Hermann's or Russian?

[lynx1ca]

Hey Everyone, I'm new so hopefully this is the right spot for this thread.

I'm sure most of you senior members may be getting tired of these types of questions but if you could help me out it would be appreciated. I just recently joined this forum to do some research before purchasing my first tortoise and from what i've been reading, i believe these two types are most suitable for me though i am open to suggestions.

I live near Ottawa Canada so you can get an idea of climate but i also have no space restrictions (large outdoor yards/fields and a decent sized basement) though that doesn't necessarily mean i would want to house a large tortoise.

Thanks in advance for any replies. From what i've gathered, either of these species would suit better than some others i've looked at, but now i need to see what the pros/cons of each are (if any) so i can decide between the two.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi lynx1ca:

They are both about the same, so it really depends upon which one you can find up there in Canada.

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

They are a very similar tortoise, although I've heard that Hermann's can get just a bit bigger, and that if they were put up against each other in a "friendliness" contest, it'd be close but the Hermann's as a general species would win.

Also, Russians will probably be more available to you, but you will be hard pressed to find a hatchling if you want to start from a baby tortoise. There are definitely pros to starting with an older tort anyways.