Best tortoise for a Beginner??

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Austin

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the thing is.. the breeder friend of mine has gotten a hatchling red foot to give me. and now wants me to have him and had no other home for him, so i wanted to give him a home..

so.....

but i do want him to live and thrive..

just thought with support and advice and doin my hw/research, i could give him that home.. :/
 
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Maggie Cummings

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So then it is up to you to decide if you can follow all the instructions and keep in contact with experienced keepers here, set up your baby perfectly or close to perfectly, feed him correctly etc. We have made you aware how difficult it can be to raise a hatchling now it is up to you to decide if you can or still want to do it.
Here's a short story...I have raise numerous babies, I am good at it.
My sister had a Manouria hatch. one baby out of 100 eggs. Because I am good with babies even tho I don't know anything about Manouria I took the hatchling. I thought it would be fun to have something different. Now she's about 4 months old, she doesn't eat good and is just harder than heck to keep her alive and thriving. Yesterday she woke up with closed and swollen eyes. And yet I am experienced at raising babies! I was stunned, and was seriously upset that I may lose a hatchling that is so rare. That is with my experience at raising hatchlings...it's simply not easy with or with out experience to keep hatchlings...
we may not agree that you should try to raise a hatchling...but if you do take him please know that we are here for you and will offer any needed advice and help.
 

Austin

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I really want to. Im just now ignoring my desire for a cute hatchling i can raise from baby to adult. and thinking of the well-being of the tort. hmm.. if i do, ill be on here everyday im sure .. but ill give it some more thought first.
 
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Maggie Cummings

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Austin said:
I really want to. Im just now ignoring my desire for a cute hatchling i can raise from baby to adult. and thinking of the well-being of the tort. hmm.. if i do, ill be on here everyday im sure .. but ill give it some more thought first.

Please understand that we may not agree with your decision...but we sure will help you as much as you need...you can count on that
 

Austin

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I do, and i dont take the 'no hatchling' advice to heart or personal, im not dumb, i can see its for the safety of the tort. which is why rather than ignore it, i will take it into consideration and make an educated decision with my heart/desire not involved.

-Austin
 

Yvonne G

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Austin: If you do decide to get the redfoot hatchling, follow the instructions on Terry Kilgore's page. He has raised healthy hatchlings and has the pictures to prove it.

Yvonne
 

KQ6AR

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I guess the only place I agree to disagree. Is that if the new owner can't or won't follow directions, They don't have any business buying an adult either.

Many reptile & pet stores are notorious for giving the wrong advice also. Not Good.

Thanks Guys,
Dan
 

Candy

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That is true. We bought Dale (please don't get mad we didn't know better) at a pet store. He was in a tank with a sucata and two russians. We didn't know the difference. I don't know if they had any humidity for him or not in the tank. I do know that it was a private run pet store and not petsmart and the person that gave us the information about Dale seemed to really enjoy his reptiles. I don't know how much he really knew about Cherryheads though, but to give him the benefit of the doubt after we bought Dale and picked him up we took him for his checkup at what was suppose to be an exotic/reptile vet, but when I asked her how old Dale was she said about 6 years old (you guys think that he's more like 3 or 4 after my posting). She told me that you count the major lines. And another thing she did that made me question her as an exotic vet was that when I asked her what the scutes were called she didn't know. Don't you think that she should have known that? Plus she confirmed that he is a boy, but after posting pics of him Terry thought he looked more like a female (still trying to figure that one out). She did do the fecal test on him though and she told me that he had an upper respiratory infection because his eyes were watery, but you guys say that could also be because his tank doesn't have enough humidity in it. At the time I had none because I didn't know that he needed it. I think now I know 10 times more now from this site and you tortoise keepers so thanks for caring and being there for us. Candy :D
 

carrilac

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I think the fact that Austin is on this site asking the tough questions and even taking some critisim is really to his credit and tells me that he will be a great tortoise owner.
I just went through the same thing as Austin, trying to decide which tortoise was right and what age I should bring home. I had my heart set on a friendly adult Cherryhead and preferred a female, for size and other reasons. I looked for a month and could not find one. I was scared to death that I wouldn’t be able to care for a hatchling properly.
After researching proper redfoot hatchling care I took the plunge and brought home "Sophie" a cherry head hatchling. I am so glad I did; she is doing wonderfully! There is work involved, spraying down her enclosure every day, trying to get the humidity right and planning her meals, but I’m really enjoying it. I think that I would be disappointed if I didn’t have so much to do for her.
I think that anyone willing to put in the time and research will be a great owner. Hatchlings die when people purchase them on impulse (because they are cute) then don’t follow through to get the information they need to take care of them.
 

Austin

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thank you Carrilac, i do care, and with pets i always jump in with both feet.. checkin the water rigorously first of course ;)

I want a hatchling but ill be there every day tending to him/her. taking care of it, on here asking and takin advice. i care. I dont want it purely because a hatchling is cute.. i want the feeling of raising it from that young age.. and growing with it.. being there for it. I wanna do things for it, like Carrilac said. Learn with it. not have one i can just ignore.. so to speak. I do take great care when lives are at stake.. no matter how small..

