Nine yo little daughter earned straight A's to get a tortoise.

[Blondie]

We love in Dallas-FtWorth area. Do we buy a female or male?
Russian or Egyptian? What is the best kind to start with.? My daughter thinks her tortoise will run to her when she calls the tortoise! Will she grow bored with it quickly?
We do not know what to expect and need some guidance, please.
Thank you all! Blondie

 

[dmmj]

First of all, Salutations.
ortoises are not dogs obviously, they can be affectionate, but not like most mammals. I would go with a russian, hardy, good first time animal.

 

[FLINTUS]

Definitely not an Egyptian, one of the hardest species of tortoises to keep. Russians are decent starters, but I would go with a Hermann's or a Greek for a young kid, as they are generally more calm and docile-but not to the extent of cuddling like rabbits or anything. A few tortoises eventually will come to you when you call their name, but this is not because of their name, it is because they associate you, and your voice, with food. This may take many years, and in fact, may never happen. The tortoise will be with her for her whole life, so it is a big decision. I suggest you research the care of the following three species in addition to Russians:
Hermann's
Greeks
Red Foots-these are larger, more tropical tortoises, but are one of the calmest species, and also one of the most intelligent-which means that they might start to recognize you.

Russians are relatively easy-just don't overfeed with them, they only eat for a few months a year in the wild, and in captivity they are often grown too fast- but slightly aggressive, so just bear that in mind.

 

[becky_tortoise]

Russian tortoise are the best !!!!!

 

[ascott]

You can teach the tort to come running by food reward...clear and simple...so while the tort may not "actually" come when called....you can create a positive routine (one that the tort always comes out of the deal with a treat=positive) which will in turn create what "looks" like the tort is coming to see the person---and add a few human emotional comments and wala....you have a tort that comes when called

 

[ascott]

but are one of the calmest species, and also one of the most intelligent-which means that they might start to recognize you.

have to politely (well, as politely as can be that is) disagree....I have some CDTs here that are pretty darn smart....I would say they would EASILY give the Redfoot a run for their money.....each species has its own "strong" point...(the goal, in my opinion, is for you to determine space, time, location in the world you are in in relation to needs of a specific species and then do your homework to determine which will be best according then to how much time your daughter and the adults want to invest in the care of the tort you all select)

 

[FLINTUS]

have to politely (well, as politely as can be that is) disagree....I have some CDTs here that are pretty darn smart....I would say they would EASILY give the Redfoot a run for their money.....each species has its own "strong" point...(the goal, in my opinion, is for you to determine space, time, location in the world you are in in relation to needs of a specific species and then do your homework to determine which will be best according then to how much time your daughter and the adults want to invest in the care of the tort you all select)

That's why I said ONE of the most.

 

[JoesMum]

Male or female: Unless you buy a mature tort you won't know its gender. They all look female for the first few years.

This tort will live easily for 50 years. Ours was bought 44 years ago as a 7th birthday present for my husband. We have no reason to believe he won't live another 44 years.


They are easily stressed by change. They are not good at travelling. You will need to think around how you will care for it when you are on vacation and when your daughter goes to college and so on. Unlike dogs and cats you cannot simply take a tort to kennels when you are not around.

 

[želva]

We have tetsudo hermanni hercegovinensis i believe, and they are very docile.
I believe we got tetsudo hermanni hermanni for our niece last year, and she take great care for her, of course we talked with her parent's that if she doesn't take care for her properly we will take her, but a year later she's doing a fine job and she actually like it more and more.
I think she was 9 year old too when she got it.

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and welcome! Having tortoise will be a long term commitment and I'm not talking 10-15 years. Do you like tortoise yourself? Because one day when your little girl are go to collage and may not be taking the torts with her, guess who will end up with the responsibility? Please think it through. All though have tortoise as pet are lots fun.

 

[pam]

Russians are awesome

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Blondie, and welcome to the Forum!

 

[Tom]

We love in Dallas-FtWorth area. Do we buy a female or male?
Russian or Egyptian? What is the best kind to start with.? My daughter thinks her tortoise will run to her when she calls the tortoise! Will she grow bored with it quickly?
We do not know what to expect and need some guidance, please.
Thank you all! Blondie

Generally males are more outgoing and adventurous, but there are exceptions both ways.

Russian.

Russian, or hermanni.

No way for us to predict how quickly your child will or won't become bored with her new animal, so you better pick one that YOU like since you might end up taking care of it for the next few decades.

Here is a care sheet for russians:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

And another thread with what NOT to do:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[CourtneyG]

Hi and welcome, just browse around the forum and read care sheets that are provided to help figure things out.


In my humble opinion PANCAKES RULE!!!!

 

[tortoise5643]

I live in the dfw area and am looking to sell a small male Russian tortoise.

 

[turtledan77]

I think a Russian would be a perfect first tortoise.

 

[michelle.platt]

If I were you I would wait until September when the Reptile Breeders Conference http://narbc.com/Arlington/arlington.html comes to Dallas. Then you can talk to many breeders and decide what is the right choice for your family. I have 3 children and they love our russian torts, but our friends here are right they are not cuddly. They do come waddling for fresh lettuce though. And kids of all ages are fascinated with them. I feel they are the ideal pet. Once you have the right environment set they are quite and easy to care for. Russians also remain small in size which makes them easy to transport and care for. For now you could have your daughter read up on the different species and tell you what is the best fit. It is a nice stalling tactic and it helps her own the decision.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

My grandchildren prefer the hermann's to the Russians. They think she's prettier.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello blondie welcome to the TFO from AZ. So your thinking about Russions
Or are you thinking about Hermanni
Or are you thinking about Greeksor this is a AZ DT
And I have Pancakes and Egyptions
So if you have questions please ask


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