New member looking for info on what kind of tort to get

[Laurie86]

Hey! I'm Laurie and i live In the southeastern US.
I'm currently researching what kind of tort would be best for me And could really use some first-hand info!

I absolutely love sulcatas, i want one so bad but I'm afraid they just get too big for me right now. How would I pick him up? I don't have a fenced in yard etc.


Size is important. I would love to have one that gets about 2 ft fully grown. My climate is humid and hot in summer, cold in winter. I don't want one that poops all over my house 50 times a day lol. I would like a more sociable tort and prefer a male.

Any suggestions?

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Hey! I'm Laurie and i live In the southeastern US.
I'm currently researching what kind of tort would be best for me And could really use some first-hand info!

I absolutely love sulcatas, i want one so bad but I'm afraid they just get too big for me right now. How would I pick him up? I don't have a fenced in yard etc.


Size is important. I would love to have one that gets about 2 ft fully grown. My climate is humid and hot in summer, cold in winter. I don't want one that poops all over my house 50 times a day lol. I would like a more sociable tort and prefer a male.

Any suggestions?

Hi & Welcome !
Leopard tortoises, redfoot and yellow foot tortoises are good medium sized tortoises that i know of. They grow yo be a little under 2 ft (if i remember correctly) and they work best in humid areas. For the cold months, they would have to be housed indoors or in a heated box/enclosure outside.
What size (hatchling, yearling, full grown) are you planning on getting?
All tortoises poop, none more than the other. Its not safe for them to roam around the house because they could eat something theyre not suppose to or they couple get accidentally stepped on, if you have other pets such as dogs or cats, they could harm your tortoise, ect. So its safer if they were to stay in their enclosure.
As for a social tortoise, it depends on the tortoise itself. Though I hear many redfoots are sociable and have a lot of personality.

 

[8james8]

Agree with Linhdan's suggestion. I will say this if you really wanted a Saldana, you would be amazed what kind of area you can fence in with a bit of wood. They are very social. My friend that lives in northern Texas has 3 and they are super personable. He was hesitant because of their size early on but he would have expended the same energy keeping other species (heated she'd and what not). We fenced in a huge area with warped wood from about 7 different stores and just cut it and puzzled it together. It looks great, his wife is a landscape designer so they have an amazing enclosure

So if you could handle the size in your yard and all, I would say go for it. If not, the above suggested species would work. A Leopard tortoise would be my choice of those 3.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I'm also in the southeast.
Redfoot are almost perfect for our environment here. They are very social (mostly) and colorful. Easy to feed because they eat a very wide variety of foods and are pretty robust and hearty and stay about 12-14 inches.
I'd start with a small adult because they are even simpler to keep than a baby.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Laurie, and welcome to the Forum!

In my opinion, any tortoise you get should be set up outside in a safe and secure habitat/pen. Tortoises are wild animals, meaning they haven't undergone years and years of human intervention to make them domesticated. As wild animals, they do much better out in the sun and weather. Most of us have sheds or heated houses that the tortoises retreat into in inclement weather.

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Laurie !

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Laurie

 

[Laurie86]

Thank you! I'll research those species Linhdan. I am a very tidy person with no kids so free roaming the house wouldn't worry me when they were big. How often DO torts poop? Lol

Thank you 8james. The only problem is i don't own my property i could do that but i live in a close quarters neighborhood so it would have to look really nice and matching.

Zeropilot- I've researched them and they do sound like a good match! I really want a full grown but my bf wants a baby lol. How fast do they grow?

 

[Tom]

Loose in the house is simply not safe. They get stepped on, hit by doors, mauled by other pets or neighbors pets or visiting friends pets, they get into fumes and chemical residues, its too cold on the floor, the floor is too slick which is bad for their legs, and probably the biggest issue is that they eat whatever they find. The most tidy person in the world drops things like paper clips, tacks, buttons, hair, little bits of this or that, etc…

We regularly see disasters from this here. One member's husband just ran over the tortoise with his car last week. Another member squashed her tortoises head in a door and killed it. Last year a member found a 2" sewing pin in her tortoises intestines in an X-ray and had no idea where the pin came from. I work with a lot of reptile vets and knowing my predilection with tortoises, they share all kinds of stories with me.

