Newbie here...

[Cowrie]

Hi, I've been looking into the possibility of getting either a tortoise or some sort of terrestrial or semi-terrestrial turtle, so I joined here in search of advice. I'm currently unsure as to what species I want. This would be my first reptile, though I do have experience monitoring temperature and humidity of enclosures from owning frogs in the past. Any turtle or tortoise I get would have to be a smaller species that can be housed fully indoors, due to a lack of yard room, the presence of neighbor's cats and dogs, and unpredictable local weather conditions. I'd be willing to get a kiddie pool and cover it with screen for supervised sunbathing on nice days, but that's the maximum extent of outdoor time I'd be comfortable providing.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome.
Read and decide on what would work best for your situation.
Then get EVERYTHING set up and ready before buying the animal.
Best of luck to you.

 

[Cowrie]

That's the plan, thanks. What forum section would be best for seeking advice on what species are easiest to keep indoors? Tortoise FAQ? General Discussion?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

That's the plan, thanks. What forum section would be best for seeking advice on what species are easiest to keep indoors? Tortoise FAQ? General Discussion?

A lot of that would be based on your location in the world and the size of the area you can dedicate to the tortoise or turtle.
For Example, if you lived in Florida....I'd suggest a Redfoot tortoise.
In general. For an indoors and easy to keep because they stay small, my first thought would be a Russian tortoise.

 

[Cowrie]

I posted a thread in FAQ with a bit more information, and a list of some species I've been looking into. I'm living in southern Illinois, but like I said, I intend for this to be an indoor turtle or tortoise.

 

[dmmj]

Greetings! & welcome to the forum. Easy to keep & relativly small area for living? The mud & musk turtles might be up your alley. Let's ask @Moozillion for some help.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

 

[Pastel Tortie]

That's the plan, thanks. What forum section would be best for seeking advice on what species are easiest to keep indoors? Tortoise FAQ? General Discussion?

I'd suggest the Turtles section under the species specific heading... Particularly the Water Turtles subsection.

I admit, I'm quite biased on this one, but I would suggest looking into the North American mud and musk turtles. They are hardy (once past the fragile hatching stage) and stay small (some good options that rarely grow more than 4 inches or so).

If you want to know why I'm so biased, there's a thread in the Water Turtles section for Bold and Pinstripe, my three-striped mud turtles.

 

[Moozillion]

Greetings! & welcome to the forum. Easy to keep & relativly small area for living? The mud & musk turtles might be up your alley. Let's ask @Moozillion for some help.

I would suggest that you read, read and read some more all over this forum, about both turtles and tortoises.
When I first joined this forum back in the Spring of 2012, I spent months reading posts all over the forum: not just the technicalities, but people's experiences with their animals.
Ask questions in general and ask questions to specific people on the forum.
After 8 months of almost DAILY reading (for HOURS at a time) everything I could find on the forum that was remotely interesting to me, and REALISTICALLY assessing what I could or could not handle (no sulcatas for me!) I got my first tortoise. I am so glad I did it this way.
I started with what I felt would be the easiest for me, which has worked out great.
My first tortoise is alive and well after 7 years with me.
But my mud turtle had a near-drowning experience due to my not fully understanding what poor swimmers mud turtles are, and has continued to have health problems ever since. Happily, my musk turtle is doing great.
Just remember: it is the animals who pay the ULTIMATE PRICE for our errors and misjudgments.

So, READ, ASK QUESTIONS and BE PATIENT!!! You'll be glad you did!