smaller tort breeds?

[marcy4hope]

my louis is getting big and i know that this winter we are going to have to get him out of his current habitat and into something bigger. this is a current photo of him.

this is his habitat - but from when he was much smaller back in january/february.

this is the humidifier set up for his cage.

my question is this: next year, after we get louis all settled in something new, i'd like to get another tortoise, but not another sulcata. i realize that you can't keep different breeds together - so that is not something i would do. what i'm interested in is a breed of tortoise that will stay smaller, grow slower. is there a particular breed of tortoise that would thrive in the habitat i have pictured above? i can modify it as needed, but just wondering what breeds of tortoise are smaller that i wouldn't need to move to something bigger? or would i have to look at getting a turtle instead of a tortoise to get a smaller size?

i can eliminate the humidifier if not needed and of course i would replace the substrate before bringing a new tort into the environment and clean it totally. oh and yes - my tort will be able to go outside during the day when the weather is good. i'm in missouri - so we do have snow in the winter and cold, but hot in the summer and unfortunately dry this year.

thanks for any advice.

---

also - that's a 50-55 gallon tank.

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

Tortoises thrive outdoors, you can temporarily keep any tortoise in that setup, but it would really be best for any tortoise to have an outdoor enclosure.

 

[wellington]

A hermann or Greek even a Russian. However they will all need a larger enclosure at some point. The three listed though will last longer in the enclosure and none of them will get anywhere close to the size of a sulcata. They would all still need outside time when weather permits.

 

[Tom]

That size tank will not be big enough as a permanent home for any species of tortoise. As an adult even a 5" male Russian is going to need much more room than that. You could start a baby in there for a year or two maybe, but eventually all of them will need something bigger indoors, in addition to an outdoor set up.

Have you consider other species? That would be a fine size for a blue tongue skink, a single bearded dragon, any number of gecko species, or a corn or king snake.

 

[marcy4hope]

thanks. yes, tom, i have considered something else. we had a bearded dragon in that set up originally - that's why my husband carved out the lizards on the doors. he made the whole set up. but, the beardie died of old age. right now i'm just looking at my options. thanks.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

There are very small aquatic turtles that could live in there, but the only tortoise that might do OK in a 55 would be a Speckled Cape Padloper (fully grown, about 4" average), but now we're talking large amounts of $$$ for a very difficult-to-keep-alive pet...not a good choice, really.

Small aquatic turtles to consider would be the Asian Reeves and the American Spotted Turtles, both of which grow up to 5" but are often smaller, fully grown.

With that cool lizard theme, I'd consider the Sandfish (Scincus scincus), a skink that "swims" beneath sand, and leaps up into the air, from beneath said sand, to grab crickets and other live foods when fed...they're pretty cool, and not terribly expensive.

 

[LLLReptile]

See if you can get a male Golden Greek tortoise. Naturally, as others have suggested, during good weather it'd be ideal to house it outdoors at least part of the time.

However, male Greeks usually mature relatively tiny (compared to most species), especially the Golden Greeks. You could start with a young male, and raise it up. They do grow fairly slow, and hibernate part of the year as well.

As others have pointed out, there are numerous lizards that would thrive in that cage as well. If a vegetarian reptile is what you seek, consider one of the smaller Uromastyx species. I am personally very fond of the Molluccan Uromastyx - we've been getting them into the stores regularly as of late, and they are always super sweet and easy to care for. Most walk right up and eat out of our hands!
(edited to note: Uromastyx prefer it very dry, so the humidifier wouldn't be needed)

-Jen

 

[Jacqui]

I agree with most of the rest, no tortoise will be able to live in that size of an enclosure for much past a year or two. Add to the list of turtle options the mud and musk turtles.

 

[EKLC]

Not necessarily one that would fit that particular enclosure for long, but I'm starting to think of pancake tortoises as a good indoor tortoise. They are very happy climbing and hiding, so you more efficiently use an indoor enclosure because when you load it with rocks they will climb all over, pull daring maneuvers and spend a lot of time figuring out how to squeeze in the smallest spaces. Of course they need sunlight, but I feel less guilty on a rainy day with my pancake because he knows how to have fun inside.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Note: there are no tortoise breeds. Tortoises are wild animals that may be kept as pets.

 

[tortadise]

Speckled Padloper would go perfect in that enclosure sorry had to say it. I agree with the others, The species of torts to put in there are just going to outgrow it within a few years. Have you considered finding a species thats right for you, and what you really want, and raise him in this enclosure then while the wee one gets nestled in for a few years all the while your building a new enclosure and an outdoor paradise for him?

 

[Nixxy]

A tortoise in an aquarium is a general no no.

A sulcata is the third biggest tortoise there is. They get big. Not huge as a Aldabra or Galapagos, but big non the less.

Sulcatas and inside are kind of not a mix.

Honestly, if you are going to have your tortoise inside a good portion of the time (Make sure they still get out, though. They really need outdoor time daily.), you really should have a much smaller type.

Russians,Greeks, and Hermanns are good for "easy" to take care of and small torts. Egyptians are smaller, but from what I hear, a lot of care.

I have a Red Foot, whom is a smaller tort (Mine is under 10 inches still), but they have the potential to get bigger, and also require higher humidity.

As far as the idea of an aquatic? 10 gallons per inch of turtle. IE, 5 inch turtle gets at least 50 gallon tank.

With that in mind, aim at options of turtles that do not get bigger than 5 or so inches. The 10 gallon per inch is a minimum, and bigger is better.

 

[AustinASU]

Hey this would be a great addition, lols i know i've posted a lot about uro's lately but maybe this will catch your eye as it did mine.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Hey this would be a great addition, lols i know i've posted a lot about uro's lately but maybe this will catch your eye as it did mine.

The 1st, and particularily, the 2nd Uros pictured are REALLY beautiful.

All the one's I've been offered tend to be slate grey and/or reddish-brown...nothing like those!

 

[Nixxy]

Uros are amaaazing. So fun to watch, and so beautiful.

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

Something thats good for you I think would be a pancake tortoise. Extremely small babies and dont get big at all.