Hello!
My name is Jessica and I live in North Dakota. My fiance and I have been talking about adding a tortoise to the family and I could really use some advice! Thanks to living in an apartment and living in North Dakota, a large species is out of the question and an outdoor enclosure isn't an option at this point...but we may be open to one in a few years once we own a house. We do plan on taking the tortoise outside when weather permits though, for some snacks and exploring time.
I just have some questions on selecting a breed, setup size, care, etc.
We are first time tortoise owners, but I do work in a pet store and have basic reptile knowledge and also care for the Russian tortoises in store as well as other reptilian species...so I'm not a COMPLETE tortoise noob, at least. I have also been doing lots of research on Testudo and Redfoot care (probably around 20 hours put in within the last week or so) and I've been lurking a bit on the forums around here.
We would be constructing a tortoise table no matter what breed we get, and I'd like it to be something fairly long term. I'd also like to get my tortoise fairly young, so I can experience raising it from a little one. I've read from many of you that hatchlings can be difficult to successfully raise...and honestly, I'd be nervous about keeping the very young ones I've seen on some sites. At what stage is it really out of the woods in that regard? I was thinking a tortoise somewhere between 4-9 months old would be nice. Not extremely young, but still a baby. What are thoughts from those of you who have raised hatchlings before? And can I keep a hatchling in too big of an enclosure...is there such a thing? If I could build an enclosure that is what it needs at full grown size or at least close to it so that I only need to upgrade once...that would be ideal. However, if a hatchling would be too insecure in such a large space, etc...obviously I just want whats best for him/her.
The breed I like most is the Redfoot. However, I have concerns about its adult size and the space it needs, as well as humidity. I've read that tortoises won't be adults until somewhere between 5-10 years, and that a adult redfoot needs a minimum of a 4'x8'. Hopefully within 5 years, my fiance and I will have a house and more space, but as of right now, the absolute largest we could do is about 3'x9', give or take a few inches. Would this work for an adult redfoot? I've also read that Cherryheads tend to be slightly smaller...would this be a better bet for us? Are the only differences the size and coloration?
As far as humidity goes, we were thinking a tortoise table with a wired top to allow airflow and keep out our cats. It would also have to be in our living room, which is where our AC unit is mounted into the wall. The table would be across the room from the unit, but would this pose an issue? We're open to manually misting but we've also talked about installing a rain sort-of system...something like this one. What are your thoughts on systems like these? Have they been used with the more tropical tortoises with success?
If it turns out a Redfoot is really something we can't manage, our other favorite is a Hermann's. What size table is recommended by members here for them? I've read a lot of conflicting opinions there.
Which breed do you prefer and why? I understand that tortoises don't necessarily have personality like a dog or cat does, but which is the most people-friendly/outgoing in your experience?
Also, what happens if we need to go out of town? Obviously for something like a week, we'd have someone stop in to care for them, but if we left for a weekend, if we fed them Friday before leaving and again Sunday when after coming back, would they be ok?
Other thoughts, tips, product recommendations, etc. are appreciated. Also, if anyone has links to reputable breeders for either variety (or has some they are willing to sell/ship), I'd greatly appreciate it! I look forward to learning from you all! Thanks!
My name is Jessica and I live in North Dakota. My fiance and I have been talking about adding a tortoise to the family and I could really use some advice! Thanks to living in an apartment and living in North Dakota, a large species is out of the question and an outdoor enclosure isn't an option at this point...but we may be open to one in a few years once we own a house. We do plan on taking the tortoise outside when weather permits though, for some snacks and exploring time.
I just have some questions on selecting a breed, setup size, care, etc.We are first time tortoise owners, but I do work in a pet store and have basic reptile knowledge and also care for the Russian tortoises in store as well as other reptilian species...so I'm not a COMPLETE tortoise noob, at least. I have also been doing lots of research on Testudo and Redfoot care (probably around 20 hours put in within the last week or so) and I've been lurking a bit on the forums around here.
We would be constructing a tortoise table no matter what breed we get, and I'd like it to be something fairly long term. I'd also like to get my tortoise fairly young, so I can experience raising it from a little one. I've read from many of you that hatchlings can be difficult to successfully raise...and honestly, I'd be nervous about keeping the very young ones I've seen on some sites. At what stage is it really out of the woods in that regard? I was thinking a tortoise somewhere between 4-9 months old would be nice. Not extremely young, but still a baby. What are thoughts from those of you who have raised hatchlings before? And can I keep a hatchling in too big of an enclosure...is there such a thing? If I could build an enclosure that is what it needs at full grown size or at least close to it so that I only need to upgrade once...that would be ideal. However, if a hatchling would be too insecure in such a large space, etc...obviously I just want whats best for him/her.
The breed I like most is the Redfoot. However, I have concerns about its adult size and the space it needs, as well as humidity. I've read that tortoises won't be adults until somewhere between 5-10 years, and that a adult redfoot needs a minimum of a 4'x8'. Hopefully within 5 years, my fiance and I will have a house and more space, but as of right now, the absolute largest we could do is about 3'x9', give or take a few inches. Would this work for an adult redfoot? I've also read that Cherryheads tend to be slightly smaller...would this be a better bet for us? Are the only differences the size and coloration?
As far as humidity goes, we were thinking a tortoise table with a wired top to allow airflow and keep out our cats. It would also have to be in our living room, which is where our AC unit is mounted into the wall. The table would be across the room from the unit, but would this pose an issue? We're open to manually misting but we've also talked about installing a rain sort-of system...something like this one. What are your thoughts on systems like these? Have they been used with the more tropical tortoises with success?
If it turns out a Redfoot is really something we can't manage, our other favorite is a Hermann's. What size table is recommended by members here for them? I've read a lot of conflicting opinions there.
Which breed do you prefer and why? I understand that tortoises don't necessarily have personality like a dog or cat does, but which is the most people-friendly/outgoing in your experience?
Also, what happens if we need to go out of town? Obviously for something like a week, we'd have someone stop in to care for them, but if we left for a weekend, if we fed them Friday before leaving and again Sunday when after coming back, would they be ok?
Other thoughts, tips, product recommendations, etc. are appreciated. Also, if anyone has links to reputable breeders for either variety (or has some they are willing to sell/ship), I'd greatly appreciate it! I look forward to learning from you all! Thanks!
