Considering purchasing my wife a tortoise, and I have some noob questions please :-)

Tom · Jun 19, 2026

Lavender said:
...as it is illegal in pretty much everywhere to keep a wild-caught animal.

I don't know what the laws are in your country, but that is not the case here in the U.S.A. There are a few state laws in some states to be aware of, but wild caught animals are legally to keep almost everywhere here. You can buy a wild caught Russian tortoise, for example, in every state here. There are a few restrictions on keeping some certain local species that occur naturally in that area in some states, but its often legal to keep that species, if legally acquired, in the next state over.

Another example: It is not legal to go take a desert tortoise out of the wild here in my state, but it is perfectly legal to keep a desert tortoise as a pet here with a free easily obtained license. Once they are in captivity, they cannot legally be re-released into the wild, as they may carry infectious pathogens that could negatively affect the wild populations. Non-native wild caught tortoises, like hermanni or Russians, can be freely bought, sold, or possessed.

Lavender · Jun 19, 2026

I live in Hong Kong and there is a strict law on wild-caught animals. Also, the native wild populations are declining here, due to the release of non-native species. People won't go break a law just to get a red-eared slider or other species that are super common. They only try catching rare breeds like Golden Coin Turtles. People love having rare species, so they'll take risks. If it is fine in your country, then it's ok.

mark1 · Jun 20, 2026

taking turtles or tortoises out of the wild in the united states without required permits is illegal anywhere i know of......

Tom · Jun 20, 2026

mark1 said:
taking turtles or tortoises out of the wild in the united states without required permits is illegal anywhere i know of......

Taking yes. She said keeping. I don't know the laws of every state, but in most of them all you need is a fishing license or a hunting license to collect wild chelonians and other reptiles. Obviously, certain species are protected or more legislated in certain states, like the terrapins, or the eastern box turtles in some states, but I can go collect rattlesnakes with a fishing license here. There is an odd conundrum here with that. I can catch crotalids in the wild, possess them in my home or car and it's all legal. But as soon as I make an enclosure and try to "keep" the snake, now I have to have a restricted species permit. But I can keep it in a catch bucket in my kitchen or living room indefinitely with nothing other than my fishing license. Gopher snakes, rosy boas, and kingsnakes all have daily catch limits, but I can go get them any time. And "keep" them too.

mark1 · Jun 20, 2026

in order to keep them you need to take them...... i believe there are 3 states where you can still take eastern box turtles , you can keep like 2, they can't leave the state, for sure that practice is destined to come to a bad ending in the near future.... imo, any turtle species that can be collected from the wild regardless of current permit/regulations is either a doomed practice or a doomed species.......... best i know taking, collecting and keeping any type of wild turtle is regulated by permits, how many can be possessed or taken per year, per season, and where they can be taken from, with most species being totally illegal to take from the wild and all regulated to keep ........ the united states has probably the most turtle species in the world and probably less critically endangered species than all the remaining countries combined ...

you might want to check on seasons, and possession limits......

Tom · Jun 20, 2026

mark1 said:
in order to keep them you need to take them...

No you don't. Not at all. You can buy or be given one from someone else, find an escaped one loose in your neighborhood, buy a CB one, acquire one from a rescue or something like the CTTC here in CA, etc... I've had many native species of chelonians over the years. I took none of them from the wild, and all were kept legally. I kept many. I've never taken any. Possessing one is not the same as collecting one from the wild.

BelovedScribe · Jun 20, 2026

Luckie Turtle Man said:
This is so much info, thank you so much!

First of all, I absolutely want to comply with all laws and regulations, as well as provide a quality home for any animal that we do bring home, if we do bring a new animal home.

I will absolutely do some more research on my own, but it's really great of you to provide me some direction

Could I please ask this; I'm absolutely open to any and all suggestions on what species to choose for my situation, my wife would enjoy any of them, so a lot comes down to what would be available right now from a quality breeder. But, is there any species I could look for that would live outside in my climate like 70%-100% of the time? Is there anything that would be fine most the time year, but then I'd have to bring it inside, and keep it in a thermostat protected and monitored dorm room fridge? Is that doable? Basically, let them transition naturally to brumation, but then bring them in before the brutal cold hits, and place them back outside after that brutal cold passes, allowing them to "wake up" naturally outside.