Tortoises need their own properly designed, heated, lit, and maintained enclosures. I prefer to do one indoors for nights and inclement weather, and one outdoors for nicer weather. It is easy to make a temporary, secure, safe and spacious outdoor enclosure. There are lots of ideas for that right here on the forum.

Check this out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[8james8]

Tom is exactly right. Since it's a close quarters area, I still suggest the Leopard tortoise. I think two would be ideal with what your have explained.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Torts poop depends on how much they eat from what i see. But my torts poop either every other day or 2 times a day. And almost every time when i soak them.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

This is by no means a scientific answer. But for a Redfoot, I'd expect an inch a year, Give or take.

 

[JoesMum]

Hey! I'm Laurie and i live In the southeastern US.
I'm currently researching what kind of tort would be best for me And could really use some first-hand info!

I absolutely love sulcatas, i want one so bad but I'm afraid they just get too big for me right now. How would I pick him up? I don't have a fenced in yard etc.


Size is important. I would love to have one that gets about 2 ft fully grown. My climate is humid and hot in summer, cold in winter. I don't want one that poops all over my house 50 times a day lol. I would like a more sociable tort and prefer a male.

Any suggestions?

Tom explained about the poop. It shouldn't be allowed to roam free. Poop however comes from eating. You will end up clearing a lot of poop from the enclosure and the bigger the tort then the bigger the poop (although it always seems bigger than it should!)

You do have to be aware of the full grown size of these torts if you're going to keep indoors. Even the smallest need lots of space.

This is a pet that will be with you for the next 50+ years so it's important to know where you are now and be aware of the longer term too

 

[popeye tortoise]

Hello and welcome to the forum

 

[Laurie86]

I found an adorable 4 year old sulcata! I'm picking him up Sunday, I'm so excited! His current mom sent me these photos.

He's going to have his own room inside and I've finally decided on a big fence design for him in my backyard and I'm building his shed in a couple months.

Would one of those big red heat lamps that dogs use be good, with hay inside? He will come inside at night and in the winter unless it's really nice out.

How do you guys transport your 100lb+ guys? I was thinking of a tarp sled contraption lol.

And I'm fully aware of how long he'll live with proper care, that's one of the reasons i love them ❤ i have an 8 year old dog that's my world and a 10 year old pup. I keep my animals forever

 

[Yvonne G]

No one mentioned the pee. I sometimes have to house rescues in my backyard. The backyard has a cinderblock retreat that is on the carport. I had a 75lb sulcata in the backyard one time. I was amazed one morning to see a RIVER running across the carport coming from the cinderblock house. That tortoise must've pee'd 5 gallons!!! I can't imagine trying to sponge that up off the floor of my house.

 

[8james8]

Tom has excellent posts for the set up of outdoor housings.

Keeping your tort free roaming in the room is going to be 1) messy and 2) dangerous. I suggest a gate of some sort to keep the doors clear and to stop your dogs from having easy access if they slip into the room. Have you planned how you are going to deliver heat and lighting inside? Check out the enclosure section for ideas; it is a very good source of ideas and tips.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

You should probably check out some Dog and Tortoise threads. So many sweet natured dogs end up mauling tortoises. Not because they are vicious. Because they are so much like things dogs have been allowed to chew on.
Congratulations.

 

[Laurie86]

I mentioned my plans above. Would the red light be ok? How often do they pee?

 

[Laurie86]

And I'm not saying he's going to be running around the house all day, maybe an hour or two supervised. He'll be outside mostly and in his room at night unless it's a hot night. It's been 85 degrees here at night so plenty warm for him