Looking to be a good tortoise owner

[MKoz]

Hi everyone,
I am new to the forum but was brought here out of concern for the future "Sheldon" my daughter wants to have. I have never owned any sort of reptile and want to be sure we do it right.

My husband took our daughter to a reptile show nearby and was introduced to the Russian tortoise. The dealer was selling them for $75. This is the part where I reiterate that I know nothing about reptile buying and trusted that my husband knew what to look for having some limited training in animal care. Fortunately, he didn't buy anything that day and made a plan to come back when the show is held again next month. We then went to Amazon to look for enclosures. We wanted to be sure we had everything Sheldon would need. I started looking and then decided that I should search for enclosures that would work best for Russian tortoises. That is when the red flags started so let me ask what I really want to know.
1. Is it likely that we will find reputable tortoise dealers at a reptile show? After reading, I was concerned that I have no idea how you know the age of a tortoise and some of the sites suggested that the tortoises were cheaper because the dealer was likely looking to get rid of an older tortoise passing it off as younger. Also, they are likely cheaper because they were "wild-caught." Forgive my ignorance, it had not even occurred to me that people would be grabbing these poor things out of the wild and selling them.
2. We live in Ohio and will experience all extremes of weather. What tortoise breed would do best in our location? Not only am I now concerned about captive-bred vs wild-caught tortoises, but I also want to make sure that we are capable of providing the best possible conditions for the tortoise.
I will leave it at these two questions...you probably guessed I have many more. I am so happy to be able to ask for help. I just feel like the pet stores know nothing and the dealers are just trying to make a sale.
I did read the post for first-time owners. I will give the dealer this, he did suggest using Cypress Mulch over the other things you might buy at the pet store.
Thank you for any help you can provide

 

[Sarah2020]

Thanks for doing the research. Many on here are owners or breeders. We read and hear about many sad situations along with happy ones. Tortoise live long lives and need daily care and attention. When considering a tortoise time has to be a consideration along with space for which species would be suitable. . As for where to buy I recommend a reptile shop or a reputable breeder, avoid buying online as we have another thread where someone paid and no shipment made. I am not familiar either USA reptile show but we have had posts on here showing newly hatched tortoises bring sold too early.
There is no link with size of shell and age it is mainly down to records being kept.

 

[SinLA]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on being smart enough to do your research before you buy or otherwise get one, you are steps ahead of a lot of us. Those Tortoise houses you can get on Amazon are no good. They’re too small for adults, and while size can work for babies the fact that they are open top is not good for babies. A Russian tortoise is going to need about 4‘ x 8‘ of space so just be prepared for that. If you can’t provide that kind of space you may want to look at a different kind of reptile. Lots and lots of people get tortoises and keep them in fish tanks or other enclosures that are too small. They can survive that way but they don’t live happily and healthily.
start here. it’s a lot of information to absorb, but much better than what pet stores or YouTubers will tell you:

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...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone,
I am new to the forum but was brought here out of concern for the future "Sheldon" my daughter wants to have. I have never owned any sort of reptile and want to be sure we do it right.

My husband took our daughter to a reptile show nearby and was introduced to the Russian tortoise. The dealer was selling them for $75. This is the part where I reiterate that I know nothing about reptile buying and trusted that my husband knew what to look for having some limited training in animal care. Fortunately, he didn't buy anything that day and made a plan to come back when the show is held again next month. We then went to Amazon to look for enclosures. We wanted to be sure we had everything Sheldon would need. I started looking and then decided that I should search for enclosures that would work best for Russian tortoises. That is when the red flags started so let me ask what I really want to know.
1. Is it likely that we will find reputable tortoise dealers at a reptile show? After reading, I was concerned that I have no idea how you know the age of a tortoise and some of the sites suggested that the tortoises were cheaper because the dealer was likely looking to get rid of an older tortoise passing it off as younger. Also, they are likely cheaper because they were "wild-caught." Forgive my ignorance, it had not even occurred to me that people would be grabbing these poor things out of the wild and selling them.
2. We live in Ohio and will experience all extremes of weather. What tortoise breed would do best in our location? Not only am I now concerned about captive-bred vs wild-caught tortoises, but I also want to make sure that we are capable of providing the best possible conditions for the tortoise.
I will leave it at these two questions...you probably guessed I have many more. I am so happy to be able to ask for help. I just feel like the pet stores know nothing and the dealers are just trying to make a sale.
I did read the post for first-time owners. I will give the dealer this, he did suggest using Cypress Mulch over the other things you might buy at the pet store.
Thank you for any help you can provide

Hello and welcome.

I am so glad that you asked all of this BEFORE buying! Read that thread from SinLA and feel free to ask more questions.

Your questions:
1. I don't know anything about the shows in Ohio. We have big shows here with a handful of people that know what they are doing, and many who are re-selling something produced by someone else, and they have little idea about proper care or housing. Personally, I think you'd be better off buying from a breeder that produces their own. We have several here. Tortoisesupply.com is one. Also check with @biochemnerd808 . I know there are others here too that don't come to mind.

2. THIS is the million dollar question that most people never ask, and you hit it right on the head in your first post! Good job. Any species can work anywhere with enough time effort and money thrown into it, but why not choose a species that easily works well in your climate and situation? With your cold winters, you will want a species that stays small. Some people prefer tropical species that stay up all winter, and some people prefer temperate species that brumate during the frozen winter, but smaller tortoises are easier to bring indoors during inclement weather in either case.

