Good starter tortoise for me?

[lusciousdragon]

Hi. I am a new member. I am 31 years old and familiar with some reptiles and their care. I have 4 ball pythons, cat, dog, and fish. Along with a husband and 2 children ages 6 and 12.

I am wondering which tortoise would be a good match for our household. I would like the largest size that I can pick up. I am a 140 pound female and am 5' 7". I would like to at least be able to move him small distances. For longer carrying distances my very strong husband can manage those. I would like one that does not require grasses to eat, but can eat veggies and other things that I can purchase for it to eat. I live in Ohio but have plans to move "somewhere warm" at some point. So I would like to be able to let said tortoise out into the enclosed yard then. I have a large house with plenty of room for the tortoise.

Also after keeping ball pythons I know that some snakes are more docile than others and less likely to bite, like the ball pythons. Is this the same way with tortoises? Are some less likely to bite toes in flip flops ha ha? A gentle personality is a must with the children. I do not want to be afraid of the tortoise.

Price is a factor as I can not afford large lump sums. Under $500 is do able, less is better. I do realize that food and medical care is an expense and can afford the care for the lifetime of the tortoise. With my snakes it is a mouse once a week and vet care if they become ill. The dog and cat receive high quality food and yearly vet visits. In Ohio there is a large reptile show every month which does sell tortoises so it should not be difficult to find the right species for us.

Ok I think that is it. Thank you for reading my long post and I look forward to reading any suggestions that you experts may have.

 

[Kenny]

I think a Red foot is a good tort for you.
They're very hardy,personable,mid-sized, and do well indoors.
They can be obtained for around $150 sometimes even less then 100.
they eat a variation of fruits, and veggies, and meat(about twice a month).
the only issue is that they need high humidity,so you'd have to spray them twice a day or so.
I keep my 10" male in a 6'x4' indoor enclosure, and spray him at least 3x a day (but I'm in arizona).

good luck and WTTB!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Luciousdragon:

Welcome to the forum!! May we know your name?

 

[Snapper]

Wow, good for you for asking all these questions so you can find what is best for you! Welcome to the forum!

 

[Laura]

DONT get a leopard or Sulcata...
Russian, Redfoot, Greek, hermans...
try for one that is Not a hatchling to start.. they can be little heartbreakers.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

Any of the larger species are going to need a pretty extensive set-up to over winter in Ohio. I like Leopards (especially the South African subspecies), redfoots, and manouria. These all match what you asked for regarding size and care, but those winters will be tough to get through. You might be better off with one of the species that hibernate in winter until you get "somewhere warm". Look into russians, some of the greeks and hermann's tortoise. These might be better in your situation.

Good luck choosing.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

For a starter tortoise, I'd suggest a European, like a Hermann's or a Russian...much, much less delicate than a red-foot (Russians may well be the toughest torts on Earth, as they're native to a big area of EurAsia that makes Death Valley look kinda inviting!)...neither are a large tortoise, but both have great personalities (I prefer the Hermann's, but Russians have a lot of fans, too), are reasonably easy to maintain, and are in every way a better "starter" choice than a Redfoot.

Redfoots, a tropical species, are better taken on after you have a bit more experience...as noted, they require MUCH higher temps and very high humidity to survive and be healthy. And they require a much larger enclosure...an adult needs at least 10' X 7' of floor space (more is better, of course), and all of it needs to be kept @ minimal 75% humidity for best results. If you have a cspare bedroom just for your tortoise, that might work, but there's a lot of mods to do!

A Russian (or two) does fine with as little as 3' X 5' of floor space, a Hermann's just a bit more (mine's outside enclosure is about 8' X 5.5', but I'm going to get her a few room-mates soon and eventually a male for them to share )...humidity needn't be as high for sub-adults/adults (45-55% is fine...baby's need a bit more, but I don't recommend ANY baby tortoise as a "starter") and a temperature range of 70F (cooler end) to 95F (basking spot) is ideal.

Greens, weeds and cactus makes up a great European tort's diet.

Hope this helps.

 

[Az tortoise compound]

I would vote Russian! Leopards are awesome but need grasses in their diet regularly.

 

[Balboa]

I like how Terry put it. I think Kenny has the "touch" with tortoises, as he did awesomely well with a redfoot in what I'd call challenging conditions, and made it look easy.

From my experience with redfoots in northern climates... TOO MUCH WORK (Well no actually alot of work getting them setup, once its done not so bad, just constant monitoring. They are a medium sized tort though, so I need to upgrade enclosure size soon, so then the work starts again) Love em to death, and if you do the research and are SURE you can meet the challenge on care, they are great.

Herman's just seem to be SO much more practical.

 

[lusciousdragon]

Hi Luciousdragon:

Welcome to the forum!! May we know your name?

My name is April. Sorry to have forgotten that.

---

These are great suggestions! Please do keep them coming. I am making notes and will start individual species research from the ones suggested. Thanks so much!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome, russian sounds like a great start.

 

[Jessicap]

My first tort is a redfoot and I live in Wisconsin. It is like they say, lots of monitoring: humidity and heat. I have only had mine for a week so this may change later on, but I find he does not like to come out much. Spends ALOT of time in the hide. comes out before the light comes on for the day and then comes out again for about 1/2 hr in the evening after the light goes off. If I miss those times, I don't see him /her at all. I chose the RF because I have hermit crabs that already required the heat and humidity and saw that they could live together and because there was one on CL at a reasonable price. Good luck, read lots and check out other posts in the forum... they are very helpful!

 

[SusanTristin]

Russian Leopards are awesome but need grasses in their diet regularly. This post is really nice, it help people to caring toroise in right way. I hope that people will really like it gives a very good views.

 

[Missy]

I think it is great that you are trying to find a tort that is right for you. You can look into adopting a tortoise from a rescue.

 

[dmmj]

Some people might think I am a broken record by now, but I would also vote for russians, they are hardy, personable, and able to take colder climates better than a RF, I have a RF also and not knocking them. RF's do tend to get big though.

 

[datsunissan28]

There were quite a few tortoises at the All Ohio Reptile Show in Columbus today.

Hatchling Russians, Greeks,Cherry Heads, Leopards and Sulcatas.

Older juvenile and adult Russians, Sulcatas, Redfoots, Yellowfoots and about 10 pancakes even.

 

[Tom]

Always nice to see some torts at a reptile show. I've grown weary of all the $10,000 ball python, leopard gecko and bearded dragon color morphs. What's wrong with the regular colored ones?...