Marginated Newbie

[Teko]

I'm just beginning to dive into the tortoise hobby, and I am thinking about bringing home a Marginated as my first tortoise. I have my turtle table all constructed (in the process of sealing it) and am looking forward to soon making it the home for a young tortoise. I have read quite a few online articles and some books on Testudos in general, and I was wondering what owners had to say about their Marginated tortoises, heheh so far what I've read from this forum, it all sounds pretty good. But if anyone has any more information on them I would love to hear it!
One question I was wondering about, is it okay to start from a hatchling? Would I be better off with a yearling? This shall be my first tortoise, but I'm no stranger to herps, have had a menagerie of different reptiles/amphibians throughout my young 23 years of living.
The hatchlings I'm looking at I think were hatched in July, if I'm not mistaken.
Thanks for any help anyone can give to me!

 

[katesgoey]

Hi Teko. I don't keep Marginated, but I wanted to tell you I think its great that you're doing all the research and prep before bringing your tort home. Generally, yearlings are easier to start with. If you haven't already, do a search here on hatchling care. You will find alot of info and experience a bit what it's like - some of it is fun, some of it is heartbreaking.

I'm just beginning to dive into the tortoise hobby, and I am thinking about bringing home a Marginated as my first tortoise. I have my turtle table all constructed (in the process of sealing it) and am looking forward to soon making it the home for a young tortoise. I have read quite a few online articles and some books on Testudos in general, and I was wondering what owners had to say about their Marginated tortoises, heheh so far what I've read from this forum, it all sounds pretty good. But if anyone has any more information on them I would love to hear it!
One question I was wondering about, is it okay to start from a hatchling? Would I be better off with a yearling? This shall be my first tortoise, but I'm no stranger to herps, have had a menagerie of different reptiles/amphibians throughout my young 23 years of living.
The hatchlings I'm looking at I think were hatched in July, if I'm not mistaken.
Thanks for any help anyone can give to me!

 

[Teko]

Thank you! Yeah, I just want to make sure that I do this right, so that he shall outlive me instead of me outliving him. After my post yesterday, I dove deep into these forums and got caught up in them for 5 hours or so heheh. Just reading what people have had to say has been really helpful, but yes, some has been heartbreaking. I shall definitely have to do a search on hatchling care!
Thank you for your help and support!

 

[sushisurf13]

congrats to you on preparing yourself prior to getting your tort.
I currently have two marginateds and they are truly amazing torts. So pretty and graceful. Not too many people have them and I'm not sure why. Maybe because they get quite a bit larger than the testudos. I get so happy to hear of other that have marginated torts. Hatchlings are great, if they are healthy and robust. they are usually a bit less expensive too. Either way, with proper care, it should not matter too much if you decide on a hatchling or yearling.
If you dont already have someone to get your tort from, let me know. A guy I know breeds them here in Huntington Beach,CA. His name is Dean. His website is www.thetortoiseman.com, check him out.
Anyways, welcome and be sure to post of pics of your new little guy.
Eric

 

[Teko]

Thanks for the welcome!! And thanks for the advice!
Funny thing, I was actually planning on buying a hatchling from Dean, but unfortunately, I guess I was too late and he had just sold all his babies off, but he did tell me that he had sold some to East Bay Vivarium, http://www.eastbayvivarium.com/
which is only a 2 hour drive from me, and they have around 10 hatchlings available, which has me relieved, since trying to track down marginated babies has been kind of difficult. The prices are a bit more, but at least I know I'll be getting a healthy baby from a good breeder, and a reputable pet store.
And you can definitely count on me posting some pictures up of the little guy when I bring him home!
Allison

 

[chelonologist]

I bought a couple from Dean this past spring. All the babies he had at that time were CB 2006, so they had a really good start. Nice hard, smooth shells, too. It's possible he sold that batch to East Bay, in which case you'll not have to worry about working with a really small hatchling.

 

[KQ6AR]

Hi Allison,

I'm over here in Concord. I have 5 marginatas I raised from Richard Fife's hatchlings. Great tortoises, I also have about 30 Russians. All my Mediterranean tortoises are able to live outdoors all year in our climate.
I think hatchlings are just as easy to care for as yearlings. They have the same needs.

Dan