So I've been researching tortoises for about six months and preparing for my forever friend. I'm so nervous to choose my species though. I'm going to love whichever one I bring home, but I only want one. I'm going to have them for the rest of my life hopefully and I don't want to be disappointed.
Here's what I know. I'm buying from tortstork. Hatching my own will be magical and the most powerful bond I can get. I want a small one. I only live in hot places. Id like to house indoors as much as possible. I keep my house at 75° but obviously the enclosure will be heated and have humidity control.
Since I'm limited by my preselected breeder. My options are the Hermann's tortoise, cherry head, Indian star and maybe Greek.
The Hermann's is the longest lived an the least likely to die. They hibernate which scares the **** outof me. Greeks are easily as easy to care for and there's a possibility I may move to Greece in 5-10 years because I have family there. The colors of the western Hermann's are exceptional and their small size makes them the best for indoor keeping. They are not shy and like to explore but probably don't like scratches and close interaction. Also their diet consists mostly of things I can grow in my yard making them very cheap to feed.
Cherry Heads are colored the most like a painted turtle (my favorite). They can also be orange which is my favorite color.
Their diet will be more expensive to provide but the 50% fruit thing could be cool. I'm a vegetarian and used to have an iguana I would share a meal with every night. It was a great bonding experience. I could eat fruit with my tortoise for breakfast every day. How cool would that be? They apparently like to be touched the most and sometimes sleep crawled under the owner's clothes. They get 10-12 inches and may be tricky to house indoors. Their omnivorous diet and forest habitat makes them kind of similar to eastern box turtles which seem to be among the smartest turtles. I've also heard they're eager to please.
Indian Stars are objectively the worst choice. Delicate, shy, like to hide. Their diet is similar enough to the Hermann's that I can still grow 80%+ of their diet myself. If I raise it diligently from hatchling it may be more tame and outgoing than is normal for their species. Their looks are the biggest selling point. Maybe that's shallow but I want people to ooh and ahh my baby. They live 30-40 years, the shortest of my options. I don't want to outlive my tortoise, I want them to outlive me. I'm 32 and am determined to live to be 100 or die trying. Despite all these drawbacks. I'm unable to stop considering one. Life is too short to not get what you want. A the same time, I have to get what I need and what I need is a faithful beloved chelonian friend to accompany me through this crazy thing called life.
I know someone is going to suggest I get a Burmese star. I'd love one, seems like an ideal compromise but, tortstork doesn't sell them. I have to hatch an egg. If anyone on this forum breeds Burmese stars and would be willing to sell me an egg. Please contact me. I've messaged two breeders to ask for this but received two hard no's.
I'm currently living in Alabama. I have plans to relocate to southern California, or Louisiana, then to leave the country to work at a resort somewhere tropical (I'm a massage therapist, it's a skill you can take anywhere). My family lives in Crete, Greece which is tropical. I may move there in 10 years or so to care for my mother when she gets old.
The dry climate of California may prove bad for the redfoots and stars bur the Herman should be fine. Also I don't want to live there more than 3 years. However in the south all these would fair well outdoors at least half the year. The tropical climate of another country may be too much for a Hermann's but they are tough, and I would be getting a Sicilian which is likely more humidity resistant. Also because I'd like to keep indoors as much as possible, while I keep my house quiet warm and humid living in a temperate zone, if I lived somewhere tropical I'd be more like to run my air conditioning and maybe a dehumidifier, so indoors a Hermann's or star may fair better.
So in summary. Herman's most likely to last the rest of my life, hardest to lose to weather or care taking mistakes, but may have a "no hang" personality.
Cherry Head, possibly the smartest, most likely to tolerate handling, most expensive to feed but can share meals. 30-50 year lifespan may not last a lifetime, but close to it. Best suited to tropics. Reasonably hardy.
Indian star, great to show off, hardest to tame, shortest lifespan, magically alluring enough to defy my rationality. Reasonably cheap to feed. Best suited to indoor living. Probably the most chillin.
In Europe, I may run into trouble importing a herman since they're native and endangered. In south America, I may have trouble importing a cherry head, but mainland tropical countries are not that restrictive with wildlife laws, island nations are the strictest. Indian Star are probably the most likely to be importable as long as I don't go to India.
Sorry for the long post but I'm really overwhelmed with my options. And scared to make the wrong choice.
