What type of tortoise can I use as a pet?

Question

A kind I can let loose around the house most of the time. And get's big too.

Thank you :]

Answer 1

Tortoises generally need one of two kinds of habitats- grassland or rainforest.

Both want temps of 80-90F, and either about 70% humidity or almost 100% humidity. Most like to burrow.

None do real well wandering freely in a house.

The larger species- Leopard and Sulcata tortoises- get REALLY big and are strong enough to shove furniture around. Neither is considered a good 'in house' pet.

The next size group are the older Red- and Yellow-foot Tortoises. They can hit 3' long, and need high humidity and rainforest-like conditions.

Letting tortoises roam a home was real common a decade or more ago, but more and more we prefer to not keep this sort of animal as a pet unless we can offer it a decent standard of care.

You can learn more about tortoises at http://www.tortoisetrust.org