i would love to be a tortoise owner?

tortoiseTLC

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Hello everyone. i am thinking of getting a tortoise. i have lost my dog few months back and my loneliness is getting to me without him. i have been thinking of getting a new pet to keep me company and all i can think of is tortoises. i believe they are beautiful and smart creatures despite what people may think of them. while doing my research about them i ran across a lot of articles making the idea of owning such relaxing creature a living nightmare. please help me over this topic as now i feel bummed over it. have you ever got sick from owning a tortoise? would i get salmonella for example?, it is actually one of my concerns and im glad i found this forum .
i would also love to get as much information from you guys as well about them. thank you :)
 

Flipper

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You need to wash your hands before and after handling your tort. Then no problems :)

Remember, tortoise are not companion animals like a dog, but they are great fun and a pleasure to watch and take care of.
 

pam

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Welcome :) I have never gotten sick from my tortoises. I wash my hands a lot when handling them. They are an awesome pet :)
 

tortoiseTLC

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You need to wash your hands before and after handling your tort. Then no problems :)

Remember, tortoise are not companion animals like a dog, but they are great fun and a pleasure to watch and take care of.
oh yea im sure they are different no doubt , but still they would be great company :)
 

tortoiseTLC

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i have read a lot of scary things (i shouldn't have to be honest) , but they were saying that if you let a tortoise walk around the house then it would be contaminated with salmonella and you would need to clean the house from top to bottom? is this true?
 

wellington

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Hello and Welcome:) Although it is a very good thing to wash your hands after handling. I have handled turtles, snakes, crawfish, frogs, etc, since I was old enough to catch them. I was never that good at washing my hands. I now will kiss my torts on their heads. I have never gotten sick from handling. Not that I don't think it's a possibility, but if think its a lot more uncommon then the news media wants to make it out to be.
Like already stated, they are not at all like having a dog that wants your attention. Tortoises would rather be left alone. However, I do feel,that given enough attention and handling, they will become more receptive of you and up your attention. I have read that some species, like the sulcata, will almost act dog like.
 

tortdad

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Leting your tortoise walk around your house is a very bad idea. They are not like dogs and cats and must be kept in a tortoise table. If they walking around the house they will eat everything they find on the floor, even carpet fuzz, and can get sick and die from it. They cannot be potty trained, will never know its name, and will not come when called. They are fascinating creatures and I LOVE to care for and watch my torts but they are not the idea pet if yor looking for a lot of interaction or love from them. Think of land waking fish. You cant take your fish out and play with it and let it walk around your house.
 

tortoiseTLC

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Hello and Welcome:) Although it is a very good thing to wash your hands after handling. I have handled turtles, snakes, crawfish, frogs, etc, since I was old enough to catch them. I was never that good at washing my hands. I now will kiss my torts on their heads. I have never gotten sick from handling. Not that I don't think it's a possibility, but if think its a lot more uncommon then the news media wants to make it out to be.
Like already stated, they are not at all like having a dog that wants your attention. Tortoises would rather be left alone. However, I do feel,that given enough attention and handling, they will become more receptive of you and up your attention. I have read that some species, like the sulcata, will almost act dog like.
thank you so much for your post :) it sure helped me a lot and my excitement is back with less fear from them (it sounded like owning a dinosaur rather than a tortoise when i read the horrifying articles )
 

johnsonnboswell

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If you maintain scrupulous hygiene and you are not immunocompromised, there's no problem. People with small body mass (infants & children) and those already ill, or health compromised are at risk.

That said, having a tortoise loose in the house is not healthy for the tortoise. It needs a proper set up. Nothing beats a good outdoor habitat. Many of us also have indoor habitats.

The house offers space, but not proper temps or humidity or UVB or a substrate suitable for health feet and legs.
 

tortoiseTLC

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Leting your tortoise walk around your house is a very bad idea. They are not like dogs and cats and must be kept in a tortoise table. If they walking around the house they will eat everything they find on the floor, even carpet fuzz, and can get sick and die from it. They cannot be potty trained, will never know its name, and will not come when called. They are fascinating creatures and I LOVE to care for and watch my torts but they are not the idea pet if yor looking for a lot of interaction or love from them. Think of land waking fish. You cant take your fish out and play with it and let it walk around your house.
yes you are right and i am very aware of it all :) my concern is basically the idea of them being a walking disease even when they are in their habitat, which is basically the idea that the articles i read while researching about tortoise care were giving out.
 

tortoiseTLC

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If you maintain scrupulous hygiene and you are not immunocompromised, there's no problem. People with small body mass (infants & children) and those already ill, or health compromised are at risk.