With all that in mind, Russians are a great choice. As are most of the greeks and hermanni. If you like tropical species that will be a year round pet and not need to brumate, you can't beat the Burmese stars for great personality and beauty. Pancakes are something interesting and different. Indian stars are gorgeous, a little smaller than the Burmese, but not generally as outgoing.

 

[jsheffield - In Memoriam]

Welcome to TFO!

I live with 5 Russians, and love them as a breed... they're lovely, simple to keep, and hardy.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

I think the above is a great guide to read for care of the Russians (or other temperate species), and once you've read it, you'll have a better idea about lots of things.

All of my Russians are rescues, 4 from craigslist and one from somebody who found one wandering in a park in the Spring's first thaw... I think that most of the Russians you see in the pet trade that aren't hatchlings will have been wild-caught.

When you're picking out a tortoise, from a pet store or expo or a rescue, you are hoping for one that weighs about the same as a similarly sized piece of fruit... if it feels like a roll or loaf of bread that's too light which normally indicates dehydration or some sickness.

Do some reading, ask some questions, this is the best place you'll find for good answers and knowledgable keepers.

Jamie

 

[MKoz]

Thank you so much for your information. I have read the information that you provided and was wondering if you could recommend a place to buy a tortoise enclosure. I haven't found a single website that meets the specifications of 4'x8'. In fact, many of them are much smaller. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hello and welcome.

I am so glad that you asked all of this BEFORE buying! Read that thread from SinLA and feel free to ask more questions.

Your questions:
1. I don't know anything about the shows in Ohio. We have big shows here with a handful of people that know what they are doing, and many who are re-selling something produced by someone else, and they have little idea about proper care or housing. Personally, I think you'd be better off buying from a breeder that produces their own. We have several here. Tortoisesupply.com is one. Also check with @biochemnerd808 . I know there are others here too that don't come to mind.

2. THIS is the million dollar question that most people never ask, and you hit it right on the head in your first post! Good job. Any species can work anywhere with enough time effort and money thrown into it, but why not choose a species that easily works well in your climate and situation? With your cold winters, you will want a species that stays small. Some people prefer tropical species that stay up all winter, and some people prefer temperate species that brumate during the frozen winter, but smaller tortoises are easier to bring indoors during inclement weather in either case.

With all that in mind, Russians are a great choice. As are most of the greeks and hermanni. If you like tropical species that will be a year round pet and not need to brumate, you can't beat the Burmese stars for great personality and beauty. Pancakes are something interesting and different. Indian stars are gorgeous, a little smaller than the Burmese, but not generally as outgoing.

 

[Karen(pebbles)]

welcome to the forum

 

[Tom]

Thank you so much for your information. I have read the information that you provided and was wondering if you could recommend a place to buy a tortoise enclosure. I haven't found a single website that meets the specifications of 4'x8'. In fact, many of them are much smaller. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The best place to get them is from @Markw84 He makes them himself and they are the perfect tortoise life support system. They are cheaper than buying all the materials and building it yourself.

I have also bought from Animal Plastics, but the wait time can be 9 months or more, and then you have to buy install all the lights, timers, thermostats, UV tube, CHEs and fixtures yourself.

 

[biochemnerd808]

Hello and welcome.

I am so glad that you asked all of this BEFORE buying! Read that thread from SinLA and feel free to ask more questions.

Your questions:
1. I don't know anything about the shows in Ohio. We have big shows here with a handful of people that know what they are doing, and many who are re-selling something produced by someone else, and they have little idea about proper care or housing. Personally, I think you'd be better off buying from a breeder that produces their own. We have several here. Tortoisesupply.com is one. Also check with @biochemnerd808 . I know there are others here too that don't come to mind.

2. THIS is the million dollar question that most people never ask, and you hit it right on the head in your first post! Good job. Any species can work anywhere with enough time effort and money thrown into it, but why not choose a species that easily works well in your climate and situation? With your cold winters, you will want a species that stays small. Some people prefer tropical species that stay up all winter, and some people prefer temperate species that brumate during the frozen winter, but smaller tortoises are easier to bring indoors during inclement weather in either case.

With all that in mind, Russians are a great choice. As are most of the greeks and hermanni. If you like tropical species that will be a year round pet and not need to brumate, you can't beat the Burmese stars for great personality and beauty. Pancakes are something interesting and different. Indian stars are gorgeous, a little smaller than the Burmese, but not generally as outgoing.

Thank you for tagging mr, @Tom. @MKoz I LOVE that you are doing research first.

If you get a baby tortoise, initially you will be OK with a smaller habitat. A 55gal sterilite bin ($30 ish at Target or Home Depot) works well, with holes cut for the cables etc. - then after the first year or when the tortoise is over 4", move up to a larger size. My 1 year olds are in an outside 8ft x 3ft habitat and then move up to 10ft x 5ft and finally, 10ft x 10ft - this is outside. Indoors, a tortoise table of 4ft x 8ft can be built from plywood and boards and a pond liner. plus proper lighting.

As Tom mentioned, I have baby Russian tortoises. They range from a month old to 2 days old, with more eggs hatching next week. I don't sell them until they reach 100g though, so most likely next Spring. We live in AR, so you could either pick up or I can ship overnight... but I understand if you don't want to wait that long. I don't make a listing of my babies until they are big enough, but I do have a wait list that is slowly growing. I let folks choose their specific baby about a month before they ship out. There are a lot of sellers out there who sell itty bitty babies. I aim to set myself apart by offering well started ones.

I have several breeder friends who have babies available now, ready to ship in about 2 months. I can put you in touch with them if you don't want to wait til Spring.