Learning from Bay Area

[Janicoy]

Hi,

Our kids love tortoises and turtles and we are exploring getting a pet.

Want to see if there is a way to create a nice outdoor environment for them and understand what is allowed and possible in our area here in Silicon Valley!

Thanks!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

If you could tell us how much space you have available, we can suggest you a species!

 

[Yvonne G]

Weather plays a very important part in deciding what species to get. Start here:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

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[Ray--Opo]

Welcome, it is great you are doing your homework first.

 

[EppsDynasty]

@Janicoy ... Welcome. I as well live in CA but where it's dry, real dry. I would just say this 1 thing about your location. Are there native Tortoises in your area? No. As long as you understand that you'll have no problems understanding you will need to CREATE an environment that is Tortoise specific. Which ever species you choose you WILL have to create that environment that is natural for said Tort. So glad you are doing the work to understand what your getting into. Ask lots of questions, and you should receive lots of answers this forum is a special place that will give you great info and advice.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Also, it is best to have an indoor and an outdoor enclosure all ready and set up before adopting a tortoise.

Things to consider when making an outdoor enclosure:
Temperatures: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/understanding-outdoor-and-ground-temperatures.195062/
Shade: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-importance-of-deep-shade.123288/

These are things I learned here on the forum when making my own outdoor enclosure. I haven't seen these explained as well anywhere on the internet.

 

[Tom]

Hi,

Our kids love tortoises and turtles and we are exploring getting a pet.

Want to see if there is a way to create a nice outdoor environment for them and understand what is allowed and possible in our area here in Silicon Valley!

Thanks!

Hello and welcome to you and yours!

With the aide of a nice outdoor shelter you should have no problem housing several great species were you are. Look at Russians, greeks and Hermans tortoises to start with.

With the right enclosure you could also keep Burmese stars, and if you want something larger, manouria can do well in cooler climates as long as you keep them cool on hot summer days with sprinklers and misters. South African leopards would also do well up there.

Did you have any species that have already caught your eye?

 

[SinLA]

Hi,

Our kids love tortoises and turtles and we are exploring getting a pet.

Want to see if there is a way to create a nice outdoor environment for them and understand what is allowed and possible in our area here in Silicon Valley!

Thanks

Welcome from LA! It also a little bit depends where in the bay area you are because close to the water is going to be very different than Walnut Creek (I used to live in concord) or east San Jose.

How much space are you able to give it? If you’re talking about a section of your yard, you might be better off with a smaller Tortoise. I have a Russian in a 10 x 12 space. If you’re able to provide a heated night box and you have the space for it, there are a zillion sulcatas in need of homes. A California desert tortoise also could be perfect for you (you can’t buy them but you definitely adopt them).

 

[Ink]

Welcome to the forum.