Prospective tortoise owner ... any advice?

Question

Hey, I'm looking into having a tortoise for a pet but I want to be well prepared before I buy one, so I was wondering if anyone had any advice about basic care/setup etc that isn't mentioned in the generic books/websites? It would most likely have to be an indoor set up but as of yet I'm pretty ignorant, so any advice would be much appreciated!!

Answer 1

Start here: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/firstlandturtle.htm

Then go here: http://www.tortoisetrust.org

For a beginner, I would recommend either an Eastern Box Turtle (Terrepena carolina) or a Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni).

Answer 2

There is no such thing as a dog that is well-behaved, calm and polite by nature. A lot of the things you mention do not come by themselves. It requires training, training and yet more training. I think your best bet right now will be to get an older dog that has already been trained and fulfills these requirements. A puppy might be too much for you, as they tend to be hyperactive, boisterous, little terrors, where it's up to you to make a good dog out of them. :) Also, since you've never owned a dog or a pet before, I would suggest that you read up on as much as you can regarding dog-language, dog-handling and dog training (clicker-training is a true gem). I'm particularly fond of dog-trainers/behaviourists like Turid Rugaas, Roger Abrantes and Anders Hallgren.

Answer 3

Helloooo,

I would go for a Terrapin (red eared) or Red Eared Slider Turtle as those across the big blue call them. They are by far one of the easiest species to care for in my experience. NOT THAT TURTLES ARE EASY TO CARE FOR, ALL SPECIES ARE FAIRLY HIGH MAINTENANCE. You need as big a tank as your house and purse, wallet, will allow you to have, that way you dont have to keep buying bigger tanks as your 'pin' grows.
Baby terrapins require, obviously, slightly less space, but your safer buying them a big tank so you dont have to bother getting another when its ten times the size it was when you bought it.
So what you need is below:

1 - A LARGE tank, or go through sizes if you have enough money.
2 - An aquarium heater OR heater pad which goes under the tank (the aquarium heater goes inside and is good but 'pins' can burn themselves on it)
3 - Enough rocks, or some other kind of material, to provide a platform which is totally dry.
4 - A heat lamp or UV light of some description to provide 'out of water' heat.
5 - A filter, sponge, canister, under gravel, the best you can afford.
6 - Enough foods to last a while, preferably different varieties so he/she can pick their fave.
7 - Remember to leave the heater on in your water for a MINIMUM of 24 hours before you dunk your 'pin' into it.
8 - Patience, they will become accustomed in their own time. Leave em to it.
8 - More than one 'pin' if you have space, they live in MASSIVE numbers in the wild.
9 - Be safe, turn everything off before you stick your hands in the water, dont drip water all over your wires, dont stack the rocks so they could fall, a 'pin' under a rock will eventually drown.
10 - Enjoy your new pet(s).

I love 'pins'.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Rob x

Answer 4

It's great that you are getting information before aquiring a new pet. Check out this turtle forum (I'm a moderator on it). There is plenty of information there and you can ask questions to people that actually have tortoises. Good luck!

http://www.happyturtlespub.org/smf/index.php

Answer 5

My advice is to get something small- NOT a sulcata.
They get too big for most people, and are hard to get rid of.
Ask anyone who accepts unwanted reptiles.

Answer 6

I found an awesome website:
www.sulcata-station.org.
They are a lot more work than I thought they would be! You are doing the right thing by checking into it BEFORE you buy them!
Good luck!