Each tortoise keeper seems so happy with their choice of tortoise that I can't really take any advice objectively. I guess it just means they're all great.
Here's what I know. I'm buying from tortstork. Hatching my own will be magical and the most powerful bond I can get. I want a small one. I only live in hot places. Id like to house indoors as much as possible. I keep my house at 75° but obviously the enclosure will be heated and have humidity control.
Since I'm limited by my preselected breeder. My options are the Hermann's tortoise, cherry head, Indian star and maybe Greek.
The Hermann's is the longest lived an the least likely to die. They hibernate which scares the **** outof me. Greeks are easily as easy to care for and there's a possibility I may move to Greece in 5-10 years because I have family there. The colors of the western Hermann's are exceptional and their small size makes them the best for indoor keeping. They are not shy and like to explore but probably don't like scratches and close interaction. Also their diet consists mostly of things I can grow in my yard making them very cheap to feed.
Cherry Heads are colored the most like a painted turtle (my favorite). They can also be orange which is my favorite color.
Their diet will be more expensive to provide but the 50% fruit thing could be cool. I'm a vegetarian and used to have an iguana I would share a meal with every night. It was a great bonding experience. I could eat fruit with my tortoise for breakfast every day. How cool would that be? They apparently like to be touched the most and sometimes sleep crawled under the owner's clothes. They get 10-12 inches and may be tricky to house indoors. Their omnivorous diet and forest habitat makes them kind of similar to eastern box turtles which seem to be among the smartest turtles. I've also heard they're eager to please.
Indian Stars are objectively the worst choice. Delicate, shy, like to hide. Their diet is similar enough to the Hermann's that I can still grow 80%+ of their diet myself. If I raise it diligently from hatchling it may be more tame and outgoing than is normal for their species. Their looks are the biggest selling point. Maybe that's shallow but I want people to ooh and ahh my baby. They live 30-40 years, the shortest of my options. I don't want to outlive my tortoise, I want them to outlive me. I'm 32 and am determined to live to be 100 or die trying. Despite all these drawbacks. I'm unable to stop considering one. Life is too short to not get what you want. A the same time, I have to get what I need and what I need is a faithful beloved chelonian friend to accompany me through this crazy thing called life.
I know someone is going to suggest I get a Burmese star. I'd love one, seems like an ideal compromise but, tortstork doesn't sell them. I have to hatch an egg. If anyone on this forum breeds Burmese stars and would be willing to sell me an egg. Please contact me. I've messaged two breeders to ask for this but received two hard no's.
I'm currently living in Alabama. I have plans to relocate to southern California, or Louisiana, then to leave the country to work at a resort somewhere tropical (I'm a massage therapist, it's a skill you can take anywhere). My family lives in Crete, Greece which is tropical. I may move there in 10 years or so to care for my mother when she gets old.
The dry climate of California may prove bad for the redfoots and stars bur the Herman should be fine. Also I don't want to live there more than 3 years. However in the south all these would fair well outdoors at least half the year. The tropical climate of another country may be too much for a Hermann's but they are tough, and I would be getting a Sicilian which is likely more humidity resistant. Also because I'd like to keep indoors as much as possible, while I keep my house quiet warm and humid living in a temperate zone, if I lived somewhere tropical I'd be more like to run my air conditioning and maybe a dehumidifier, so indoors a Hermann's or star may fair better.
So in summary. Herman's most likely to last the rest of my life, hardest to lose to weather or care taking mistakes, but may have a "no hang" personality.
Cherry Head, possibly the smartest, most likely to tolerate handling, most expensive to feed but can share meals. 30-50 year lifespan may not last a lifetime, but close to it. Best suited to tropics. Reasonably hardy.
Indian star, great to show off, hardest to tame, shortest lifespan, magically alluring enough to defy my rationality. Reasonably cheap to feed. Best suited to indoor living. Probably the most chillin.
In Europe, I may run into trouble importing a herman since they're native and endangered. In south America, I may have trouble importing a cherry head, but mainland tropical countries are not that restrictive with wildlife laws, island nations are the strictest. Indian Star are probably the most likely to be importable as long as I don't go to India.
Sorry for the long post but I'm really overwhelmed with my options. And scared to make the wrong choice.
Each tortoise keeper seems so happy with their choice of tortoise that I can't really take any advice objectively. I guess it just means they're all great.