New Guy! Lot's of questions! :)

[abclements]

Hey everybody!

So I'm super new to this turtle/tortoise thing so I have a ton of questions! Anybody willing to read this whole thing and answer my questions would make my day!

Right now I'm looking at getting a tortoise, I want a land dweller not a swimmer But due to space constraints and only an indoor option (I live in Pullman, WA where it's 100 degrees F in the summer and -20 during the winter), I need to know what tortoise would be best for me! I'm looking at either the redfoot or the russian but I am totally up for any other suggestions you may have. If you could also tell me the average size of the tortoises that would be fantastic as well!!

Now onto the questions...

I'm looking into building my own enclosure. I'm good with my hands and I'm trying to keep my costs down since tortoises themselves aren't exactly cheep... let alone purchasing all of the needed materials... What material should I build it out of? (Wood, plastic, glass, something else..., a combo of some kind??)

Enclosure Size... What dimensions of a tank do I really need? I know they say width needs to be 10 times the length of the shell and depth needs to be 5 times that length but I just don't have space for an 8' x 5' enclosure... Can I get away with any smaller than that? Like 5' x 3' maybe? Maybe even smaller if possible? (Possibly a smaller tortoise??) Or should I just wait until I have a larger space to keep a tortoise?

Things in the tank... I think I know the basics... Food dish, water dish (big enough to soak in), a sandy base (what kind of sand/dirt?? How deep??), shelters (any ideas on cheep shelters?? I've heard cutting a flower pot in half works great??), some people say live plants??, UV light, heat lamp, thermometer and humidity reader... Is there anything else I am missing?

As you can hopefully tell, I've done quite a bit of reading on these little guys cuz I want a happy healthy friend for a long time to come! Thank you sooooo much for anything and everything you can help me out with!!

--Drew

 

[tyguy35]

Russian is probably your best bet greeks also. others will also suggest tortoises.
For building your enclosure right now im using a large terrarium but am building one ill be using wood.
The biggest you can build it the better.

Also welcome to the Forum

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

Redfoots and russians are fantastic tortoises but I would suggest an eastern hermanns. They got it all the personality, hardiness, and beauty everything you would want in a tortoise. I would start out with a hatchling because it is relatively small and you can make something that doesnt have to be that big for outside when the temps are ok for it. You can keep it in one of those 50 gallon rubbermaid tubs you can get from lowes or home depot. For the bedding I would use coco coir or potting soil. For the bedding you can use coco coir, cypress mulch, orchid bark, and potting soil. I would make that bedding at least 5-6 inches because most tortoises like to burrow in their bedding. For the shelter you can cut a flower pot in half for a shelter and you can also get some type of plastic tub that it can fit in and cut a hole in it so it can go inside. Looks like you got all the other stuff figured out. What type of lights are you looking to get?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Drew:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

I'm afraid you'll have to make your decision on what type of tortoise first, and then we can help you with answers to your questions. Each type of tortoise requires different care. You have to figure out what type of care you can provide and if that fits the type of tortoise you want.

 

[abclements]

Redfoots and russians are fantastic tortoises but I would suggest an eastern hermanns. They got it all the personality, hardiness, and beauty everything you would want in a tortoise. I would start out with a hatchling because it is relatively small and you can make something that doesnt have to be that big for outside when the temps are ok for it. You can keep it in one of those 50 gallon rubbermaid tubs you can get from lowes or home depot. For the bedding I would use coco coir or potting soil. For the bedding you can use coco coir, cypress mulch, orchid bark, and potting soil. I would make that bedding at least 5-6 inches because most tortoises like to burrow in their bedding. For the shelter you can cut a flower pot in half for a shelter and you can also get some type of plastic tub that it can fit in and cut a hole in it so it can go inside. Looks like you got all the other stuff figured out. What type of lights are you looking to get?

Here's the light fixture I would be looking at: It's at petco and it's supposed to be for reptiles... http://www.petco.com/product/111653...rescent-Fixture.aspx?CoreCat=TurtleHPLighting

Also this basking spot heat lamp...
http://www.petco.com/product/5003/Z...Repticare Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitters-5003

 

[CLMoss]

I would go with a Star!

 

[Jacqui]

Hi! You told us what size enclosure you could handle inside, my question is can he also have an outside enclosure? If so, how much room could that be? So far of your two choices, it's looking much more towards the Russian due to size restrictions. Another thing to be thinking about is to save costs, you can often find a lot of the things you need being tossed out in trash dumpsters or given away on places like Freecycle.