New to site and to Tortoises

[BlueToad]

Hey all,

I am new here as I am sure you have read, lol. I have found this new infatuation with tortoises, especially Giant ones. I am learning the last two nights, pretty much for the first time on them. I have always thought they were cool, but surely not as pets unless you were very specially set up for them... something like a refuse or zoo. I have come to find out you can have them as pets, but as I see there is a lot to learn. Yesterday I did not even know how to feed them, lol.

I am here with all the newbie questions, and looking in every direction for help on obtaining one or two for myself. I am learning though, right now, I may not be the ideal candidate for an owner. I travel alot... about 275 days/year. I have been looking for a companion that is unique... because I am unique. I just kep running into the same problem.... motel rooms, but I can take'em with me to work and I work outside 10 - 14 hours a day. My current cicumstances are like this, I am a HUGE animal lover, I live in motel rooms and work many hours, but it's outdoors right now in the woods. I would like an animal I can keep in my motel room some days and one I can bring with me, which can ride in the truck some time for long hours. I can pretty much rule out a dog because they aren't really approimate for my work and there would be times where I may not be able to bring it to work with me and so that means it would be stuck in a motelroom for hours, plus it would bark... I thought there was no animal, besides a fish, that I could have so I haven't just gone out and got one. I have always thought it would be great to own a turtle and as I am discovering it may be possible, but maybe not, I am new to this. I hope this is understandable.

So what I am here for is info from people with experience. I would prefer a giant tortoise or at least one of great size. As for the money of taking care of one ( vet bills, food, housing turtle table and such ) will not be a problem. The problem is will I am able to leave him unattended maybe for hours on some days? I would prefer to leave him here more often then not, but I do understand that this could be morally wrong, especially for a dog thus the reason I do not own one. If my current lifestyle is not good for a turtle then when circumstances change I would consider one.

I know there is more left out, but I feel for a first impression I have said more then enough, I just want you to know where I am coming from. Please help a fellow turtle enthusiast out.

 

[Rees2]

Welcome to tortoise forum.org BlueToad.You can leave your tortoise home for a little while (not sure how long) i'm not sure the car rides would be a good idea though.

 

[BlueToad]

Welcome to tortoise forum.org BlueToad.You can leave your tortoise home for a little while (not sure how long) i'm not sure the car rides would be a good idea though.

Thank you I look foward to many conversations, and much help, LOL!

 

[Jacqui]

Hi and welcome to both the site and to tortoise keeping.

Many folks take their torts with them in campers. I myself have tried a couple out traveling with my husband in his semi truck. Like everything living, each case has to be looked at individually.

I tried an Erosa Hingeback, which did very poorly with traveling. Of course this is also a very shy animal species, so this really didn't surprise me.

I tried a Bells hingeback hatchling...well it's like two years old. Charm has done wonderfully. She eats, is active, has nice stools ect..,

We also brought back from CA in the truck several turtles and tortoises. They spent about 4 days traveling. They all did well...especially it seems the hatchlings.

I am thinking maybe if this animal is a captive born or atleast long term cptive and outgoing in personality, it will work ok.

Sounds like with your job, it would be even better. My animal subjects had almost daily truck rides of atleast 8 to 10 hours per day. Your would have more still (no vibration) quiet time.

One thing you will have to watch carefully with traveling is the temp fluctuations common in cars/trucks. Also you will need to get him some time in sunshine...or carry UV lighting with you.

I want to try a Russian, as I think they would be the most ideal of the torts to bring. The big ones seem most common with campers, but with having to leave the animal in motel rooms, you need a mobil cage...such as the biggest plastic rubbermaid like container possible. He could travel in something smaller, but not stay in it all day long. To me, this would eliminate the larger torts.

I also bring my own water supply. It's a carry over from dog show days, when it was common to do so because of the variances in each locality's water supply. People found strange water could cause diagestive system problems. Not sure if it would be the same on torts, but why add in any more possible factors to end up in failure?

Keeping a tort in this way would not be ideal. I think with thought, effort, and extra work it can be workable however...and the right animal.

 

[BlueToad]

Thanks Jacqui,

I am going to study a few more torts tonight. My ideal tortoise is a giant one, bigger the better. If I have t settle with a small one I may wait until a later date. I would like one that's like 4 foot and 500lbs

 

[Josh]

bluetoad, a tortoise that large will be impossible to cart around. he'd just do whatever he wanted and there'd be no stopping him

 

[BlueToad]

bluetoad, a tortoise that large will be impossible to cart around. he'd just do whatever he wanted and there'd be no stopping him

Please Josh, I have seen many of your posts, tell me where is a good place to start looking for a giant tortoise that would fit my situation. Types, adoption agencies

I would appreciate your advise far more then you'd believe.

 

[Vegas Chad]

Well; leme tell ya… Giant tortes are no ‘road’ pet. You might be able to get away with a small spur thigh tort; they are hardy and widely available. However a life on the road is something that I would not consider to be a good life for an animal which needs a large area to roam around, eat lots of grass in a temperature and sun regulated environment. I would say that this tort is the only ‘giant’ tort that you should try something like this with. If you are able to care for him VERY well on the road and on the move it might do ok… And I emphasize the MIGHT… DO NOT get a giant tort off the bat… That WILL NOT be ok getting moved from hotel room to hotel room… Make a tort table that will fit in the back seat and that you can move into the hotel… Feed it well and use the correct lights… Other than that… Good luck! You will need it… I don’t mean that in a mean way, just wishing you the best…
As for where to get one… Check out KingSnake… A guy named Woody usually has nice yearlings for sale.

 

[zeezombiedoll]

welcome

 

[Crazy1]

BlueToad,
Where are you located?
One of the owners of a 126 lb sulcata takes him to tort shows. I asked him how he moves him and he said he does so in his pickup but it takes several guys to put him in and a garden cart to move him about when he is not in the truck. He is placed in a temp. yard of wood (large boards) and moves it around like nothing, when he wants. He also said when he returns home he just sleeps for a day or so. These are relatively shy animals. So I would think long and hard about a very large tort. Aldebras can get over 250 lbs but I understand some people even use warehouses to house these large gentle giants in as they need lots of space. Sulcata or Leopard torts are somewhat large (150 lbs and 40-80lbs).

And I know you have probably heard of peoples torts following them around like puppies. This is indeed on a individual basis. Not all torts follow their owners and if a large one wants to go left and you want it to go right, well that could be a problem. No Torts don’t bark but they do bump walls and grunt loudly.

I do not mean to discourage you, however you did state this is a new infatuation for you. Give yourself time. Study. As an adult I spent over a year studying tortoises (and sometimes I think I should have studied longer) before I got my first one, and I had DT and turts as a kid. And I am still learning about them every day. They take time and care and I am sure you want to do the very best for the tort. So my advice is study up on torts. Take your time. This should be a lifetime commitment for you. It would be for your tort as they may well outlive you. Oh, yes and who will care for it when you are gone? Many, many things to consider.
Study, Don't rush, Think, Learn, then Commit.