# Big tortoise or little tortoise?



## yillt (Jun 26, 2014)

Hi. I see most people on the sale section mostly wants adults. Everyone also wants big tortoise like Aldabra,Galapagos and sulcata. I love tiny tortoises and I love massive tortoises. There are good things about each but if I HAD TO CHOSE. I would say an adult tortoise rather than baby. First of all they don't keep flipping themselves up. If all of you HAD to choose what what you say.


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## naturalman91 (Jun 26, 2014)

i'd say adult to but i'm not sure why to be honest lol my lil guys now doesn't flip himself or hasn't yet to my knowledge (hope i didn't jink myself)


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## dmmj (Jun 26, 2014)

Choose baby, then t can grow into an adult. Loophole ( found one)


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## smarch (Jul 18, 2014)

Adult. While hatchlings are adorable, I don't trust my abilities enough to think I could properly raise them, and also there's many adults out there who already are in the world that need homes, so I want them. 

As for large vs small breeds I can't say I could specifically choose, I only have my small Russian right now due to space requirements. But definitely want a larger tortoise in the future, but due to space requirements (assuming I wont have a massive yard) one sulcata will probably do it for large guys (especially since in MA I gotta find all outside large torts indoor spaces in the winter and cant heat like 5 sheds). But in the end size doesn't really matter lol, because while sulcatas have huge personalities so do Russians, its all in what you like in a tort.


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## Tort-Rex (Jul 18, 2014)

Baby because then you can watch it grow throughout the years and you would get more time with it than you would with an adult in a lot of cases. Besides, I wouldn't want one with a past 


-Tort-Rex/Colleen


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## Maggie Cummings (Jul 18, 2014)

Babies are more fun, cuter and harder to keep than adults. Also I believe that getting a big tort right away means you are still inexperienced and he's likeliy to walk all over you. If you get a baby you learn as he grows. Yes large torts are fun, exasperating, dangerous, and I believe they need an experienced keeper. I have a 150 pound Sulcata and most times I thnk he's snarter then I and can really fool me...Go with a baby for now and get the pleasure of watching him grow....


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## smarch (Jul 18, 2014)

Tort-Rex said:


> Besides, I wouldn't want one with a past


 I see my franklins past as something that gives him more character, true or not I just like to say he "doesn't like to talk about it"



maggie3fan said:


> . Also I believe that getting a big tort right away means you are still inexperienced and he's likeliy to walk all over you. If you get a baby you learn as he grows. Yes large torts are fun, exasperating, dangerous, and I believe they need an experienced keeper.


 I'm planning on keeping a few more torts before considering taking a big guy in my life, but i'm still afraid he'll walk all over me lol I've seen so much from large sulcata owners here about how much of a pain they are but it just makes me want one more, I guess that means I know what i'm getting into and like it


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## tinkerbell1189 (Jul 18, 2014)

I'd love to one day feel I had the experience and knowledge to raise a hatchling confidently. Tink is my first tortoise I got him as a 2yr old (rough estimate) captive bred horsfield. I dream about one day owning a larger species, but the country I live in doesn't have the right climate to live outdoors all the time and don't have enough space.

So tink is my perfect tortoise


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## Maggie Cummings (Jul 18, 2014)

smarch said:


> I see my franklins past as something that gives him more character, true or not I just like to say he "doesn't like to talk about it"
> I'm planning on keeping a few more torts before considering taking a big guy in my life, but i'm still afraid he'll walk all over me lol I've seen so much from large sulcata owners here about how much of a pain they are but it just makes me want one more, I guess that means I know what i'm getting into and like it



Bob drives me insane on some days...But _wouldn't do without him. He's fun and most of my yard is protected from him and planted with stuff for him.
One one side of_ my house I grow 15 Rose of Sharon bushes for the blooms. He LOVES them. I grow grape vines....ooops, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread. Sorry...


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## smarch (Jul 18, 2014)

maggie3fan said:


> Bob drives me insane on some days...But _wouldn't do without him. He's fun and most of my yard is protected from him and planted with stuff for him.
> One one side of_ my house I grow 15 Rose of Sharon bushes for the blooms. He LOVES them. I grow grape vines....ooops, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread. Sorry...



I have a thread in the sulcata section about inquiring info for far down the road that you can just feel free to blow up with info and stories because I love to know what I'm getting into  and of course open the debate here back up to big versus small before we side tracked a little. Sometimes things can just get exciting lol.


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## Yellow Turtle01 (Jul 30, 2014)

I would choose a baby, nuture it, watch him grow.. hatchlings are also very fragile, and difficult to care for (just me!!) If you get an adult, you do not what sort of life it has had prior, and as your baby, you could also teach them to like certain things, such as soaking on their wating the good food (not just the junk) and they could be more friendly toward you.


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## Tom (Jul 30, 2014)

I prefer babies so that the important formative years can be done MY way.

Also, most babies don't flip themselves. Some do. Most don't. So I would not include that as a general mark against hatchlings.


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## Flipper (Jul 30, 2014)

I got a youngster, but not hatchling. Tallula was about 8 months was I got her. I still feel like I'm raising her and enjoying a baby, but she's not so delicate and picky as she may have been at 2-3 months. 

I feel like this was a great age for my newbie status 

Btw, I've had her nearly 2 months and she's never flipped! Knock on wood she'll retain her good balance.


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