New with a few questions

TortoiseStarter

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I'm new here I live California in a little town called Arvin close to Los Angeles I'm sixteen years old. I want to know some tips how to build a cheap but a great home for my tortoises.I also wanted to know if you can have two different tortoise species living together like a leopard tortoise and a sculta
 

JoesMum

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First rule... Don't mix species. Each species has different care and diet requirements and what suits one is likely to make the other sick. They also tolerate different pathogens ... So again one could make the other very sick by carrying germs.

Torts are not social they don't get lonely and don't need or want company. They are solitary, roaming for miles meeting up to mate and then moving on. They don't do well kept as pairs and bullying, both mental physical, is common.

Both sulcatas and leopards grow quickly into very big animals. Your baby will grow rapidly into something that needs a huge amount of outdoor space.

Only ever keep as many tortoises as you have room for separately. You have to assume they won't get on.

As you're only 16, I must also mention college and parents. They're not very portable and not allowed in !ost college accommodation, so you need to be sure that there is someone to care for your tort year round. You need to be sure there are arrangements for vacations when you take them too.

We have excellent guides to care and accommodation written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Read these and ask lots of questions

Beginner Mistakes
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How to raise a healthy Sulcata or Leopard Tort
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

For those who have a young Sulcata (or Leopard Tort)
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

And, in case you decide a smaller species is better for you. The Testudo (Russians, Greeks, Hermann's) are a good beginner species. Thry still need lots of space even kept indoors - a minimum of 4'x8'

Care of Russians (applies to all Testudo)
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
 

Yvonne G

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Hi, and Welcome!

One thing to keep in mind when planning an indoor enclosure: Tortoises wander great distances in search of food. They are hard wired to do this. So any enclosure you build/buy MUST be large. I'm talking about the foot print, or the floor space, not how tall the sides are. Large plastic bins are advertised as "60 gallon or 36 gallon", etc. this measurement includes VOLUME, or the total amount it will hold all the way up the sides. You don't care about volume. You want your tortoise to have a lot of walking room

Another thing to think about is having your tortoise outside during good weather. An indoor enclosure (In my opinion) should only be for winters or cool weather. It's much easier to give them the walking space they need outdoors. And when I say walking space, it brings to mind to remind you that tortoises need exercise to help their inner workings keep working (a less than scientific way of telling you it aids in digestion).
 

TortoiseStarter

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Where I live the weather is pretty good for tortoises i assume. highest is like 113 during the summer. average is like 75 to 80 and lowest is like 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter . As for college I planning on going and my brother will be able to take care of my tortoise or tortoises. as for a home I was thinking a large concrete mixing tub with half in the sun and half under a tree and are grape leaves a good food for them I live close to a lot of vineyards and I'm sure the companies won't mind if I grab grape leaves
 

JoesMum

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Read those threads. A baby has specific humidity and temperature needs.

They all need a LARGE floor area.

Those threads indicate where a concrete mixing tub is, at best, a short term measure.

Better to get set up properly from the off. Keeping torts isn’t easy or cheap unfortunately. You need to plan ahead to avoid spending money on the unnecessary and the short lived.

Those threads will explain all :)
 

TortoiseStarter

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Where would be a good website to buy tortoises from. I was thinking tortoise town
And If the concrete mixing tub won't do it I'll use timber wood and nail the pieces of wood together to make a nice long and wide home with some plants for my tortoise
 

JoesMum

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Where would be a good website to buy tortoises from. I was thinking tortoise town
And If the concrete mixing tub won't do it I'll use timber wood and nail the pieces of wood together to make a nice long and wide home with some plants for my tortoise

What species are you looking to buy?

Many of our members sell tortoises.

@Tom for example who wrote those care sheets

And @HermanniChris is good for Testudo
 

Tom

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Where would be a good website to buy tortoises from. I was thinking tortoise town
And If the concrete mixing tub won't do it I'll use timber wood and nail the pieces of wood together to make a nice long and wide home with some plants for my tortoise

Do a search here and see what other people have had to say about Tortoise Town. I would never buy one from there.

Read this before you buy:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/

By contrast, this is how they should be started:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-incubate-eggs-and-start-hatchlings.124266/

To avoid the terrible heartache of watching your beloved little tortoise die, read and understand those threads. Ask the right questions. Don't buy from anyone that doesn't know the answers and give you the wrong answers.
 

teresaf

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Where would be a good website to buy tortoises from. I was thinking tortoise town
And If the concrete mixing tub won't do it I'll use timber wood and nail the pieces of wood together to make a nice long and wide home with some plants for my tortoise
I don't recommend tortoise town. My niece got a dry started baby from them. It died. There are many breeders here on this forum that start their babies off hot and humid. There's a for sale thread on this forum. Remember pairs are not good. I wish somebody had told me that to begin with....I don't actually even recommend babies for a first-time tortoise. There are plenty of older tortoises for sale as well and they're less fragile.
 

Alaskamike

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When I was 12 I had a box turtle. He was with me for 7 years & then with my parents for another 10 before they moved and got a neighbor who knew what he was doing to take him in.

Was a great introduction to keeping turtles / tortoises.

Between a Leopard and a Sulcata I would heartily recommend a Leopard unless you live in an area where an outside large pen will be soon available. They don’t get as large as fast.

I would also recommend you get one from a seller recommended here on the forum. Get as old a one as you can afford that is well started & healthy. Babies can be delicate.

Many times we think that because they move slowly they don’t need much space. It’s not true. They need to roam around to get strong.

Good fortune to you. Hope it all works out. They are unique & interesting animals
 
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