Hello i'm new here, i am currently located in the Texas panhandle near Amarillo.
I do not currently have a turtle or tortoise, but hope to have one in the future, after doing lots of homework on the needs and care of the animal.
My previous experience with our shelled friends was in my childhood. I lived in Garden city Kansas, and had a half dozen wild Ornate box turtles living in my back yard. I guess they stayed year after year because of the amount of food available in our backyard. We had perennials in the flower beds and a large strawberry patch. i would leave different types of lettuce on the edge of the patio from time to time as well.
I am currently a wildlife biology major and am interested in getting a tortoise that would be good for a rapidly changing environment like the Texas panhandle. for instance, our high temp yesterday was high 70's and today is low 80's but with a fairly good wind. But this can range widely day to day.
Dependent on the temps i would keep the tortoise inside otherwise it would be outside as much as possible.
What type of tortoise would you recommend for a first timer in this environment?
I was leaning toward a Greek but there is so much contradictory info on the greek, russian or cherryhead.
for instance, i read that heat pads are bad for tortoises but somewhere else i read of people using them for tortoises.
any help ya'll can provide would be most helpful.
Thanks, Ryan
I do not currently have a turtle or tortoise, but hope to have one in the future, after doing lots of homework on the needs and care of the animal.
My previous experience with our shelled friends was in my childhood. I lived in Garden city Kansas, and had a half dozen wild Ornate box turtles living in my back yard. I guess they stayed year after year because of the amount of food available in our backyard. We had perennials in the flower beds and a large strawberry patch. i would leave different types of lettuce on the edge of the patio from time to time as well.
I am currently a wildlife biology major and am interested in getting a tortoise that would be good for a rapidly changing environment like the Texas panhandle. for instance, our high temp yesterday was high 70's and today is low 80's but with a fairly good wind. But this can range widely day to day.
Dependent on the temps i would keep the tortoise inside otherwise it would be outside as much as possible.
What type of tortoise would you recommend for a first timer in this environment?
I was leaning toward a Greek but there is so much contradictory info on the greek, russian or cherryhead.
for instance, i read that heat pads are bad for tortoises but somewhere else i read of people using them for tortoises.
any help ya'll can provide would be most helpful.
Thanks, Ryan
