which tortoise should i get?

[tortie_1]

Hello everyone,
i have been looking at different tortoises to get as a household pet but i live in a dreary area of England where the weather isn't the best. i wondering which tortoise would be most suited to living inside.
All the best,
Amelia.

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome to TFO

I am in England, currently Kent, and we have had a tortoise since 1970

One of the Testudo (Greek, Russian aka Horsfield or Hermann's) is probably easiest as a starter tortoise and copes well in our climate.

If you buy one from a pet store, be aware that few pet stores seem to know how to care for them properly and at best give outdated care information.

Whatever you do, don't get talked into buying two. They are solitary creatures, not social, and they don't need or want a friend. Kept as a pair there will be bullying and the subordinate tortoise will get sick.

UK pet stores, unlike their US counterparts, will sell captive bred young tortoises measuring only a few centimetres. These youngsters will require a closed chamber setup such as a vivarium. Don't be fooled by their small size; they are very active and needs lots of floor space. You will rapidly need an enclosure measuring at least 4' x 8' (1.5x2.2 meters). In summer, once they're past the baby stage, they can go outside but in winter you will either need a lot of indoor space or to hibernate your tort.

Here are a few guides that are essential reading for new tortoises keepers. They're written by experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Care of young Testudo (written about Rusians,but applies to all)
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/b...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

And this is for future reference - the thread I wrote about keeping an older tort outside in the UK
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/outdoor-accommodation-in-a-colder-uk-climate.140866/

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

Great advice from JoesMum.

 

[JoesMum]

You said a vivarium was best for baby torts i was thinking of getting a tortoise table, would that be a bad idea? Also, thank you very much for your additional info about the torts they were the little thing that mattered most!
Amelia.

A tortoise table is only suitable for older torts. Young torts need steady warmth and humidity that can only be achieved in an enclosed space. It is impossible to maintain a steady temperature in an open space like a tort table.

The tortoise tables sold by pet stores are too small for older torts. The dimensions I gave earlier are rarely sold commercially. When your tort is big enough to not need a closed chamber, you are better off buying (or searching freecycle or freegle) for an old bookcase where you can knock the shelves out and line it with pond-liner or heavy duty polythene to get the floor area needed.