Looking to buy my first tortoises! (Orlando, FL)

SarahNelson

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Orlando, FL
I'm 30 years old, and my parents bought the house my mom still lives in when I was one. When we first moved in, there was one male gopher tortoise in the backyard. Now, there's the one male, another female who's been there around 20 years now, a young adult, and a yearling. I have always loved watching them. I'm thinking of getting around three Indian Stars. Maybe haha. I keep changing my mind. Or I may get a few different species. Any advice on a good "starter" tortoise would be greatly appreciated!
 

ZEROPILOT

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South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
Hello and welcome.
Redfoot do well in Florida. And they are relatively easy to care for when kept outdoors. (Adults)
You can usually keep one Male with at least 2-3 females (or more) if you have a large area to dedicate to them.
 

jsheffield

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Hello and welcome.
Redfoot do well in Florida. And they are relatively easy to care for when kept outdoors. (Adults)
You can usually keep one Male with at least 2-3 females (or more) if you have a large area to dedicate to them.

What are the inside space requirements for a creep of 3-4 redfoots?

Would 50sf make it for their cold weather internment?

Jamie
 

ZEROPILOT

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3 to 4 I'd use about 2 to 300 s.f.
My enclosure can be easily expended to 340ish. (Its smaller right now.)
If you have a yard. Just make it as large as you can.
For cold nights it can be MUCH smaller. They wont be moving around much. But I'd say that 50sf might work for juveniles. Itd be a little small for adults.
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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Good luck with your search!
You’ll find what your looking for and you’ll be very happy .
IMG_1903.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

If you plan on getting different species, keep in mind that species should not be mixed. . . especially if they originally came from different continents.

A good starter tortoise would be a Russian. He will be able to live outside year round in Florida, and won't need any additional heat on those cooler nights. Get a Russian, learn how to care for him, gain some experience, THEN think about getting a more expensive model.
 

Pastel Tortie

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I'm 30 years old, and my parents bought the house my mom still lives in when I was one. When we first moved in, there was one male gopher tortoise in the backyard. Now, there's the one male, another female who's been there around 20 years now, a young adult, and a yearling. I have always loved watching them. I'm thinking of getting around three Indian Stars. Maybe haha. I keep changing my mind. Or I may get a few different species. Any advice on a good "starter" tortoise would be greatly appreciated!
Hello Sarah! I'm in North Florida. Welcome to the Forum!
 

Pastel Tortie

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Whatever tortoise you decide on, just make sure the "resident" gopher tortoises will not be disturbed. Check with the FWC if there's any question.
 
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