You can’t go wrong with a Testudo I have a wild-caught Russian tort from a rescue and a baby Hermann’s from a ethical breeder.

mark1 · Jun 20, 2026

Lavender said:
I live in Hong Kong and there is a strict law on wild-caught animals. . If it is fine in your country, then it's ok.

Tom said:
I've had many native species of chelonians over the years. I took none of them from the wild, and all were kept legally. I kept many. I've never taken any. Possessing one is not the same as collecting one from the wild.

Tom said:
There are a few state laws in some states to be aware of, but wild caught animals are legally to keep almost everywhere here.

captive born is not wild, best i can tell is Lavender is speaking about wild caught animals..... the only turtles/tortoises native to california are western pond turtles and desert tortoises, you'll need a permit for either, i think you may not even be able to get a permit for a western pond turtle cb or not? if you can the person you give either of them too will need a permit and need to show where they came from....... if you find one loose in your neighborhood you can't legally just take it home and keep it........

Bag vs. Possession: A "bag limit" regulates how many animals you can legally take in a single day, whereas "possession limit" restricts the total number you can hold in your possession, cooler, or freezer. [1, 2, 3]

Tom · Jun 20, 2026

mark1 said:
if you find one loose in your neighborhood you can't legally just take it home and keep it........

Yes you can. That is exactly how it works here. You are supposed to contact CTTC and get a free license. The government can't even be othered to dispense the licenses, so they delegated it to a local club to do it. It takes about 1 minute to fill out the form. In all my years with keeping tortoises here, I've never once heard of any sort of enforcement action on a pet DT. No one is enforcing this law, but even still, we all encourage everyone to follow the law.

mark1 said:
captive born is not wild...

I understand that. I was using that as an example for you of how a native chelonian could be acquired without taking one from the wild.

mark1 said:
Bag vs. Possession: A "bag limit" regulates how many animals you can legally take in a single day, whereas "possession limit" restricts the total number you can hold in your possession, cooler, or freezer. [1, 2, 3]

As an avid hunter and herper, I'm aware of the meaning of these terms. How is this relevant to the discussion?

mark1 · Jun 21, 2026

Tom said:
I've never once heard of any sort of enforcement action on a pet DT.

lack of enforcement doesn't make it legal ..... you will find very few states where wild caught native wildlife can be kept..... anything that can be will require a permit ......

cttc is a nonprofit public benefit corporation, approved by the government??? you most likely can download an application online from your wildlife division and mail it in? is cttc a unreputable organization? here the permits are online and the odnr sends someone to your house to verify it...... it is unarguably illegal to take a desert tortoise from the wild , could it be done ? absolutely, wildlife is poached all the time, all over the world, it's still illegal

Tom said:
As an avid hunter and herper, I'm aware of the meaning of these terms. How is this relevant to the discussion?

Tom said:
I can catch crotalids in the wild, possess them in my home or car and it's all legal. But as soon as I make an enclosure and try to "keep" the snake, now I have to have a restricted species permit. But I can keep it in a catch bucket in my kitchen or living room indefinitely with nothing other than my fishing license. Gopher snakes, rosy boas, and kingsnakes all have daily catch limits, but I can go get them any time. And "keep" them too.

my interpretation is you can only possess one daily bag limit no matter where it's at? conservation of snakes is very different than the conservation of turtles and tortoises..... the personal collecting of wild snakes might be ok now, but 100% it is destined to end badly..... the daily bag limit on western pond turtles and desert tortoises is 0.......

as far as wild caught exotic animals, the countries of origin need to do better..... even for them the united states regulates them, and does a better job of it than the countries they're being poached from............

Luckie Turtle Man · Jun 21, 2026

As a suggestion, if anyone has any question on the legality of collecting or keeping any particular species in their state or location, I would reach out to your local Department of Environmental Conservation or your local fish and wildlife department (whatever your state has) and simply ask. This way you'll get information that's accurate for your locale and the species you're considering. I asked my local DEC about keeping an Eastern Box turtle here in New York with some kind of permit (as was mentioned here on this forum), and I was told there is no such permit, and no way to legally keep an Eastern in New York. Knowing that, I can now eliminate the Eastern from my choices.

I hope that helps!

