My son fell in love with a Russian Tort at Petco. I really do not want to buy one from there so that's why I am here. Not only looking for a tortoise but doing a bit of research. First off what do you think about a 5 year old having a Tortoise? I of course would be the primary care giver to the Tortoise. Another question I have is should I buy two and keep them together for company or just one? What type of tortoise do you recommend? All suggestions and thoughts are very appreciated! If it is a good idea then he will have a nice tortoise with a nice habitat under the Christmas tree!
Tortoise for my 5 year old Son
- Thread starter CFin
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- Nov 2, 2012
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Hi there... this is my first post to... I was in a similar situation to yourself... i have a five year old niece who has always loved tortoises... Ive kept lizards for years but never a tortoise so after months of research i finally bought one last month for her and its the best thing i have done. Tho i am the primary care giver.. she helps me bath it and feed it... we weight it together and she writes down the date and its weight to keep a record... she is learning responsibility of owning a pet which is another bonus. Ive got to admit as well i am totally smittened by this little hatchling... ive found myself getting more attached to the little one in the last month as it has slowly becoming use to us.
well.. welcome..
A russian is a good choice.. so long as you know its going to be yours and up to you to care for it with help from your son. If your son is gentle and can respect a small tortoise, you should be ok.. a tortoise is more for looking at and enjoying and Not picking up and holding or playing with.
A good tortoise habitat wont fit under the tree.. ;-)
A russian is a good choice.. so long as you know its going to be yours and up to you to care for it with help from your son. If your son is gentle and can respect a small tortoise, you should be ok.. a tortoise is more for looking at and enjoying and Not picking up and holding or playing with.
A good tortoise habitat wont fit under the tree.. ;-)
It depends on the child. I was six when I found and started keeping my first tortoise. Before that, I had been keeping some aquatics (common snapping turtles, RES, and a map turtle) in tanks and Eastern box turtles (I even managed to have some EBT reproduction back then) in plastic baby pools. For me, this was fine, and my parents did not have involvement in it beyond simple encouragement from my mother. My brother was not mature enough at that age. He only started to be mature enough to properly keep pets that do not come to humans for food when he started his teenage years.
So it depends. You could cover the care until that is figured out or he could handle it himself if he is ready for it now.
So it depends. You could cover the care until that is figured out or he could handle it himself if he is ready for it now.
You can consider getting a Russian from Craigslist. Most of those were once purchased at a Petco/Petsmart, but at least have had some time to get used to captivity and they need good homes. And a russian is a great choice for a pet tortoise.
I have a tortoise, a 3 1/2yr old son and a 2 1/2yr old son. My boys love having a tortoise. By "having" I mean looking at and watching mommy feed him and care for him. As long as you know it is all your responsibility, your son will very much enjoy having this pet to look at.
Because of my kids ages, I do not let them hold our tortoise but they can pet his shell while I hold him. Usually this happens when I take him from one enclosure to another (inside to out..outside to in).
My boys do enjoy a game we call "find turtle". They stand outside his large outdoor pen and we see who can spot him first. It isn't a easy game! The pen is 20'x6' and HEAVILY overgrown with grass and weeds. My 2yr old is usually the first to spot him, lol. Go figure.
Just one tortoise is perfect to have. At least, start out that way. Many keepers have more than 1, but for the average pet owner it is easiest to keep just one. You have alot more to consider if you begin to keep multiples.
You could have a tort under the tree in a temporary box
but to give your tort a happy home it will be big. Alot of people buy supplies to build their own. Lots of ideas in the tortoise enclosure section.
Overall my suggestion to you is this, research what it means to keep a russian as a pet. As long as you are comfortable providing the necessary care I say go for it!! If you set up a really great pen, your tortoise will be more active and alot more fun to watch.
Good luck and let us know what you decide!!
I have a tortoise, a 3 1/2yr old son and a 2 1/2yr old son. My boys love having a tortoise. By "having" I mean looking at and watching mommy feed him and care for him. As long as you know it is all your responsibility, your son will very much enjoy having this pet to look at.
Because of my kids ages, I do not let them hold our tortoise but they can pet his shell while I hold him. Usually this happens when I take him from one enclosure to another (inside to out..outside to in).
My boys do enjoy a game we call "find turtle". They stand outside his large outdoor pen and we see who can spot him first. It isn't a easy game! The pen is 20'x6' and HEAVILY overgrown with grass and weeds. My 2yr old is usually the first to spot him, lol. Go figure.
Just one tortoise is perfect to have. At least, start out that way. Many keepers have more than 1, but for the average pet owner it is easiest to keep just one. You have alot more to consider if you begin to keep multiples.
You could have a tort under the tree in a temporary box
but to give your tort a happy home it will be big. Alot of people buy supplies to build their own. Lots of ideas in the tortoise enclosure section. Overall my suggestion to you is this, research what it means to keep a russian as a pet. As long as you are comfortable providing the necessary care I say go for it!! If you set up a really great pen, your tortoise will be more active and alot more fun to watch.
