the new kid

[kimbim11]

Hey everyone. I'm Kim and i'm currently stationed in Minot AFB in North Dakota.
I know it gets really cold here but i'm really very interested in having a tortoise.
I know that i need to keep it indoors almost all year round that's why i'm thinking of
having small tortoise as a start (hermann's,greek and russian). Any tips on how to make
my future tortoise happy despite of the harsh weather here? And i would appreciate if anyone
could refer me to a local breeder in ND. Thanks !

 

[pguinpro]

Hey everyone. I'm Kim and i'm currently stationed in Minot AFB in North Dakota.
I know it gets really cold here but i'm really very interested in having a tortoise.
I know that i need to keep it indoors almost all year round that's why i'm thinking of
having small tortoise as a start (hermann's,greek and russian). Any tips on how to make
my future tortoise happy despite of the harsh weather here? And i would appreciate if anyone
could refer me to a local breeder in ND. Thanks !

I'd recommend getting stationed elsewhere possibly another unit in another state; what's comfortable for you is not for your tortoise. Good luck!

 

[TechnoCheese]

Welcome! It is definitely okay to have one of the tortoises you mentioned where you live, and you absolutely do not need to move to another state, lol.

You’re going to need a minimum enclosure size of 8x4 feet for any tortoise mentioned above, and you can even go bigger if you want to.

For starters, give these a read. Russian Care is generally the same as most testudos.
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

A bit of advice for you: Just because the species is small, doesn't mean it doesn't need a lot of room. Tortoises are hard wired to travel great distances looking for food. Keeping a tortoise in a small enclosure causes undue stress, constant digging at the corners, much pacing and trying to climb the walls. Also, their digestive systems are tied into their exercise. So, get your tortoise, but go for the largest container you can fit into your space.

 

[kimbim11]

I'd recommend getting stationed elsewhere possibly another unit in another state; what's comfortable for you is not for your tortoise. Good luck!

As much as I would love to get stationed in a better place, I couldn't. We can't choose where we get stationed, yes we can request for our preferred place but it is never a guarantee that they will send me there.

 

[kimbim11]

Welcome! It is definitely okay to have one of the tortoises you mentioned where you live, and you absolutely do not need to move to another state, lol.

You’re going to need a minimum enclosure size of 8x4 feet for any tortoise mentioned above, and you can even go bigger if you want to.

For starters, give these a read. Russian Care is generally the same as most testudos.
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

Hi, and welcome!

A bit of advice for you: Just because the species is small, doesn't mean it doesn't need a lot of room. Tortoises are hard wired to travel great distances looking for food. Keeping a tortoise in a small enclosure causes undue stress, constant digging at the corners, much pacing and trying to climb the walls. Also, their digestive systems are tied into their exercise. So, get your tortoise, but go for the largest container you can fit into your space.

Thank you TechnoCheese for the links, it gave me more knowledge about russians. I am also aware about the enclosure size, I am actually planning on getting a 2 br apartment so that I can build a big indoor enclosure for my little buddy and place it on one of my bedrooms.

 

[pguinpro]

As much as I would love to get stationed in a better place, I couldn't. We can't choose where we get stationed, yes we can request for our preferred place but it is never a guarantee that they will send me there.

When I got transferred I just told them I had problems with guys in my unit and they transferred me to another unit same mos. Lol

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome to the forum!