Family seeking first tortoise!

dmmj

The member formerly known as captain awesome
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 15, 2008
Messages
19,698
Location (City and/or State)
CA
Thanks,
Maybe I should rephrase my original question:

Are there any small species I should avoid...considering I live in a humid condition?
no not really none come to mind.
 

Heath87

New Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2016
Messages
13
OK...thanks to everyone! This was a good experience and I'm really excited. I have one more question...Cherry Head or Mediterranean Species? Remember I am a beginner.

Thanks again, Heath
 

christinaland128

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2014
Messages
1,619
Location (City and/or State)
Metro Detroit
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1452012267.696646.jpg
Welcome! This is a great place to learn! Be sure to read up and keep an open ear to the forum members! They've helped me greatly! :)
 

TerrapinStation

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2015
Messages
669
Location (City and/or State)
Detroit, Michigan
Hello and welcome

I think for Florida, your best bet might be a redfooted, yellow footed, or Cherryhead. They are personable, stay relatively small(er) and are well suited to the warm and humid climates of Florida. Lots of members on here from Floria keep Redfoots, @ZEROPILOT may be able to chime in and help with breeder and enclosure questions.......

Best of luck!!!
 

AnimalLady

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Messages
1,136
OK...thanks to everyone! This was a good experience and I'm really excited. I have one more question...Cherry Head or Mediterranean Species? Remember I am a beginner.

Thanks again, Heath
Hey there!

I have a cherry head too! Here in FL it's perfect weather for them. It was a big factor in my decision. I consider myself a beginner and so far I'm doing fine with my 2 (Russian and CH).

I purchased the CH from a breeder on here and couldn't be happier :)
 

Heath87

New Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2016
Messages
13
Hey there!

I have a cherry head too! Here in FL it's perfect weather for them. It was a big factor in my decision. I consider myself a beginner and so far I'm doing fine with my 2 (Russian and CH).

I purchased the CH from a breeder on here and couldn't be happier :)
Thanks...what's your breeders name?
 

Heath87

New Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2016
Messages
13
Thanks for your suggestion...can you tell me the name of your breeder? There are so many to choose from my head is spinning.
 

teresaf

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2015
Messages
2,023
Location (City and/or State)
Port Charlotte, Florida
I'll put Russian Tortoise on the list of possibilities...thanks.

I personally think that Sulcatas
and Russians are, what you would call, overproduced. they're both nice tortoises... Sulcata are huge, destructive and escape artists. Russians are personable, active and also escape artists.

like you I decided on a tortoise recently after never having one. I wanted to have breeding a possibility in the future as well.

I have a little room in my yard and in my house so I chose the larger breed. I chose Burmese Black Mountain tortoises because you don't find them everywhere. they have a bit lower temperature requirement( I'm in Ohio so that might come in handy)... supply and demand dictate their price. if you look for the higher priced tortoises you'll find that's a good way of telling whether the market is oversaturated.

there is current information about tortoise care on this forum that's different than the books. one of the pieces of information that has changed is the cause of pyramiding/bumpiness. the current information dictates that pyramiding is due to lack of humidity during their Young growing years.

long story short someone, I think @Tom, Took half of their newly hatched babies and raised them high humidity. everything else the same as the other half of the babies. surprise surprise the ones that were raised high humidity we're smooth and the ones that were raised low humidity we're bumpy.

so if you get babies of pretty much any of your tortoise varieties you're going to hear a lot about keeping the humidity up and their temperatures up. ( respiratory infections can happen if you keep your humidities up but your temperatures go under 80f too often).

I have 2 pretty smooth Juvenile Burmese black Mountain tortoises raised in a closed humid chamber and one very pyramided older leopard tortoise raised dry.
 

SarahChelonoidis

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Messages
1,895
Location (City and/or State)
Toronto, Canada
I personally think that Sulcatas
and Russians are, what you would call, overproduced.

You think Russians are over produced in the U.S.? I was under the impression that the market was flooded with wild caught imports and that there was a need for captive breeding of Russians in the States?
 

teresaf

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2015
Messages
2,023
Location (City and/or State)
Port Charlotte, Florida
You think Russians are over produced in the U.S.? I was under the impression that the market was flooded with wild caught imports and that there was a need for captive breeding of Russians in the States?

I don't think US can import ANY torts for years now and I didn't think Russians were indigenous but either way you can find them in pretty much EVERY pet store :/ for next to nothing and they're EVERYWHERE on Craigslist :'( I actually am seeing a lot more Sulcatas Russians and Redfoots lately on Craigslist... in that order...
 
Top