Hard time deciding

[Nfhobbs09]

Hello all! This is my first post here an I just wanted to get some outside opinions. I have been wanting a tortoise pet/friend (non breeder) since Highschool, but could not while in the military. I get out next year and I am finally ready to get one of my own. I have done extensive research and know I want a star. I was deadset on a burmese star, particularly thanks to Toms great reviews and everyones thoufhts on their personalities being more outgoing and hardier than their Indian counterparts. I believe I know all the care needed and i have a giant spreadsheet to help me out. But I am having doubts due to space. Ill be in an apartment for at least 6-10 years which means indoor housing for the first 10 years of this torts life. Id be willing to go 10x2 closed chamber as it gets older but I probably cannot go bigger than that until I get a house in the future. Should I just settle for the smaller Indian Star? Food would be cheaper in theory while I start my life as they weigh less and I would feel more comfortable with the size of enclosure I’d be able to give. Maybe get a Burmese later in life. Or get the baby Burmese now and try my best to go bigger and bigger on enclosures until I can make an outdoor space in the future. This will be my first reptile. Sorry for the long thread and thanks for any thoughts you can give

 

[SinLA]

flagging @Tom

 

[zovick]

Hello all! This is my first post here an I just wanted to get some outside opinions. I have been wanting a tortoise pet/friend (non breeder) since Highschool, but could not while in the military. I get out next year and I am finally ready to get one of my own. I have done extensive research and know I want a star. I was deadset on a burmese star, particularly thanks to Toms great reviews and everyones thoufhts on their personalities being more outgoing and hardier than their Indian counterparts. I believe I know all the care needed and i have a giant spreadsheet to help me out. But I am having doubts due to space. Ill be in an apartment for at least 6-10 years which means indoor housing for the first 10 years of this torts life. Id be willing to go 10x2 closed chamber as it gets older but I probably cannot go bigger than that until I get a house in the future. Should I just settle for the smaller Indian Star? Food would be cheaper in theory while I start my life as they weigh less and I would feel more comfortable with the size of enclosure I’d be able to give. Maybe get a Burmese later in life. Or get the baby Burmese now and try my best to go bigger and bigger on enclosures until I can make an outdoor space in the future. This will be my first reptile. Sorry for the long thread and thanks for any thoughts you can give

I have kept and bred all three types of Star Tortoises. The Burmese Stars are much more hardy than the Indian (and Sri Lankan) Stars. They can take cooler temperatures and humidity without getting respiratory problems.

That fact alone would be enough to sway me toward the Burmese Star. Also, if you get a male Burmese Star, it will not grow much larger than a big female Indian Star would be. IE, 9" or 10". Female Burmese Stars can be 10" and larger. I saw and held the shell of a 15" female Burmese Star when I was at the National Museum in Yangon (formerly called Rangoon) in 1999.

You might want to reconsider and get a Pancake Tortoise. They are much smaller than any of the Stars and could do very well in a smaller enclosure. Some of the CB ones are also quite colorful.

 

[Yvonne G]

Your star only needs a closed chamber for the first two or three years, the critical growing years.

 

[Tom]

Hello all! This is my first post here an I just wanted to get some outside opinions. I have been wanting a tortoise pet/friend (non breeder) since Highschool, but could not while in the military. I get out next year and I am finally ready to get one of my own. I have done extensive research and know I want a star. I was deadset on a burmese star, particularly thanks to Toms great reviews and everyones thoufhts on their personalities being more outgoing and hardier than their Indian counterparts. I believe I know all the care needed and i have a giant spreadsheet to help me out. But I am having doubts due to space. Ill be in an apartment for at least 6-10 years which means indoor housing for the first 10 years of this torts life. Id be willing to go 10x2 closed chamber as it gets older but I probably cannot go bigger than that until I get a house in the future. Should I just settle for the smaller Indian Star? Food would be cheaper in theory while I start my life as they weigh less and I would feel more comfortable with the size of enclosure I’d be able to give. Maybe get a Burmese later in life. Or get the baby Burmese now and try my best to go bigger and bigger on enclosures until I can make an outdoor space in the future. This will be my first reptile. Sorry for the long thread and thanks for any thoughts you can give

The recommend indoor enclosure size is 4x8 feet minimum, which is 32 sq. ft.

3x8 feet is still acceptable and that's 24 sq.ft.

2x10 is only 20 sq. ft., but its long for walking. Can you go 3x10 feet? That would be 30 sq. ft. and that would be plenty. Even better, you could use Mark's Smart enclosure and easily go 3x12 feet along one wall. You could start with 3x4 feet for a baby, and add 4 foot sections as you go.

The difference in food needed for one species over the other is inconsequential.