Luckie Turtle Man · Jun 21, 2026

BelovedScribe said:
You can’t go wrong with a Testudo I have a wild-caught Russian tort from a rescue and a baby Hermann’s from a ethical breeder.

Thank you for your reply! I have not made final decision yet, but I have decide that I will no longer be hoping to make a purchase by my wife's birthday, which is next week at this point. I'm going to take more time so I'm not rushed to build both a proper indoor and outdoor enclosure. I am REALLY liking the idea of an Burmese Star from Tom, but I have a feeling they will be priced well above what I'm hoping to spend on the animal itself. Russian's and Hermann's are certainly in consideration

Thank you again for your help!

Luckie Turtle Man · 2026-06-27T10:09:35-0700

Well, my wife's birthday was yesterday, and no tortoise lol! But that's alright, I gave up on the tortoise for her birthday idea some time ago. Over dinner last night I mentioned that I had been thinking about a new tortoise for her birthday, and I expected some firm pushback, she told me she'd been thinking about getting another tortoise too! With that in mind, we are going to take some time and research together what we want, and where we want to put his enclosure.

I really like the idea of these Burmese Stars because they look great, are a good size for us, and seem to be very easy to keep with great personalities. This seems ideal, but I looked and I see at least some online breeders asking like $6000, and there's no way we would spend that much on a tortoise. Are these animals really multi-thousand dollars each? If so, that would be out of the question, and with that in mind I don't want to even show them to my wife as an option. I would be looking to spend like +/-$300 on a tortoise, and I would do like $600 to maybe $1000 for a Burmese Star, but if they are much more than that we'll have to look at something else.

Thanks every for your help!

Markw84 · 2026-06-27T10:35:52-0700

Luckie Turtle Man said:
I really like the idea of these Burmese Stars because they look great, are a good size for us, and seem to be very easy to keep with great personalities. This seems ideal, but I looked and I see at least some online breeders asking like $6000, and there's no way we would spend that much on a tortoise. Are these animals really multi-thousand dollars each? If so, that would be out of the question, and with that in mind I don't want to even show them to my wife as an option. I would be looking to spend like +/-$300 on a tortoise, and I would do like $600 to maybe $1000 for a Burmese Star, but if they are much more than that we'll have to look at something else.

Thanks every for your help!

Both @Tom and I sell Burmese Stars for $600 ea and discount 3 or more.

Luckie Turtle Man · 2026-06-27T10:46:06-0700

Markw84 said:
Both @Tom and I sell Burmese Stars for $600 ea and discount 3 or more.View attachment 401294

That is very doable!!! Thank you for your help here, I had feared they would be well beyond what my wife would let us spend on a tortoise. I'll see what my wife says, but they sound like a great choice for us.

Thanks again for your reply!

Tom · 2026-06-27T15:41:32-0700

Luckie Turtle Man said:
Well, my wife's birthday was yesterday, and no tortoise lol! But that's alright, I gave up on the tortoise for her birthday idea some time ago. Over dinner last night I mentioned that I had been thinking about a new tortoise for her birthday, and I expected some firm pushback, she told me she'd been thinking about getting another tortoise too! With that in mind, we are going to take some time and research together what we want, and where we want to put his enclosure.

I really like the idea of these Burmese Stars because they look great, are a good size for us, and seem to be very easy to keep with great personalities. This seems ideal, but I looked and I see at least some online breeders asking like $6000, and there's no way we would spend that much on a tortoise. Are these animals really multi-thousand dollars each? If so, that would be out of the question, and with that in mind I don't want to even show them to my wife as an option. I would be looking to spend like +/-$300 on a tortoise, and I would do like $600 to maybe $1000 for a Burmese Star, but if they are much more than that we'll have to look at something else.

Thanks every for your help!

$6,000??? That would really help pay my bills if people were willing to pay that much! Even nice looking proven adults can be found for $2000-2500. Like @Markw84 said, the going rate now is around $650-600 for a single baby. I'm not too upset that the price has dropped because it will get more people into this species, and I think that is a good thing for most people in most parts of the country compared to some of the alternative species that are chosen that are just not suitable for someone's climate or living situation.

Now that you've chosen a species, you need to figure out how to best house it. You can buy a closed chamber from one of the many companies that sell them, and then you have to buy, set up and install all the electronics. The lights, heating, thermostats and timers. I suggest buying one of Mark's "Smart Enclosures". They are cheaper than if you bought everything and did it yourself. I use his enclosures and love them. They are the best tortoise life support system there is, and they look nice in your living room too.

