I've not got one yet... 1=my mom is buying one that's the perfect sizeHow much space do you have?
Have you looked into the care requirements?
What are you plans for the future?
Who will care for your tort while you are on holiday?
They can live for 50 years or more and don’t travel well. Even the smallest needs a minimum floor area of 4’x8’ (1.5x2.2 metres)
Will you have a garden in a few years time for an outdoor enclosure when a baby grows up?
Testudo (Russians, Greeks, Hermann’s) are one of the easiest starter torts. There is considerably more to their care than having a heat lamp and buying lettuce though.
I recommend you read these TFO care guides to give you an idea what’s involved. Tortoise keeping isn’t cheap, but if you consult us before you buy anything we can help save you money.
They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.
Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Baby Russian Tortoise Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/
Russian Tortoise Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Okay I will be sure not to let it down the river the only problem is I have a cat so that's 10 times worse [emoji26]Just to say that taking it down to the river to roam is a recipe for disaster. Torts need a secure enclosure. They are healthiest and happiest will all 4 feet on the ground in an area they know to be secure.
Your small garden is probably OK, but you will need a means of preventing escape, an enclosure out there, when the time comes for outside time. Even a big 7lb, 10 inch tort like mine can be near impossible to find in the garden. They blend in with the background especially when they dig in. They are surprisingly fast too... you only have to be distracted for a moment and you have a lost tortoise
Make sure the outdoor enclosure is covered... Chicken wire will prevent your cat from pooping in the tort enclosure and keep other crittters out while stopping your tort climbing at the same time.Okay I will be sure not to let it down the river the only problem is I have a cat so that's 10 times worse [emoji26]
Thank youMake sure the outdoor enclosure is covered... Chicken wire will prevent your cat from pooping in the tort enclosure and keep other crittters out while stopping your tort climbing at the same time.
You don't expect torts to be able to climb, but they can and they do. Russians are particularly good climbers, but my Greek wasn't bad either.
Anyways, outdoor time is for when a tort is older. As you are in the UK, you are more likely to start with a baby. Read those threads I linked to in my first post... and if there are others in your household that need to understand ask them to read those threads too.