Looking to buy a tortoise in south Florida

[ahawashin]

Hi my name is Ahmad
I want to purchase two tortoises a male and a female
I want to know which ones are I deal for south Florida weather
I had a tortoise in Jordan when I was a kid
My grand father caught it in the wild when he was 10yrs old and have to me when I was 6
My parents have it back to him cause it was too big and I was too young to take care of it
It looks a lot like the golden Greek tortoise
Please give me advise on which ones are suitable for my area
And if any local breeders are available from south Florida I would like to maybe purchase from them

 

[CharlieM]

Welcome. Check out:

https://miami.craigslist.org/search/pet?query=tortoise+

Many people have red footed tortoises in South Florida.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Ahmad, and welcome to the forum!

So I presume that some day, down the road, you are wanting to breed tortoises? A word of advice - a pair (two tortoises, a male and a female) seldom works out well for the poor tortoises. A male tortoise hounds the female with his constant breeding until she will eventually stay hidden to keep away from him. She stops eating, loses weight and is continually stressed.

So, build a large outdoor habitat that is safe and that they can't escape from, and consider either only one tortoise or one male and two or more females. The large outdoor habitat gives the females more room to get away from the male. And many sight barriers also makes it easier for the females to keep out of his sight.

 

[ahawashin]

So you think I should just get one female for now and down the get a male
I have a big patio area for them to live in
My back yard is on the lake so I'm scared for them to get diseases
I can leave the male outside in a habitat and the female would be an inside pet ?

 

[Turtlepete]

@ahawashin

Redfoot tortoises are probably the best bet for South Florida. I and several others in the area breed them. However, I think your a little confused on their care. Very few tortoises will be fit as an "inside pet". Especially Red's in South Florida. The weather here is to fantastic for them not to house them outdoors. The best best is to house them in an outdoor enclosure, once they age, of course. They can be kept inside for a little while, but by the time they reach 5" or so it's typically best to move them outdoors, weather allowing.
As mentioned, a pair doesn't work with most species. Redfoot's are typically the exception and can often fare quite well in pairs. However, even Redfoot's can have issues. For that reason, if you want to have multiples, I would suggest adopting/purchasing a trio. That said, I've never had any issues with keeping any multiples (pairs, trios, etc..) of red foots together.
If you think you'd be interested, I can explain to you their care and answer any questions you may have. And if you decide you want to get a tortoise (or two?), as I mentioned I do breed them. I have a couple 4" yearlings at the moment.
Where in South Florida are you located?

 

[ahawashin]

I'm in margate broward county
I really want to get them as pets
I was breeding parrots for a long time and understand the hassle that you go through to breed
I got rid of all my parrots when my son was born now I'm bored lol
Want to get new kind of pet
I do want to know what I'm getting my self into with there care also I have a large patio to keep them in my back yard is on the lake so I wouldn't leave them out there cause anybody could just grab them out there

 

[ahawashin]

Thank you guys for helping me , I'm gonna study up on everything before I decide to bring a new member to our family
The ppl at petsmart told me the best tortoise is the Greek cause it needs the least care
But everybody else is recommending the red foots because of the humidity and our weather down here
Thank you guys again I will be posting pics of our newest falconry members

 

[tglazie]

I would take issue with the notion that a Greek tortoise needs "less care." Every species of tortoise I've kept or maintained for someone else (I keep marginateds, a Greek, and a pair of Hermanns, and I've fostered a pancake, several box turtles, a large colony of redfoots, a quartet of leopards, a quintet of Russians, as well as a big sulcata and a few hingebacks back in the late nineties), and if there's one thing I can tell you from having kept and maintained all of these species, it is that no tortoise requires "less care." Certainly, they all present their own challenges. Sulcatas need space, and the babies need a warm, humid environment to be raised properly. Redfoots require more than grasses and leafy greens in their diets to thrive, unlike most Testudo species (Mediterranean tortoises) which can simply thrive on a wide variety of broadleafed weeds, leaves and flowers. Some are more tolerant of damp than others, though all benefit from a humid microclimate, regular access to water, and depending upon who you ask, regular soaks (I'm a big proponent of regular soaks; water is important, and the argument that tortoises obtain all required moisture from food is misguided). Their needs as far as temperature goes varies a great deal as well. Sulcatas tend to like it warm and humid, as do redfoots and any number of other tropical tortoises, whereas I find Russians, Greeks, Hermanns and the like tend to thrive in more springtime weather, sunny with occasional rain, with temps not reaching higher than the mid eighties, with these tortoises tending to seek shelter when temps reach over ninety. So, there is a lot to consider here. You're lucky that you live in Florida, a very reptile friendly place. Unfortunately, you will have to worry about predators like raccoons and rats (not that most people don't), and you'll have to arrange your enclosures to appropriately address these threats.

