Newbie to tortoises

[h2turtle]

Hi, I am new to all of this. I have been wanting to get a tortoise but unsure of what species would be right for me. I don't want a VERY large tortoise. I have been reading up on everything and I am very confused . I live in NC and for the most part have high temperatures year round. Any suggestions? I really need help!!!

 

[Josh]

howdy and welcome to TFO!
read up and see what you think about russian tortoises. they are very hardy and don't get very big. they also tend to have great personalities which make people fall for them.
read a couple threads in our russians forum for more info and photos

 

[h2turtle]

Well I have another question.... I looked in that forum on Russians but I have some simple questions.
I currently live in a condo/apartment. Would I be able to keep it inside, like in a bedroom??? I wouldn't want to leave him outside on account of the local teenagers running around outside.
Also, all in all, are tortoises a kind of laid back pet? In anyone's opinion, is it simple to have a tortoise?

Any additional/helpful information will be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks again!

 

[Josh]

with the right setup and equipment, you could easily keep a russian indoors and let him outside during supervised 'outings'. how much space do you have available?
tortoises are 'laid back' in that they don't require as much attention as a dog or cat but they do require daily maintenance and lots of love!

 

[Crazy1]

For me getting their habitat set up, both inside and out was one of the hardest, But I did lots and lots of research once I knew what type of tort I wanted, which I am sure make it somewhat easier to care for them. I have Greeks, Most torts take a uvb and heat bulbs indoors and should have outside sunlight time. I would check out the different types of torts here
http://www.chelonia.org/

I would also take your time in choosing your tort. They sould be a lifetime commitment and picking the right one is important. Russians make Great starter torts are one of the easier to care for (in my opinion) but most torts do need at least a few hours outside daily.

 

[h2turtle]

Well I live in a good sized place.I have a decent sized living room that I could put something in. I just looked at a website where the owner of a Russian kept the tortoise in a large rubbermaid container filled with plants/water/shelter/ light. Would that be suffiencent??? I'm kind of nervous about this whole thing.

 

[Crazy1]

H2turtle check out our Russian posts http://tortoiseforum.org/regarding-russians-f-24.html
and our enclosure posts http://tortoiseforum.org/enclosures-f-7.html Spend some time looking over the threads it may help with some of your questions.
Oh and their are a lot of Rescue groups that you could get Torts from you might want to check into some of these in your area.

 

[Yvonne G]

As far as a Russian being a "laid back" pet?.....NO! Deff. not!! Russians are very active. They MARCH all over the place in a quick-step manner. They end up in a corner and dig and dig and dig until it drives you crazy. They are a great first-tortoise and have a very large personality, but they don't just sit there and look pretty. They are VERY active!

What ever kind of tortoise you decide upon, it is MY opinion that they all need to be in outdoor habitats. I believe that a tortoise is a wild animal. They haven't gone through years and years of human intervention, making them into domesticated animals. They all still have their wild instincts and do much better out doors than in. It's pretty hard to keep a tortoise happy and healthy indoors (I said hard, not impossible).

Yvonne

 

[Jentortmom]

When you consider there enclosure size you also have to consider there adult size. Females can get up to 10+ inches, so a 55 gal rubbermaid tub would not be good when she is an adult. If you have a patio on your apartment, I have seen very nice habitats built on the apartment patios, but then you have to consider where your apartment is compared to the sun and will they get enough, to much, or not enough sun. I completely agree with the posts above, torts are much better outside then inside. If you like tanks, you could consider adopting a water turtle, some are smaller and only require a 55gal tank. Really think hard about your decision, Tortoises are really big commitments.