Again, no offense taken at all so far.. just litsening, learning and respecting. :)

-Austin
 

maevamichelle

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Wow you guys scare me, lol
I bought my leopard from like the probably worst place, a reptile show. Which we all know is the very place that impulse purchases are born. With all the excitement and WAY more variety that your average or even above average local pet store.
I went there knowing I wanted a tortoise and not a turtle, and that I wanted something that I could raise from a baby or close to it and have it forever, and that was about it. Lucky for me out of all the 'hand-outs' I picked up at that show, someone handed me a bumper sticker for this site. While it's not on my car, but up in my son's room on his wall, I still found my way here.
So now I have my little darling whom I adore. I know everyone likes a baby to raise as their own, I'm fully guilty of it too, I had no idea that there were so many rescues out there and available. Breaks my heart, I even saw a adult or close to it Leopard and an Indian star listed yesterday on Petfinder.com one in Co, and the other in Ca. both of which are driveable distances. Anyhow back to topic, hatchlings are going to be sold to SOMEONE, at least we're here trying to gather enough information as we can to ensure our babies are able to survive and hopefully grow to the adults we want them to.
It's been 2 months with my little Ookini and so far so good. he's housed right next to my pc which i'm at like 10 hrs a day, I check on him every time I move, probably like ever hour or so. He eats like a pig, and loves to sit in his water dish, but I also soak him daily just in case. I'm sure I'm not doing everything for him as perfect as most of you, but I read this site and others daily trying to keep updated w/ all the latest info.

Thnx for all the great info, and laughs from everyone's posts.
I really enjoy checking this forum each day!
-Michelle ^^
 

tortoisenerd

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I understand the need to want to raise it from a hatchling...my tort will probably be our only tort (not planning or allowing myself to get more). I wanted it to be a very special experience. Enjoying it so far! Lots of worry but lots of fun times as well.
 

nrfitchett4

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I agree that your either going to take good care of a tort, or not. Whether hatchling or adult. The fact that austin is on here learning BEFORE purchase says alot. I have researched all my reptile pets for months before purchase.
I agree that hatchlings are less forgiving, but if you have the proper knowledge I think you will do o.k.
p.s. funny thing, I couldn't find a tort rescue or any torts on craigslist here in san antonio when I started looking.
 

Crazy1

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First of all don’t think that people selling hatchlings at those shows don’t know what they are doing. They know that Hatchlings are cute and that the impulsive buyer will buy the cute little hatchling over the larger (although I think cute) adult. Everyone loves a baby and sellers know this. They also have put less money and care into the hatchling which brings down the price, so they are more affordable.

I would no more suggest a person, who is a couch potato to get large high energy dog to live in a small apartment than I would a person living in a small apartment to get a Sully.

The fact is hatchlings are more difficult than adults, if only the fact that if you get things wrong in the first year hatchlings are not forgiving as adults are and it will show. Either they will not thrive, survive or will have permanent structural damage.

Any one who is thinking of obtaining a tortoise, especially a hatchling needs to be aware. Most people who get hatchlings are not. that is IMHO the biggest problem. Once informed the decision is theirs. But at least they will be going into it with their eyes open.

Austin is doing his homework, his research and has demonstrated, at least I think so, responsibility and care for the tortoise he will obtain. Now it is up to him whether he decides on a hatchling, sub adult or an adult, he is making an informed decision. Austin I commend you for this. I know I spent a little over a year doing research including finding a vet in my area prior to getting my torts. And actually didn’t even end up with the tort I had initially chosen. There are many out there that need homes, adults, unwanted, rescues and hatchlings. The choice is yours and yours alone to make. But Please know that regardless of the decision you make we are here for you and the tort you select, each and every step. And don’t forget our community LOVES pictures.

This ended up much longer than anticipated and for that I apologize.
 

tortoisenerd

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Great post Robyn!

When I called the vet to make an appointment before I even got my tort they thought it was cool I cared so much. hehe I have been really lucky with my little guy so far.
 

galvinkaos

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I agree 100% with Robyn.

Austin, no matter what you decide you have already taken big steps in the right direction for your new tort.

Dawna
 

Redfootedboxturtles

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Best first tortoises would have a to be a captive born russian tortoises. If you can find one that is over a year old even better.
 

Meg90

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Gonna add my two cents worth here, I am an advocate of the adult first, baby later. I did ALL the research I could before I got my adult Greek, and I still made mistakes. One: not soaking enough, two: feeding something that I thought, was ok, but didn't double check.

If I had fed a hatchling avocado, I probably would have killed it. Nigel, could bounce back with proper care, but a baby wouldn't.

And the kinds of mistakes you make with a new tort, are not the ones that a baby could handle....

Even now, with my hatchling coming in April, I am glad I had to wait. I am glad that she is with an experienced person for her first six months. I would rather have an older baby, then a teeny little fragile thing.

Please try for an older baby at least 6 mos to a year old. They are just as small, and just as sweet as their 6 week old counter parts, and are much more likely to make it into adulthood...
 
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