beginner advice (about which species to get)

[haylinmakaye]

I've always loved tortoises, though I've never really thought about owning one until recently. I know absolutely NOTHING about their care, so I've come here to ask experienced owners instead of someone just trying to sell me an animal and wrong information. although it won't be for a while, I figure there's no such thing as too much research and I would rather start looking it up now and have a couple years to know what I'm doing and be ready than try to learn everything in a week. I don't even know where to begin. there's so many different kinds and they all have different needs, so I'm clueless on what to search to see what I need.

I live in southern Louisiana, and our humidity pretty much never drops below 70% and during summer it's up in the 90's (and our temperatures are about the same). I would much rather have him outside, but I don't know if that's safe? what would be the best breed for our conditions? or will I have to keep him inside all the time?

any advice whatsoever would be helpful, thank you! [emoji3]

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum!

A good first tortoise would be a Russian. You can basically keep any kind of tortoise anywhere in the world, it's just a bit harder in some areas to provide the kind of environment the tortoise needs to thrive.

Go to our Species Specific section and read the care sheets that are pinned at the top of each species. This may help you to decide.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi Halen welcome to the forum! You are very wise doing your research first so that you know what to expect and what to provide.

You will get some great advice from very experienced keepers here who as you said are not interested in profit only in making sure torts are happy and healthy and freely give their time to offer advice and support. So read the caresheets for different torts to help you chose which is best for you and your circumstances, and if you need any help with those make sure you ask questions someone will always get back to you in good time.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

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

Redfoots would be a great species for your area. Hermanni too. If you don't mind giant size and destructiveness, sulcatas thrive in your area. South African Leopards would be a good option too.

 

[dmmj]

First thing you have to decide on is a species.
You will have to consider eventual size, cost both purchase and upkeep. diet, things like that.
I agree a russian is prob. the best choice. They are available, easy to care for.

 

[haylinmakaye]

thank you all so much for the replies!
do you guys happen to know if reptile magazine is a good source?? it was one of the first sights to pop up, but I've been to PLENTY of websites on hermit crabs that gave nothing but false information that were also one of first to show up. I'm just worried I'm going to read all this and give them the wrong setup and have to start all over again and stress them out or possibly kill them.

p.s. if anyone is interested, the Sulcatas are my favorite right now.. though their suitable conditions will (of course) make the final decision. but I still have a lot to learn!

 

[Tom]

do you guys happen to know if reptile magazine is a good source??

I would not recommend Reptiles magazine as a source for anything other than some mild entertainment.

If you ant info, this forum is the best place to get it. If you want a tortoise the breeders here are some of the best. Very few people start baby sulcatas correctly. Read this before you buy: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/

Here is a sulcata care sheet:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

They get huge and will destroy a normal backyard. They will even rub through the walls of the house sometimes. They dig tunnels big enough for people to fit in. They are an awesome species, but not the right species for most people.

 

[haylinmakaye]

wow there's a huge difference in the two. I'm definitely just going to stick to the forum. thank you SOO much. you've really helped a lot!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Welcome to the Forum.
Read, learn, contribute, ask questions and have fun!

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum!

Do as much research as possible, read as much as you can, and ask all the questions you can, then make your decision.

Mind you, it seems that most members here agree on one thing: Russian torts are the most suitable for beginners. Good luck.