Best tortoise as a pet?

Question

I am thinking about getting a tortoise. It will be my first reptile, so I don't want anything to difficult to care for. I would really like for it to be really active, and have personality, and not be afriad to be out of its shell while im holding it.

Is there any turtle that is like this, not to big, nothing like a sulcata tortoise, or anything big....just a simple little tortoise

What breed would you reccomend?

Answer 1

russian tortoise they are small easy to care for. my sister actually has one and she loves it

Answer 2

I have a Russian tortoise. she is very people friendly & never hides from attention. I find her most easy to look after. she is a nice size for a pet - she measures about 10 inches long.

Not sure where you are, but you might want to check if the tortoise you are thinking of has not been imported. there are strict laws against importation, but some countries are free from these laws & so many are still being shipped abroad in crates, they are stacked one on top of each other & only the tiniest number survive the journey.

many people sell home bred ones - perhaps check in your local papers.

my sister also has a russian tortoise but it is so small it sits in the palm of your hand & is really cute.

the size you choose may also depend on the size of housing you can provide for the reptile too - too small a space can cause stress & thus illness. They also incur costs initially, unless you are in their natural climate environment, they will need heat lamps & UV Lights, mine also has a heat mat.

then you may want to consider male or female. mine is a single tortoise but still lays eggs thrice a year!! this can be tricky knowing if all the eggs are out & sometimes vet visits are necessary to take xrays to be sure there are no eggs bound (stuck inside her basically) - if the eggs aren't all laid, she will die.

but the boys like my sisters tortoise, goes frantic during mating season & climbs like crazy & just won't calm down - even though there are no females around

i recomend this site for more reading; www.tortoisetrust.org

Russian tortoises are a good one to start with i'm sure

good luck - they really are fabulous pets :0))

Answer 3

My first recommendation is not really a tortoise, but it is a land turtle- the Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrepene carolina triungus). They are usually decently priced, stay small, easy to care for, and fun.

Next would be the Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni). More expensive and bigger than the Box Turtle, it also needs more space. The closely related Greek or Spur-thighed Tortoise (T. graecia) would be next.

Russians (T. horsefieldii) are nice and often cheap- but the cheap adults are usually heavily parasitized wild-caught rather than the preferred captive-bred. They are also not the easiest care species- people's stories to the contrary not withstanding. They need to be hibernated, rarely live more than a few years for most people,

http://www.tortoisetrust.org is a great site for more info.

Answer 4

Box turtles are actually tortoises, stay small, and are very friendly. No reptile is exactly "easy" to care for. Tortoises require large habitats, clean conditions, water source (some need to soak), heat lamps set at correct temperatures UVB lighting for reptiles, and a varied diet. Check out multiple care sheets. Here is one site on box turtles:http://boxturtlesite.info/bxbook.html

Answer 5

red eared turtle