My own personal debate~

[Vishnu2]

This is not a simple decision.

I am trying to decide which tortoise to get:

A Male Leopard tortoise around 8 inches. Reasonably priced. OR
A Male Star tortoise who is 6 inches. Reasonable priced.

My dilemma is this, which do you think would do better in Colorado weather? In the summers it would be totally outside. In the winters either a warm house outside OR an entire room by itself.

I know some of you are not fans of African tortoises located in colder climates. But, I think we (my spouse) can make it work. If I didn't I wouldn't be asking.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Tom]

I'd go with the leopard.

 

[leigti]

I would look at the care sheets in the species specific section for each one and decide which will be easier to make happen in your location. I don't know enough about either one to tell you. I know Colorado weather though.

 

[Vishnu2]

Tom,
I actually have a question for you since you have Leopards. Do you keep them in enclosures outside OR do you let them roam free in your back yard? I thought about your 100x100 and can totally do it. But, should I consider just letting him roam free outside? At what size or age or both do you stop using a closed chamber?

 

[Tom]

They should always be in an enclosure that is tortoise safe. If a person were to make the entire backyard tortoise safe, then they could "roam free" in that yard. They should never be roaming free in an open area. They will be "lost" before you know it that way. I speak from experience...

As long as they are growing, extremely low humidity is bad. So the answer to your question will depend on where you live. If its dry, then I would continue using a large closed chamber as long as you can. I would also add some humidity to the heated night box for overnight seeping. If you lived in FL or somewhere humid, I would skip those steps.

 

[Vishnu2]

They should always be in an enclosure that is tortoise safe. If a person were to make the entire backyard tortoise safe, then they could "roam free" in that yard. They should never be roaming free in an open area. They will be "lost" before you know it that way. I speak from experience...

As long as they are growing, extremely low humidity is bad. So the answer to your question will depend on where you live. If its dry, then I would continue using a large closed chamber as long as you can. I would also add some humidity to the heated night box for overnight seeping. If you lived in FL or somewhere humid, I would skip those steps.

Thank you!!

 

[tortadise]

Well the leopard will get bigger than the elegans. Elegans like it rather arid but love a seasonal monsoon. I know Colorado can get quite dry so it would be easy to maintain adding humidity in non inside environment. Male elegans stay much smaller than females. Even male leopards can get quite large. I've got a 20 year old babcocki male that's 13" and he require a bit of room when inside during the winter. Leopards will graze a bit more than stars too. Both are great species to work with. So just roll the dice and take whichever.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

What did you decide on, Vishnu2 ?