My advice is do research. Try to narrow down what kind of tortoise appeals to you visually first. Then, go to some herp shows, watch videos of some of these animals online. This will give you more of an idea about what these creatures require in their daily care regimen and what type of tortoise behavior appeals to you, and you can more easily and more confidently choose a species that most suits your current lifestyle. For instance, I don't foster as many animals as I did when I was a student, mostly because I run a business now. I don't have the time to foster a wide variety of tortoises like I was once able to do, so I keep a small collection (if you can call 14 Testudo a small collection) of Mediterraneans. These tortoises are great, given that the type of food they enjoy grows very well in grazing fields in my backyard. My backyard is spacious, so it allows ample paddock size so that the individual tortoises don't grow bored within their respective habitats, plus they can't destroy all of the graze in a single season. I also keep five empty paddocks to rejuvenate grazing stock, to which I can move a given tortoise should he/she overgraze his/her plot. Now, I couldn't maintain this system with a sulcata, given the limitations of space. When I kept my sulcata Jerry, God rest him, he would decimate any vegetation in his path, and he was only getting bigger, and I had many fewer tortoises at that time.

But yes, seeking advice at Petsmart is not a good idea. Whenever I go to those stores and see the poor Russians crammed into thirty gallon aquaria with no real means of movement or thermoregulation, it just makes me sad. And it makes me angry to see that in such a ridiculously large store, they can't give these guys a little more space. I also am irritated that management doesn't think enough to train their employees on the particular species they're selling. It is rare for me to meet a Petsmart or Petco employee who knows what species of tortoise they are selling, and it is even more frustrating that they label the tortoises "Testudo tortoise" now. Firstly, that name is idiotically redundant. Testudo is the Latin word for tortoise, so the tortoise is, quite literally, being referred to as a "tortoise tortoise." Secondly, they seem to be asserting that all Greeks, Hermanns, and Russians are maintained the same, and they are not. They all come from very different habitats, engage in very different behaviors, and suffer a unique set of veterinary troubles. Greeks, I find, are more susceptible to respiratory illnesses in my experience, for instance. Russian tortoises often carry a heavy parasite load, and many imports suffer from skin and shell infections that may not be readily apparent lest one takes the animal in for a thorough veterinary examination by a competent reptile vet, something that shouldn't be hard to find in Florida, but you you may have to drive a ways. In regards to habitat differences, Russian tortoises are burrowers, and any enclosure that doesn't make allowances for this behavior are seriously flawed. Greeks tend to enjoy hiding beneath scrubby low growing vegetation in which hide themselves, so this is a must for them. Hermanns tend to climb a great deal, so a varied environment with a number of obstacles and caves are good for them. In all cases, space is the key. Lots of varied, landscaped, interesting space. Tortoises are intelligent animals that like to move and are bored easily. Anyway, use the resources on this forum, browse the species specific subforums and ask a lot of questions. Many of us have been doing this for a very long time, and we are not shy about sharing our stories.

T.G.

 

[Jabuticaba]

Welcome!


May, Aussies, & Hermannis
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES

 

[ahawashin]

Ya I'm take my time picking out the best tortoise for me I already bought a zoo med box enclosure to keep outside on my patio and I'm looking for one to have in my house so that I will keep my tortoise inside in the cold nights
And ya I understand that the pet stores can't help you that's y I been browsing on this forum , I found a reptile store called underground reptiles they were helpful they have 7 different kinds of tortoises
The thing is I feel like they wana make a sale only and no warranties if you don't buy the reptile aquarium from them
I'm gonna purchase my first tortoises from a true breeder because they know more and they can help more
Might know because I use to breed amazons ,African greys , and parrotlets . When I use to sell them to ppl they would ask every question in the book and more

 

[wellington]

So you think I should just get one female for now and down the get a male
I have a big patio area for them to live in
My back yard is on the lake so I'm scared for them to get diseases
I can leave the male outside in a habitat and the female would be an inside pet ?

