- Joined
- Jul 6, 2012
- Messages
- 19
I'm new here, but I want to express my thoughts for the benefit of those contemplating taking care of a tortoise. These comments are based upon 18 years of experience with one specific chelonian, Ball, a Testudo ibera.
The following is based upon an impromptu reply I wrote to someone in the Introduction section of the forum wondering about what kind of tortoise to get. Regardless of whether you are thinking about getting a hatchling, as I did 18 years ago, or rescuing a tortoise, please read the following and think about it carefully.
First, get a reference that is comprehensive. I have Andy Highfields "Practical Encyclopedia of Keeping and Breeding Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles." It's no longer in print. Also I took the basic and advanced courses he offered back then. Difficult but very educational. My suggestion is to find something similar today since this is no longer available. But education, prior to acquisition of an animal is of paramount importance, in my opinion.
Each tortoise, genus and species, is different.
Tortoises evolved to fit their environments, and their environments differed significantly. Unlike us humans, they are not very adaptable. You can either take my word for this or learn it the hard way. And it will be hard, emotionally and financially.
Think of a tortoise as a key that fits a specific lock (the environment it evolved to fit). To the extent you are able to replicate that environment, it will thrive; if you do not, it will not do well and may die.
This is a serious and significant decision to be made before you decide which one to buy or care for, or whether after very careful consideration, you want to buy or care for one at all. In retrospect, I probably would not have done so, had I to do it over again knowing what I now know. But I might have as well; I'm on the fence on that question.
So if you really want to take care of a tortoise, you can learn a lot from this activity if you are willing to make the total commitment and effort and to expend the costs which may be involved. The first thing you should do, in my estimation, is to study the various options before selecting a particular tortoise to care for.
First, what is the ultimate size you can care for. A Geochelone suulcata, often sold in pet stores, can reach 32 inches and over 200 lbs. I've seen them at our herp vet's. The owners have dedicated a room of their homes to them, and they aren't particularly happy.
While I almost bought a sulcata from a local pet store 20 years ago, my wife made me do some research first. I got Highfield's book. I went on the internet. I eventually selected a "Greek tortoise" T. Graeca, which actually ended up being a T. ibera, which I prefer that will reach 2-3 lbs.
In the beginning, if you get a hatchling, as I did, weighing 18 grams, they may be OK in a large, indoor vivarium. Ultimately they will need a much larger, open indoor area in the Winter and a protected, screened large enclosure outdoors in the Summer, when temperatures permit. Below I have posted pictures of our areas so you can get a sense of what's involved. You cannot just use some fish-tank vivarium like in a zoo. These areas must be maintained, cleaned, and supported indoors with light that delivers UVB.
This is not like having a dog or a cat for a pet. To be successful, it takes a lot of reading, research, and daily care to create the environment that will work. And even then things will go awry and you will have to find a specialized vet who knows herps at least, and it will be expensive.
This is an indoor enclosure I designed and built. It's in our front room and is 5.5 feet wide and 4 feet long. There is a UVB heat light on the left side (replacements ~$40 a year), a hide cave on the right along with his "girl friend" resin tortoise and spray bottles to keep him moist, especially in Winter.
Indoor Enclosure by ChicagoJohn, on Flickr
Outside I built a 4 X 8 foot enclosure with mesh on the bottom and top and a hide box. This is shot from our 2nd story deck where we have water to spray him and the area down. In spite of this, a few years ago he broke out and we though we'd lost him, but a systematic search found him at the top of the hill this area is on dug into a hold in a corner of the foundation. The next night would have gone down to 40°F. Even so, we had a juvenile skunk dig in under it one time.... Some torts, like ours, are escape artists, hence the high walls on the indoor pen.
outdoor enclosure by ChicagoJohn, on Flickr
A few years ago, despite my taking two courses on chelonians and reading everything I could (I'm a scientist by occupation), he developed bladder stones which were incorrectly diagnosed by our local vet. Between her charges and those of the vet we eventually had to take him two hours away, we spent over $1000 on vet bills.
Recently, now we have this issue of growth of his rear scute and I'll let you know what that vet bill comes to. It will not be cheap.
My point is to let anyone reading this know that the decision to take in a chelonian as a "pet" is the wrong decision. You get them as a challenge; to your learning and intelligence, time, and funds. Ours has a cute and amazing little personality and comes running over to see us every time we walk by or when we call his name "Ball" when we're outside. And we can both say we have come to love him.
But think about it carefully and plan very carefully before you decide to care for a tortoise. We are now in our 60's, and Ball is 18; we'll ultimately have to find a home for him when we get too old to care for him.
Remember to thoroughly research the native environment of any tortoise you are considering and consider whether and to what extent you can reproduce it, consider the time it will take daily to care for it, the costs of vet bills if unexpected things happen, and above all, how big it will eventually get.
