Looking into breeds

[lf13]

Hey all,

We're looking into purchashing/rehoming a tortoise and I'm just looking for some advice.

We wanted to find a breed that grows a decent size so we've settled on an Indian star.

We're first time tortoise owners, is there anything specific you think we need to know about this breed before committing to one?

We're based in west Yorkshire, UK.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
I would start with this generic information first:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/info-for-new-people-please-read-this-first.202363/

It covers all the basic of tortoise care and requirements (enclosures, feeding, heating and lightning and more). Then you can proceed to star tortoises care sheet (it's linked at the bottom of that post).

Where are you located? Because there are Bradford in Canada, UK and some states of US. Your local climate is a very serious factor to consider when choosing a tortoise.

I think @Tom can give you more insights on keeping indian stars vs other species.

 

[lf13]

Hello!
I would start with this generic information first:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/info-for-new-people-please-read-this-first.202363/

It covers all the basic of tortoise care and requirements (enclosures, feeding, heating and lightning and more). Then you can proceed to star tortoises care sheet (it's linked at the bottom of that post).

Where are you located? Because there are Bradford in Canada, UK and some states of US. Your local climate is a very serious factor to consider when choosing a tortoise.

I think @Tom can give you more insights on keeping indian stars vs other species.

Hey,

Thank you for your response. We're based in the north of the UK so it's a cold climate for sure.

If it's not a good idea to get indian stars in the UK climate I'll look into other breeds, we want to ensure the tortoise is comfortable for sure.

 

[wellington]

Do your research on this forum on care, closed chamber, space they need as hatchlings and then adults, all Tom can help you with.
Also, just an FYI, they are species not breeds.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hey,

Thank you for your response. We're based in the north of the UK so it's a cold climate for sure.

If it's not a good idea to get indian stars in the UK climate I'll look into other breeds, we want to ensure the tortoise is comfortable for sure.

Things will be much easier with species who don't constant high temperatures and brumate (hibernate) in winter like most of Testudo species (Greek, Russian, Hermanns and maybe Marginated).

I'm not completely sure but stars are not brumating and they need accomodation for the winter/spring/autumn with decent space, heating and lightning. It's certainly doable if you either have enough space in your house or willing to build a "greenhouse" style outdoor enclosure with additional heating and, optionally, covered with UV-transparent plastic so tortoise can benefit from natural sunlight. Large heated sheds can also work (but it's essentially an indoors enclosure).

As with any reptiles, the more your climate deviates from their native habitat the harder is to keep them. And this is magnified by tortoise space requirements - for the most species you can't get away with just a 6x3 ft vivarium like you can do with bearded dragon or blue-tongue skink lizards. For the smallest of tortoises 8x4 ft is a recommended space (their body is not flexible, they don't jump or climb, their digestion depends on walking around so raw space is crucial).