I've kinda talked about this in another topic but my dad once again is talking about buying me a tortoise. While I Live his intentions I have tried to warn him that I will be expensive starting out. There's the tortoise itself, and then the habitat and supplies. Tortoisesupply.com has some good starter kits and they always have tortoises available. I'm also looking at buying my tortoise from kamp kenan as he is a great breeder. If it all falls through this will be my first tort, if it doesn't fall through I'll continue to save money for my future purchase of a tort. But once again the tall tale question. Baby vs. older torts. I have had many people tell me that my first tortoise shouldn't be a baby, because I am inexperienced and baby's can be hard to handle. But others have told me if I watch them and keep an eye on them I'll be fine. others have told me that a slightly older tortoise would be great for a first timer. Such as 1-2 years old or even a couple months old but just shy of a year. I want to know your opinion. I'm looking into Hermanns tortoises mostly but am also interested in Greek tortoises. I live in Maryland so our winter are pretty dry and harsh but our summers can anywhere from mild to harsh but we always have humidity because we live by the bay .
Baby or older?
- Thread starter anm1221
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My two cents. Babies are more difficult to manage than a juvenile. Ask yourself how much time and effort are you willing to give. A baby is more work and requires more attention to prevent problems. My first torts were 2 years old, so they were well established, healthy and there wasn't much I could do to harm them as I learned. If you don't take care of a baby properly, they can go downhill and die fairly quickly.
Don't let me scare you away from a baby, just be aware they need more care. It is a blast watching these little guys grow up, even with the extra work.
Don't let me scare you away from a baby, just be aware they need more care. It is a blast watching these little guys grow up, even with the extra work.
My belief is the older the animal, the easier it is to care for and the more "bomb" proof they become. That does not mean, that if you really want a hatchling as your first tortoise that you should not do so. They are not that much harder to care for, it's just that the less body mass a tortoise has, the more every little thing in the environment is a bigger and more life threatening deal.
Plus the older the animal, the more your going to know what it will look like as an adult and the sex (if that matters to you).
Plus the older the animal, the more your going to know what it will look like as an adult and the sex (if that matters to you).
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I would prefer a juvie or an adult for a first time owner. I can't tell you how many people have gotten baby turtles or tortoises from me only to ignore every suggestion I made to them which ended up bad for the baby.
Some people fail with a baby and then are reluctant to ever try raising a tortoise again. We have ALL failed with babies in some way. But juveniles and adults are much more forgiving provided their were well kept before purchase.
If you know you can dedicate AT LEASTtwo separate periods a day to feeding/soaking/observation then I think a baby wouldn't be a bad choice. It's all relative to the owner.
Good luck!
Some people fail with a baby and then are reluctant to ever try raising a tortoise again. We have ALL failed with babies in some way. But juveniles and adults are much more forgiving provided their were well kept before purchase.
If you know you can dedicate AT LEASTtwo separate periods a day to feeding/soaking/observation then I think a baby wouldn't be a bad choice. It's all relative to the owner.
Good luck!
On the other hand, if you just set up the baby the right way, have the correct temps and humidity for the species, and MOST importantly, get one from the RIGHT breeder that s well hydrated and properly started, you won't have any trouble at all with a hatchling. The main things with hatchlings is that there is a smaller margin of error. Because of their smaller mass, they don't have time for you to learn from your beginner mistakes. Don't make beginner mistakes and hatchlings are as easy as an adult, and in some ways much more adaptable. Click the links in my signature and read the threads on the portal page of this forum for more info on what you need to know and how to do it right. Then go to the top of the page of the species you are interested in and read even more.
I've seen two Greeks, one at each Petsmart in Arlington Texas, a male and a female that were absolutely beautiful animals. I so wish I had the room for them but I do not. One day I will have soem greeks as well. A very nice choice in my opinion. Make sure to get some pics up as soon as you get one!