Questions are welcome. Let us know what you and your wife decide.

Luckie Turtle Man · 2026-06-27T16:28:15-0700

Tom said:
$6,000??? That would really help pay my bills if people were willing to pay that much! Even nice looking proven adults can be found for $2000-2500. Like @Markw84 said, the going rate now is around $650-600 for a single baby. I'm not too upset that the price has dropped because it will get more people into this species, and I think that is a good thing for most people in most parts of the country compared to some of the alternative species that are chosen that are just not suitable for someone's climate or living situation.

Now that you've chosen a species, you need to figure out how to best house it. You can buy a closed chamber from one of the many companies that sell them, and then you have to buy, set up and install all the electronics. The lights, heating, thermostats and timers. I suggest buying one of Mark's "Smart Enclosures". They are cheaper than if you bought everything and did it yourself. I use his enclosures and love them. They are the best tortoise life support system there is, and they look nice in your living room too.

Questions are welcome. Let us know what you and your wife decide.

Thanks, Tom, I appreciate your help!

Let me please ask;

One tortoise would be a great start for us, and likely what my wife will want to do, at least for now. I have read that these tortoises tend to do well in groups, with little aggression or bickering. I'm curious, is it possible to keep a small group of these guys together, like two or three? If so, what would be the best combination of sexes? What would be the minimum enclosure size needed for two or three Burmese Stars?

Thank you for all the help!

Tom · 2026-06-27T16:44:46-0700

Luckie Turtle Man said:
Thanks, Tom, I appreciate your help!

Let me please ask;

One tortoise would be a great start for us, and likely what my wife will want to do, at least for now. I have read that these tortoises tend to do well in groups, with little aggression or bickering. I'm curious, is it possible to keep a small group of these guys together, like two or three? If so, what would be the best combination of sexes? What would be the minimum enclosure size needed for two or three Burmese Stars?

Thank you for all the help!

There is no way to sex them as babies. You won't know until they are around 20 months old. This being the case, a trio could be anything. One of the many great things about this species is that they just don't fight. It's not in their nature. One of my groups is two males and three females, and the other group is 3 and 3. No fighting ever. Its fantastic! I started with 14 babies in 2013. Once I could sex them, I kept the 8 boys all together and let the 6 females grow up in peace. All male groups would not work well for any other species that I know of, but these guys all got along with zero issues. Even as adults with multiple females and breeding going on, they don't even look at each other funny. There are just no issues. So whatever you end up with will work just fine. All males, all females, or any combination.

Never in pairs. Single is fine. Small groups are best for several reasons in my opinion, but never keep any tortoise species in pairs.

A trio could live inside in winter in a 3 or 4 foot by 8 foot long enclosure. Outdoors is best for any species in warmer weather. You can also put them outside during the day and bring them in every night if you prefer to not build a heated night box. Whatever works for you will work for them.

Luckie Turtle Man · 2026-06-27T17:47:57-0700

Tom said:
There is no way to sex them as babies. You won't know until they are around 20 months old. This being the case, a trio could be anything. One of the many great things about this species is that they just don't fight. It's not in their nature. One of my groups is two males and three females, and the other group is 3 and 3. No fighting ever. Its fantastic! I started with 14 babies in 2013. Once I could sex them, I kept the 8 boys all together and let the 6 females grow up in peace. All male groups would not work well for any other species that I know of, but these guys all got along with zero issues. Even as adults with multiple females and breeding going on, they don't even look at each other funny. There are just no issues. So whatever you end up with will work just fine. All males, all females, or any combination.

Never in pairs. Single is fine. Small groups are best for several reasons in my opinion, but never keep any tortoise species in pairs.

A trio could live inside in winter in a 3 or 4 foot by 8 foot long enclosure. Outdoors is best for any species in warmer weather. You can also put them outside during the day and bring them in every night if you prefer to not build a heated night box. Whatever works for you will work for them.

Thanks again, Tom, that's very helpful!

I'm going to take some time to research the needs of the Burmese Stars in particular housing them. I'm sure I will have many more questions soon

I really appreciate your time and help with my questions!

Considering purchasing my wife a tortoise, and I have some noob questions please :-)

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