm not sure so far what kind of tortoise I might get(though I am leaning towards a russian due to availability), which is one of the big reasons I asked for suggestions about small and/or "beginner" tortoises.