 

[Nfhobbs09]

Your star only needs a closed chamber for the first two or three years, the critical growing years.

InterestIng, I was unsure of this, that would make space issues much easier for me. I was under the assumption that stars in particular needed that high of humidity throughout life to be in closed chambers for most of their lives. Thanks for the info

 

[Nfhobbs09]

The recommend indoor enclosure size is 4x8 feet minimum, which is 32 sq. ft.

3x8 feet is still acceptable and that's 24 sq.ft.

2x10 is only 20 sq. ft., but its long for walking. Can you go 3x10 feet? That would be 30 sq. ft. and that would be plenty. Even better, you could use Mark's Smart enclosure and easily go 3x12 feet along one wall. You could start with 3x4 feet for a baby, and add 4 foot sections as you go.

The difference in food needed for one species over the other is inconsequential.

I think I could definitely go 3x10 once the tort is a year or two, and I could probably convince the missus to do the 3x4-3x12 plan until I can go to a larger permanent solution. I will look into that. I do have a large private outdoor area (30ft x 10ft) that I can let the tortoise roam during favorable weather in summer months as well for natural sunlight and freedom etc while living indoors, just cannot set up a permanent enclosure in that area. Thank you for the info and prompt responses!

 

[Tom]

I think I could definitely go 3x10 once the tort is a year or two, and I could probably convince the missus to do the 3x4-3x12 plan until I can go to a larger permanent solution. I will look into that. I do have a large private outdoor area (30ft x 10ft) that I can let the tortoise roam during favorable weather in summer months as well for natural sunlight and freedom etc while living indoors, just cannot set up a permanent enclosure in that area. Thank you for the info and prompt responses!

There are ways to make a temporary enclosure that are cheap and easy. You can make a square with 4 2x12s, either 8 footers or 10 footers. This will have minimal impact on the area and can easily be removed. If it's okay to leave it there, you can use stakes in the ground and plywood walls screwed to the stakes. Minimal impact, and also easy to remove. Cinderblocks work well too, but that will certainly leave no doubt where they were when they are removed.

Alternatively, you can get a 6 foot kiddie pool, and simply remove it and put it away somewhere each time when you are done using it. This will do minimal damage too.

 

[Nfhobbs09]

There are ways to make a temporary enclosure that are cheap and easy. You can make a square with 4 2x12s, either 8 footers or 10 footers. This will have minimal impact on the area and can easily be removed. If it's okay to leave it there, you can use stakes in the ground and plywood walls screwed to the stakes. Minimal impact, and also easy to remove. Cinderblocks work well too, but that will certainly leave no doubt where they were when they are removed.

Alternatively, you can get a 6 foot kiddie pool, and simply remove it and put it away somewhere each time when you are done using it. This will do minimal damage too.

Yes I will definitely have something outdoors set up for those summer months, thank you for the ideas

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Hey, there . . . Welcome to TFO! Sound's like you and your future Tort will be off to a fine start.
As you have probably noted already, they're are lots of smart Tortle folks here that are willing to help out with advice, proven by experience. I hope when the time comes you post you some pictures for us to admire of your lil tort and the set-up you decide to make . . Welcome again....

 

[RhodaE]

Hello all! This is my first post here an I just wanted to get some outside opinions. I have been wanting a tortoise pet/friend (non breeder) since Highschool, but could not while in the military. I get out next year and I am finally ready to get one of my own. I have done extensive research and know I want a star. I was deadset on a burmese star, particularly thanks to Toms great reviews and everyones thoufhts on their personalities being more outgoing and hardier than their Indian counterparts. I believe I know all the care needed and i have a giant spreadsheet to help me out. But I am having doubts due to space. Ill be in an apartment for at least 6-10 years which means indoor housing for the first 10 years of this torts life. Id be willing to go 10x2 closed chamber as it gets older but I probably cannot go bigger than that until I get a house in the future. Should I just settle for the smaller Indian Star? Food would be cheaper in theory while I start my life as they weigh less and I would feel more comfortable with the size of enclosure I’d be able to give. Maybe get a Burmese later in life. Or get the baby Burmese now and try my best to go bigger and bigger on enclosures until I can make an outdoor space in the future. This will be my first reptile. Sorry for the long thread and thanks for any thoughts you can give

I don't know about Indian Stars, but I was just thinking, for someone just starting out like you, you might consider learning as much as you can on this forum and then signing up as a specialized tortoise petsitter on Rover.com. It's hard to find petsitters who are willing, let alone able, to sit for them. You could learn more and more that way. Relationships built through sitting could lead to adoption when owners become too old or otherwise unable to keep their tortoise. Probably many people out there who are getting older and have tortoises with many years left. Things a longtime tortoise parent thinks about as they enter retirement...