I know there are lots of "which tortoise should I get?" threads and FAQs, and I've read a lot of those but still can't figure it out.
A couple months ago, I found a young 4-5" sulcata on my driveway and ended up buying lots of things (large plastic container, 2 lamps, halogen and MV bulbs, thermometers...) to take care of it. A couple weeks later, someone claimed it, which is fine because I don't think I was ready for a sulcata at that time. Now I think I'm ready for the right tortoise. The 3 types I'm debating are the sulcata (I'm more prepared now), leopard (like the sulcata, but smaller and more manageable), and Russian (can keep indoors full time).
The main reason I like the sulcata is because when young, it's small enough to keep indoors, but in several years when I have a house with a large backyard, it can roam freely and openly. The leopard tortoise is similar, but I feel its smaller size will buy me a little more time. It'll also eat less and be less expensive and to keep.
The Russian is tempting simply because I can potentially keep it indoors forever. I also love that it can be kept mostly near room temp with only 1 lamp to provide a hot basking site. However, I don't really like the way the Russian torts look. The babies are cute, but I think the adults are very plain looking. Based on appearance alone, I like the leopards the most.
Initial cost isn't a huge issue, but I know the difference in longterm cost between a large and a small species will be big. But I think space is a more important consideration. At what size (inches and years) is it OK to take a Russian outdoors fulltime, provided it has protection against predators? I live in Los Angeles, CA. I know that's great for leopards and sulcatas, but how is it for Russians?
A couple months ago, I found a young 4-5" sulcata on my driveway and ended up buying lots of things (large plastic container, 2 lamps, halogen and MV bulbs, thermometers...) to take care of it. A couple weeks later, someone claimed it, which is fine because I don't think I was ready for a sulcata at that time. Now I think I'm ready for the right tortoise. The 3 types I'm debating are the sulcata (I'm more prepared now), leopard (like the sulcata, but smaller and more manageable), and Russian (can keep indoors full time).
The main reason I like the sulcata is because when young, it's small enough to keep indoors, but in several years when I have a house with a large backyard, it can roam freely and openly. The leopard tortoise is similar, but I feel its smaller size will buy me a little more time. It'll also eat less and be less expensive and to keep.
The Russian is tempting simply because I can potentially keep it indoors forever. I also love that it can be kept mostly near room temp with only 1 lamp to provide a hot basking site. However, I don't really like the way the Russian torts look. The babies are cute, but I think the adults are very plain looking. Based on appearance alone, I like the leopards the most.
Initial cost isn't a huge issue, but I know the difference in longterm cost between a large and a small species will be big. But I think space is a more important consideration. At what size (inches and years) is it OK to take a Russian outdoors fulltime, provided it has protection against predators? I live in Los Angeles, CA. I know that's great for leopards and sulcatas, but how is it for Russians?