Brand new, father son pet

[stayathomedad]

Hello all,
My son is in 3rd grade and in love with tortoises. Our local zoo even has a tortoise with the same name as him. Through good behavior and excellent grades he has earned being able to have a tortoise as his first pet. So before the end of the school year, I'm doing some research ahead of time to see what we need and what our options are. We would like to build, instead of buying, a habitat for indoors, since we live near Chicago,IL
Any suggestions/recommendations would be helpful
I'll continue to look through the forum to see what I could find
Thanks

 

[JoesMum]

Hi

I suggest you start with the Beginner Mistakes thread

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How much space do you have indoors and out?

What's the climate like where you live?

Do you go on vacation frequently? Torts don't travel well, so you will need someone to keep an eye on your tort when you're away.

My husband was 7 when we got Joe. That was 46 years ago - it's literally a pet for life!

 

[Hector108]

You will probably find russians in your local pet store. They stay small and can be exellent if properly cared for. If you are interested go ahead and read the russian tortoise care sheet.

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and welcome to the forum!!

One of the Mod @wellington also lives in Chicago IL area. She will be a big help if you can have her help you on the indoor or very possible outdoor enclosures.

Welcome! ! ! ! !

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi

 

[Rue]

That's exciting! What a great project for the two of you!

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. What species of tortoise are you planning on? Be prepared to care for it yourself while letting your son help and learn. Also be prepared for him to fall out of interest, so many kids do. Depending on what you get will depend on the help you will need as they all require different care.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome !

 

[surfergirl]

hi and welcome. torts are a joy!!

 

[8james8]

Welcome and hello

 

[Pearly]

Hi and welcome from Texas! I to got here for a child my daughter was in 4th grade and I got her first pets (couple of redfooted) right after the school year ended. That was almost a year ago. I help her quite a bit, mostly with research, on this forum and on the web, shopping, meal preparation. She has turned into one fabulous tortoise keeper. Not perfectly independent, just yet, but that will come. I'm trying to be supportive without the "nagging component" she's only 11 afterall and at times does get busy, or tired, or excited about her social life... and may start forgetting to refresh water dish, or the second feeding in a day... Or may not feel like taking the babies outside "bcs it's hot", or "can I go meet with ..." instead of the evening bath... Yes, at times it is hard to refrain from nagging. But overall, things are great, and I can already tell that these torts will be well cared for for as long as my baby Girl is around to care for them. I'm glad to see that there are other parents out there (you) who are willing to jump into this wonderful efucational hobby together with their child. Wishing you best of luck and most of all: ENJOY! Both of you! My daughter and for sure have! It's been a great experience for us.