Question

[MrAtheist]

Hi, my name is Robert, I live in Long Beach California, I'm interested in getting a tortoise, and I want to know what species would be best for my situation. I currently live in an apartment so I don't have a lot of room so I want a tortoise that won't get too big but can also thrive in the California costal weather. Tnx

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Robert
Torts are like children they don't suit you . You suit them .

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Robert

 

[dmmj]

Even a small tortoise needs room you might be better off with a box turtle.

 

[Pearly]

Hi Robert, welcome from Texas. Unfortunately I can offer any advise as I myself am just getting my feet wet in tortoise world, have had the Redfooted for past 12 months) they definintely need ROOM! I've sectioned off a whole chunk of my backyard (live in suburbs) for them and they are only yearlings. They don't even get that big, but they all seem to need lots of "stumping ground" to be healthy. In nature they walk for miles every day. I seem to see baby sulcatas and leopards being sold in petshops, and so many people buy them, but the get BIG!!! Russians seem to retain small size but then I hear that they are very active and need lots of room. Anyway, you'll get some good advise. The 2 posters before me are experience and know what they are talking about. There will be others chiming in to welcome you, and offer some tips. Again, welcome to the forum!

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

Tortoises, even smaller species, still need a lot of walking room 4x8 feet is the recommended minimum for the smallest species, like russians. Also, most tortoise species will benefit greatly from spending nice weather days outside soaking up the sunshine. Indoors all the time is physically possible to do, but outdoor time in a large safe enclosure should be the goal.

As much as we all want to encourage the tortoise hobby, it doesn't sound like a tortoise is the right pet for your current situation. How about bearded dragons, leopards geckos or Blue Tongue Skinks? All of those are great reptile pets with much smaller space requirements. Many snake species would be suitable too

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Good advice given so far.

 

[MrAtheist]

Hello and welcome.

Tortoises, even smaller species, still need a lot of walking room 4x8 feet is the recommended minimum for the smallest species, like russians. Also, most tortoise species will benefit greatly from spending nice weather days outside soaking up the sunshine. Indoors all the time is physically possible to do, but outdoor time in a large safe enclosure should be the goal.

As much as we all want to encourage the tortoise hobby, it doesn't sound like a tortoise is the right pet for your current situation. How about bearded dragons, leopards geckos or Blue Tongue Skinks? All of those are great reptile pets with much smaller space requirements. Many snake species would be suitable too

Hi Tom, thanks for the advise, I know I said I don't have a lot of space but I do have a 12ft by 12 ft area where I can have a tortoise roam around haply, of course if I get something that will get as big as a todler then I would need much more space that's why I want to keep it small also because it's so much easier taking care of a small pet rather than a large one and I don't want to get chewed out by the wife.

 

[mark1]

personally i don't believe a box turtle needs less room than something like a hermann's tortoise .... i'm pretty sure a box turtles average home range is about 4 acres ....... it seems to me the natural home ranges of turtles and tortoises is out of necessity . from what i've seen the ones that have a more complete environment move less ....... i believe females move more than males . in the study i seen a hermann's tortoise in france has an average home range of about 4 acres also , in greece the average home range was about 1 acre ........ if i were to tell someone one thing about keeping turtles or tortoises long term healthy , it'd be do whatever you have to to keep them outside as much as possible , a coldframe , a greenhouse , or just a pen ........ jmo

 

[Jodie]

Hello and welcome to the forum. 12X12 would be a great space for most tortoises. Russians are great starter tortoises. You can find care guides for most species in the specific sections from the home page.

 

[MrAtheist]

Hello and welcome to the forum. 12X12 would be a great space for most tortoises. Russians are great starter tortoises. You can find care guides for most species in the specific sections from the home page.

I read that hermann get to be about 8 inches, how big do russians get?

 

[Carol S]

Welcome to the Forum. Russian tortoises are great beginner tortoises. They are friendly and spunky.

 

[Tom]

I read that hermann get to be about 8 inches, how big do russians get?

Russian males get about 5-6" and females usually around 6-7".

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom, thanks for the advise, I know I said I don't have a lot of space but I do have a 12ft by 12 ft area where I can have a tortoise roam around haply

Oh man do I understand the wife thing…

The wording of your post made me wonder… They don't need a large area to roam around, they need a large tortoise enclosure to roam around in. A 12x12' tortoise enclosure with the right temps and substrate would be an excellent size for many species.

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Robert !

 

[abigaaailllll]

hello rob, the tortoise I know will be perfect for you is the Russian Tortoise. the don't get any bigger than 8 to 10 inches in size. they're the smallest tortoises around, I have 3 of them lol.