So that is my advice, folks; think about whether this sort of challenge and commitment is right for you.
Please let me know if you have questions.
The following is based upon an impromptu reply I wrote to someone in the Introduction section of the forum wondering about what kind of tortoise to get. Regardless of whether you are thinking about getting a hatchling, as I did 18 years ago, or rescuing a tortoise, please read the following and think about it carefully.
First, get a reference that is comprehensive. I have Andy Highfields "Practical Encyclopedia of Keeping and Breeding Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles." It's no longer in print. Also I took the basic and advanced courses he offered back then. Difficult but very educational. My suggestion is to find something similar today since this is no longer available. But education, prior to acquisition of an animal is of paramount importance, in my opinion.
Each tortoise, genus and species, is different.
Tortoises evolved to fit their environments, and their environments differed significantly. Unlike us humans, they are not very adaptable. You can either take my word for this or learn it the hard way. And it will be hard, emotionally and financially.
Think of a tortoise as a key that fits a specific lock (the environment it evolved to fit). To the extent you are able to replicate that environment, it will thrive; if you do not, it will not do well and may die.
This is a serious and significant decision to be made before you decide which one to buy or care for, or whether after very careful consideration, you want to buy or care for one at all. In retrospect, I probably would not have done so, had I to do it over again knowing what I now know. But I might have as well; I'm on the fence on that question.
So if you really want to take care of a tortoise, you can learn a lot from this activity if you are willing to make the total commitment and effort and to expend the costs which may be involved. The first thing you should do, in my estimation, is to study the various options before selecting a particular tortoise to care for.
First, what is the ultimate size you can care for. A Geochelone suulcata, often sold in pet stores, can reach 32 inches and over 200 lbs. I've seen them at our herp vet's. The owners have dedicated a room of their homes to them, and they aren't particularly happy.
While I almost bought a sulcata from a local pet store 20 years ago, my wife made me do some research first. I got Highfield's book. I went on the internet. I eventually selected a "Greek tortoise" T. Graeca, which actually ended up being a T. ibera, which I prefer that will reach 2-3 lbs.
In the beginning, if you get a hatchling, as I did, weighing 18 grams, they may be OK in a large, indoor vivarium. Ultimately they will need a much larger, open indoor area in the Winter and a protected, screened large enclosure outdoors in the Summer, when temperatures permit. Below I have posted pictures of our areas so you can get a sense of what's involved. You cannot just use some fish-tank vivarium like in a zoo. These areas must be maintained, cleaned, and supported indoors with light that delivers UVB.
This is not like having a dog or a cat for a pet. To be successful, it takes a lot of reading, research, and daily care to create the environment that will work. And even then things will go awry and you will have to find a specialized vet who knows herps at least, and it will be expensive.
This is an indoor enclosure I designed and built. It's in our front room and is 5.5 feet wide and 4 feet long. There is a UVB heat light on the left side (replacements ~$40 a year), a hide cave on the right along with his "girl friend" resin tortoise and spray bottles to keep him moist, especially in Winter.
Indoor Enclosure by ChicagoJohn, on Flickr
Outside I built a 4 X 8 foot enclosure with mesh on the bottom and top and a hide box. This is shot from our 2nd story deck where we have water to spray him and the area down. In spite of this, a few years ago he broke out and we though we'd lost him, but a systematic search found him at the top of the hill this area is on dug into a hold in a corner of the foundation. The next night would have gone down to 40°F. Even so, we had a juvenile skunk dig in under it one time.... Some torts, like ours, are escape artists, hence the high walls on the indoor pen.
outdoor enclosure by ChicagoJohn, on Flickr
A few years ago, despite my taking two courses on chelonians and reading everything I could (I'm a scientist by occupation), he developed bladder stones which were incorrectly diagnosed by our local vet. Between her charges and those of the vet we eventually had to take him two hours away, we spent over $1000 on vet bills.
Recently, now we have this issue of growth of his rear scute and I'll let you know what that vet bill comes to. It will not be cheap.
My point is to let anyone reading this know that the decision to take in a chelonian as a "pet" is the wrong decision. You get them as a challenge; to your learning and intelligence, time, and funds. Ours has a cute and amazing little personality and comes running over to see us every time we walk by or when we call his name "Ball" when we're outside. And we can both say we have come to love him.
But think about it carefully and plan very carefully before you decide to care for a tortoise. We are now in our 60's, and Ball is 18; we'll ultimately have to find a home for him when we get too old to care for him.
Remember to thoroughly research the native environment of any tortoise you are considering and consider whether and to what extent you can reproduce it, consider the time it will take daily to care for it, the costs of vet bills if unexpected things happen, and above all, how big it will eventually get.
So that is my advice, folks; think about whether this sort of challenge and commitment is right for you.
Please let me know if you have questions.
