new to tortoises

[Revanth]

Hey guys,

I am a complete noob. . .would love to get started with my own tortoise, been an aquarist for a long time ad would love to see some land creatures at home. ..and the perfect pet I thought would be a nice tortoise.

Fell in love with one of my frnds' tortoises. . So wanted one of my own. . .

Can anyone suggest a breed which will remain on the smaller end and indoors?

I live in portland oregon, so would keep him indoors all the time,
Can anyone suggest wht type of equipment I need and if you are from portland, can you suggest whr to get a tortoise frm as well?

Thanks a ton in advance.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Revanth:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name?

 

[Revanth]

Its Revanth. . .

 

[african cake queen]

hi, welcome to tfo. lots to read here .

 

[The Adjustor]

Hello, for a smaller tort I would recommend a Testudo species. Greeks, russians, hermans. They all stay pretty small and can be reasonably kept indoors year round (although some outside time in the summer never hurts )

 

[reneereichert]

Welcome, I vote Greek : ))

 

[Revanth]

Hmm. . .greeks? What level of care goes into them? I saw a red foot tort I think, and loved him. . .does he grow too big? I am looking for something that stay between 6 to 10 inches. . .

Also, help on equipment wil be great!!!

Revanth.

 

[The Adjustor]

Redfoots definitely have the potential to get big. Far too big to be kept inside all year in my opinion (and they don't hybernate so you can't keep them outside in Oregon). Their husbandry requirements also require a little more thought and effort compared to a greek. They need very high humidity and are omnivorous whereas greeks are strictly herbivores and eat only plant matter. All things considered Greeks are going to be MUCH better considering your circumstances.

---

And for equipment... A "tortoise table" type enclosure is going to be preferable to a tank. If you don't know what that is just do a quick google search and you'll see. You will need a good source of UVB. You can use a UVB flourescent tube light for this. Make sure it's one that produces UVB, some do not. You will also need a basking bulb to create a heat gradient. You can also use a Mercury Vapor Bulb which produces heat and UVB all in one bulb. They can get a little pricey though.

Once piece of equipment that I would definitely recommend you get is a digital thermometer with a probe for getting accurate temperature readings. Analog thermometers and hygrometers are notoriously inaccurate. You don't want to guess at your temps and risk burning your tort or not providing enough heat for him to be healthy.

This is a great site for supplies for reptiles. Their prices are usually cheaper than petsmart/petco. http://reptilesupply.com/

 

[Revanth]

Hmm. . .ok. .that sounds good . .so are all greeks hermanns and russians good for indoor keeping? I live in an apartment, so leaving the little guy outdoors is not an option. . And it rains for most part of the year anyway. . .

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome.

 

[The Adjustor]

Yes, those species are all commonly kept indoors, and are for the most part the most commonly kept Testudos. Some of the other Testudo species can get a little bigger and might be pushing it on the indoor keeping.

 

[jackrat]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Turtle Guru]

welcome ot the forum

 

[pdrobber]

welcome

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Austin has given you good advice.

One thing that I would add is that ALL species benefit from sunshine. It is possible to keep them alive indoors all the time, but outside time in the sunshine is really good for them. It is not difficult or expensive to make a small kiddie pool enclosure on a balcony or something similar so your tort can get some sun in the warmer months.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum...

 

[AnthonyC]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Revanth]

Thanks guys. .

 

[laramie]

Hello and nice to meet you. Welcome to the forum

 

[Yash Raj]

Welcome.