Pet Tortoise Suggestions

Nathan601047

New Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2017
Messages
2
Hey guys, this is Nate. I'm new to the forum and I'm looking for some advice. I'm in college right now living in the dorms. Sometime in the near future I'm looking to get a tortoise for the room. I had a Russian Tortoise when I was in high school but she didn't make it through her first hibernation. My dad was too cheap to let me get a heating pad or light, but she did fine over the summer. I'm looking to get another one, and I'd like it to be a smaller tortoise that can walk around my room and do turtle stuff. I can get access to kale and vegetables, what breed would you guys recommend?

Here's a pic of my old baby
 

Attachments

  • 20151204_144642.jpg
    20151204_144642.jpg
    1.3 MB · Views: 19

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Welp that's gay. Any tips tho? It's probably gonna happen once winter is over so I'm open for tips or advice
I gave the best tip. It's not fair for the tortoise.
If your not going to listen to proper advice, your torts not going to thrive.
But because I care more for the tort. The advice I will give is to read the care sheets under the Russian section. They are the tuffest smallest tort. Do not let him roam the floor, too many get hurt or die this way, plus it's not a proper place for a tort. Get the biggest enclosure possible. Minimum 4x8 for an adult. Even though they are small, in the wild they cover a lot of ground daily. Do not expect to keep him in a small aquarium like most people do or pet stores will try to sell you. Aquariums are only good for hatchlings.
That said, be kind to the tortoise and wait until you have a place of your own or are done with college. If you want a pet, there are some great lizards that don't need quite as much room as a tort does.
 

SarahChelonoidis

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Messages
1,895
Location (City and/or State)
Toronto, Canada
Totally in agreement with the advice you've been given. Tortoises aren't suitable for dorm living - even the smallest species needs a larger space than most dorms can manage and walking around the floor in a bedroom isn't safe. As you learned last time, the required supplies are expensive. If you can't afford the heat and lights and you don't have the space, it seems pretty reasonable to wait a few years until you are in a better position to care for a tortoise.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Hi Nate, and welcome to the Forum!

I know it wasn't what you wanted to hear, but actually it was good advice. Tortoises are wild animals - which means they haven't gone through years and years of human intervention to make them domesticated animals. As wild animals, they are still hardwired to wander over great distances, and being cooped up indoors in a small enclosure is very stressful. Also, being on the dorm room floor is quite the hazard. We've read story after story here on the forum where folks have originally told us their floor is clean and perfectly safe, only to tell us later of some horrible mishap the tortoise had undergone.

I'm sorry you didn't get the info you wanted, but we have the tortoise's best interest in mind.
 

Gillian M

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Messages
15,417
Location (City and/or State)
Jordan
Hello @Nathan601047 and a very warm welcome to the forum. :)

Torts normally live in the wild where they roam around as they please without borders. ;) Please keep this in mind.
 

New Posts

Top