It is best to get 2-3 females to one male with a large enclosure with lots of sight barriers. In Florida, they should be able to live outside year round with a heated hide for those colder nights. If you have a large yard you can fence off for their enclosure. A patio, if it's cemented patio probably wouldn't be big enough for 3-4 adult tortoises and it wouldn't give them natural grazing, etc. if you build the outside enclosure properly, living on a lake shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Yvonne G]

Sorry, but in my opinion, those pre-made tortoise houses (the Zoo Med that you bought) just aren't big enough. It would be ok to house a baby for a year or so, but tortoises need more room to wander than those pre-made things can give you.

 

[ahawashin]

It is best to get 2-3 females to one male with a large enclosure with lots of sight barriers. In Florida, they should be able to live outside year round with a heated hide for those colder nights. If you have a large yard you can fence off for their enclosure. A patio, if it's cemented patio probably wouldn't be big enough for 3-4 adult tortoises and it wouldn't give them natural grazing, etc. if you build the outside enclosure properly, living on a lake shouldn't be a problem.

I want to raise the tortoises from babies I'm not looking to breed them as of now that's why I wanted to get just two but I been told that it is not good to have one male and one female because the male will give the female trouble and a hassle as far as breeding

 

[Turtlepete]

@ahawashin

I would warn you away from underground reptiles….They are NOT good breeders. At all. You only have to look no further then the BOI on Faunaclassifieds to find that out. The one time I visited their store location in south Florida (can't remember where….) everything in the store was covered in mites, the animals looks emaciated, the enclosures were dirty. Any animal I ever have purchased from them has died. I would NOT buy an animal from them if I were you.

Did you read the care-sheet I sent you? Have you decided if you are looking for red foot tortoises, russians, greeks, etc…..?

 

[ahawashin]

Sorry, but in my opinion, those pre-made tortoise houses (the Zoo Med that you bought) just aren't big enough. It would be ok to house a baby for a year or so, but tortoises need more room to wander than those pre-made things can give you.

I kinda figured just to have it for babies and maybe juveniles after a year or two it's time to make my enclosure bigger and grander
A friend of mines sent me to a reptile store that recommended that I keep the tortoise inside the house if it was a baby for the first 6 months because of the raccoons and the vultures or hawks !
I didn't even know they eat tortoises
I'm still studying up on the adoption of the tortoises

 

[ahawashin]

@ahawashin

I would warn you away from underground reptiles….They are NOT good breeders. At all. You only have to look no further then the BOI on Faunaclassifieds to find that out. The one time I visited their store location in south Florida (can't remember where….) everything in the store was covered in mites, the animals looks emaciated, the enclosures were dirty. Any animal I ever have purchased from them has died. I would NOT buy an animal from them if I were you.

Did you read the care-sheet I sent you? Have you decided if you are looking for red foot tortoises, russians, greeks, etc…..?

I didn't like there store either it looked like these guys needed a health inspector to come and close them down
I didn't actually decide yet on getting which tortoise
I will sure inform you
Your care sheet has been really informative
I have a question though are the tortoises diet strictly green leaves or can we give them vegetables ?
Like do they eat collard green turnips spinach and such or just lettuce??

 

[wellington]

Never just lettuce. Depending on what species will determine the diet. The greens you mentioned are good, except the lettuces. Romaine can be added but as a small part

 

[ahawashin]

@Turtlepete
Hi do you have any other tortoises other than the red foot
I narrowed it down to Greeks and or African spurred

 

[ahawashin]

Hi guys thank you so much for you support and tips
I recently added a new member to our family an African spurred tortoise
Koopa Troopa
I will keep you guys posted and post more pics
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Welcoming-home-our-newest-family-member.101709/