Low Maintenance

[RascalDesertTort]

Which species would you all say takes the least amount of maintenance?? Just the basic feed, water and occasional clean up? I have a friend that loves our little rascal and wants her own tort but she works 2 jobs and has kids and I would like to give her the best info I can on which would be best for her. She would need one that stays small b/c she has a small townhouse type yard. And if you think she just shouldn't have one in her situation thats fine too. Just let me know! Thanks!

 

[Shelly]

Which species would you all say takes the least amount of maintenance??

I do NOTHING for my DTs. I don't feed them, I don't water them, I don't "soak" them. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. I give them the occasional treat, that's it.
I could lock up my back yard, come back in 10 years and they would be fine.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

True - DTs seem to do best when neglected! Of course a DT isn't appropriate for a small yard. Maybe a Russian or Hermann's. They are very personable tortoises and I've had very little illness issues.

 

[tortoisenerd]

I think if the first thing a person looks for in a pet is easy to take care of and minimal time, then they don't have the time for a pet! Pets are meant for you to get enjoyment out of, meaning you spend a lot of time with them. So with tortoises, that means watching them more than cuddling or playing with them. I think the set-up part is the toughest, but something like a Russian, Greek, or Hermanns (whatever you could get captive bred in your area or have shipped, but NOT a hatchling) would be fine. Keep in mind that I would want to give a full grown tort of those species something along the line of at least 10 sq ft, if they were going to have to be kept indoors the majority of the time. They really do thrive when they can at least have some outdoor time (but I can't follow my own advice since I live in an apartment, lol). I think if you are willing to help with the set-up to get it done right, and a juvenile or older tort can be found, then maybe it could work. I don't see the point in getting a tort though if you only want to spend the time to do the bare minimum each day. Is she wanting something housed outdoors? How much space are we talking about that she could devote to making a secure and chemical free enclosure? Or, is she thinking of having it inside with some outdoor play time? I think torts in general are low maintenance once you get them set up correctly. If I did the bare minimum each day for my Russian it would be 5 minutes. But he gets a lot more than that, especially since my husband is home all day! Does she have any other pets like dogs that will have to be kept away from the tort? How old are the kids? Young kids sometimes don't understand that a tort is not a play thing.