From Colorado to Malaysia

[S. Golding]

Hello everyone! So, as I mentioned in my intro post, my fiance and I are thinking of getting a tortoise after much research. We've tried hard to decide on a breed, but ultimately, traits/looks aside, we need to find one that can survive different climates. If we can't, then we can't have a tortoise yet.

Presently, we live in Conifer, Colorado. In two or three years, though, we'll be moving to Malaysia. This is, obviously, a completely different elevation and climate. We'd like our tort to be able to be outside on a farm in Malaysia, so keeping it shielded from all climate differences wouldn't be an option.

Does anyone have advice on species that could travel happily from the rocky mountains to Malaysia? Any and all help would be much appreciated.

Our only other option is to give the tortoise to my fiance's little brother when we move, but giving a family member a pet that he didn't choose with decades of dedication tacked onto it doesn't seem fair.

PS I hope I selected the right place for this post! My apologies if I didn't.

 

[Millerlite]

I don't think it would be feesable. You would need permits on a lot of species. More people might be able to shed More light. But from what I read it is a pain to take a tortoise out and into a country

Kyle

 

[Yvonne G]

I may be mistaken, but I THINK most countries have pretty strict quarantine laws regarding bringing animals into the country. When my grand daughter moved to Hawaii and wanted to bring her dog, the rule was the dog had to be quarantined for 6 months before being allowed onto the islands.

 

[S. Golding]

Thank you both for your replies. There's a fair share of paperwork needed to transport anything other than a cat or dog into Malaysia, but as long as the animal isn't on the CITE list (which ruled out leopard torts for us, unfortunately), it appears to be doable. This is one of the many things that we are considering, though, as I don't know if a 7-day quarantine would be too much for a tortoise, and which torts would be able to handle the elevation/humidity change.

Questions like these are exactly why we're trying to do research first, though We love our pets enough that we simply wouldn't move if we were forced to face separation, but since we don't want to get stuck accidentally, we'd rather just know ahead of time so we don't get another pet if we're not ready.

 

[JoesMum]

Quite seriously, if a move is on the cards, I would sort out the species you want. Maybe buy equipment to take out to Malaysia and buy the tort out there.

I just don't think it's fair on the tort to ship it so far. Torts don't handle stress well at the best of times. Many of them go on hunger strike for weeks just moving them from a breeder or pet store to a new home down the road.

Have you read the TFO Beginner Mistakes guide?
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

it is possible.
But darned difficult.
Very expensive and seriously not worth it
I've spent much time in Malaysia.
Lots of local options would be better.

 

[BrianWI]

I would think a native tortoise would work. If bought here as a hatchling, you'd probably have a small closed chamber anyway. Once older, it would be in its native climate.

 

[enchilada]

well you either spend tens of thousand $$ trying to get all paperwork needed to export ,
or just move to Malaysia and check out local pet markets, you can get a radiata for $200 or some local species for $10.