That said, having a tortoise loose in the house is not healthy for the tortoise. It needs a proper set up. Nothing beats a good outdoor habitat. Many of us also have indoor habitats.

The house offers space, but not proper temps or humidity or UVB or a substrate suitable for health feet and legs.
yes true, i am not saying it will not have a habitat, it is just making it walk where i am for a bit when handling it
 

Tom

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Your cell phone, computer keyboard, kitchen sponge and doorknobs have a greater potential to make you sick than a tortoise. All animals carry potentially pathogenic bacteria, parasite and disease organisms. Even dogs and cats. The risk of you getting sick from touching a tortoise is far less than the risk of you getting sick from touching your wine glass after the waiter sets it on your table.

As far as your assessment of tortoises and their attributes goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Most people find them fascinating, or even "prehistoric", but I'm not sure most people would consider them "beautiful". As far as "relaxing". Well I guess they can be, but at times they can also be a source of tremendous stress too. And "smart"? No. Not really. They are pretty far down on the "smart" totem pole in comparison to some other reptiles and animals. I say all of the above because I don't want you going into this with the wrong expectations. If you get a tortoise, you may fall in love, but the tortoise is not going to return your love and affection with nuzzling and purring. It won't wag its tail or lick you. It will eat the tray of food you provided, poop in its water bowl for you, and either hide all day, or try to escape all day. If you try to make its enclosure beautiful an interesting for it by planting decorative edible plants, they will reward you by eating and/or trampling your hard work. They need huge enclosures indoors and out, and it can be a time consuming challenge to find the right foods for them to eat. These foods won't be found at the grocery store.

If after all this you still think a tortoise is the right animal for you to share your life and home with then none of us will disagree with you since we've all come to the same conclusion, and we are here to help.
 

tortoiseTLC

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Your cell phone, computer keyboard, kitchen sponge and doorknobs have a greater potential to make you sick than a tortoise. All animals carry potentially pathogenic bacteria, parasite and disease organisms. Even dogs and cats. The risk of you getting sick from touching a tortoise is far less than the risk of you getting sick from touching your wine glass after the waiter sets it on your table.

As far as your assessment of tortoises and their attributes goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Most people find them fascinating, or even "prehistoric", but I'm not sure most people would consider them "beautiful". As far as "relaxing". Well I guess they can be, but at times they can also be a source of tremendous stress too. And "smart"? No. Not really. They are pretty far down on the "smart" totem pole in comparison to some other reptiles and animals. I say all of the above because I don't want you going into this with the wrong expectations. If you get a tortoise, you may fall in love, but the tortoise is not going to return your love and affection with nuzzling and purring. It won't wag its tail or lick you. It will eat the tray of food you provided, poop in its water bowl for you, and either hide all day, or try to escape all day. If you try to make its enclosure beautiful an interesting for it by planting decorative edible plants, they will reward you by eating and/or trampling your hard work. They need huge enclosures indoors and out, and it can be a time consuming challenge to find the right foods for them to eat. These foods won't be found at the grocery store.

If after all this you still think a tortoise is the right animal for you to share your life and home with then none of us will disagree with you since we've all come to the same conclusion, and we are here to help.
Thank you so much :) and yes, i would love to be a tortoise owner
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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Well I think everything has been covered in here and I feel having torts is great and I'm happy I have them .


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum
 

johnsonnboswell

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yes true, i am not saying it will not have a habitat, it is just making it walk where i am for a bit when handling it
Making a tortoise walk ? Don't do it. Also limit your handling to needful interactions. Your tortoise should not keep you company. You should observe it in its habitat.
 

Yvonne G

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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

If you have a nice outdoor garden, THAT'S the place for your tortoise...not in the house. Tortoises need sunshine in order for their shell to stay hard and for them to grow healthy. You may have to bring them indoors in the winter, but their main habitat should be outside.
 

Flipper

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Tom covered it well. We're not trying to discourage, just give you the facts so you can decide if torts are for you :)
 

Ideraway

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Welcome, I get to be part of my daughters torts for six month of the year, they are great, there home is half of my daughters back garden in which they have warm houses for the night and when it's cold in winter . I find them to be most entertaining and educational also buy the end of my six months they are all responding to me when I go out to there garden, I think they think I should be bringing them treats twenty four seven.
 
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