Good luck and let us know what you decide!!
A 5 year old will not be able to care for the daily needs of a tortoise, and is quite likely to get bored with this rather unexciting pet. However, if you recognize these things as possibilities and still want a tortoise then I definitely recommend a Russian or Greek. I love my Russians to bits. They have spunky personalities and are very hardy. I encourage you not to purchase from a petstore. A local rescue group, tortoise club or craigslist are all great resources. The tortoise needs no companion other than you. Russians are notorious for being bullies and are best kept by themselves.
Team Gomberg hit it on the head.
Hi CFin, and welcome to the Forum!
Please don't buy all the accouterments that the pet store wants to sell you.
Your tortoise's primary home should be an outside pen that is safe and secure...Russians are great escape artists. For indoors during the winter, you can get by with the largest plastic tote you can afford, maybe even buying two of them, cutting out opposing ends and putting them together. You'll need substrate (coco coir or cypress mulch or even clean dirt from outside), a UVB light (if you buy a Mercury Vapor Bulb you will have UVB and heat in one fixture), tile or slate to feed on, a waterer (a plant saucer is fine for this), a hiding place and maybe a couple of plastic plants. Don't buy the spiral CFL bulb. If your house gets very cold at night you may want to buy a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) for night time, but Russians are ok with normal room temp at night. Then you can go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy the light fixtures for your bulbs. They're cheaper at these stores.
Please don't buy all the accouterments that the pet store wants to sell you.
Your tortoise's primary home should be an outside pen that is safe and secure...Russians are great escape artists. For indoors during the winter, you can get by with the largest plastic tote you can afford, maybe even buying two of them, cutting out opposing ends and putting them together. You'll need substrate (coco coir or cypress mulch or even clean dirt from outside), a UVB light (if you buy a Mercury Vapor Bulb you will have UVB and heat in one fixture), tile or slate to feed on, a waterer (a plant saucer is fine for this), a hiding place and maybe a couple of plastic plants. Don't buy the spiral CFL bulb. If your house gets very cold at night you may want to buy a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) for night time, but Russians are ok with normal room temp at night. Then you can go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy the light fixtures for your bulbs. They're cheaper at these stores.
Hello and welcome. In addition to all of the above considerations, it would help to know where you are. Frozen winters, or are you in a warmer Southern State?
Russians, hermanns and greeks are all good starter tortoises, in my opinion. You should pick the one that YOU like the best, since you will be the main one taking care of it for the next few decades. When you pick the species that you like, you can do an ad in the "Wanted" section and people can suggest breeders or breeders can offer animals for sale. Good luck.
Russians, hermanns and greeks are all good starter tortoises, in my opinion. You should pick the one that YOU like the best, since you will be the main one taking care of it for the next few decades.
When you pick the species that you like, you can do an ad in the "Wanted" section and people can suggest breeders or breeders can offer animals for sale. Good luck.Thanks everyone for your thoughts! I live in Southern Illinois. We do have snow but not as bad as the Northern part of Illinois! Our summers are VERY hot so he can totally live outside then and inside for the winter! So far the only place I can find a Russian is Petco. I found a breeder online in Indiana that has sulcatas though.
Welcome.
I would like to congratulate and thank you for not just impulse buying the tortoise. It seems like I read everyday on this board "hey look at this cool turtle I got!, now what?" I have kept turtles all my life, starting when I was very young, and turtles/tortoises have played no small role in my carrier and hobby choices. Who knows you may spark a life long love of tortoises, and hopefully their conservation.
Please continue by thoroughly researching the tortoises needs here and elsewhere (here in particular). I agree with the others, that if you are interested in it being your pet, and you can provide for it go ahead.
I would like to congratulate and thank you for not just impulse buying the tortoise. It seems like I read everyday on this board "hey look at this cool turtle I got!, now what?" I have kept turtles all my life, starting when I was very young, and turtles/tortoises have played no small role in my carrier and hobby choices. Who knows you may spark a life long love of tortoises, and hopefully their conservation.
Please continue by thoroughly researching the tortoises needs here and elsewhere (here in particular). I agree with the others, that if you are interested in it being your pet, and you can provide for it go ahead.
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I'm only writing this because I really care about children.... A five year old cant handle a full time commitment like a tortoise. Get him a goldfish, and tell him that in six months if he takes care of the fish he can get a tortoise. In six months he'll be obsessed with fish.
In the 60 minutes clip last night Mr. Good got his first tortoise, a Herman tortoise at age 6.
According to the clip, Mr. Good and has accomplished many great things for rare tortoises and turtles. He has even donated 1 million dollars of his own money toward the their rescue.
Who knows maybe your son will be inspired to help too. We need to learn more especially now with many tortoises facing extinction.
Humans need be Good Steward of What God Gave us.
According to the clip, Mr. Good and has accomplished many great things for rare tortoises and turtles. He has even donated 1 million dollars of his own money toward the their rescue.
Who knows maybe your son will be inspired to help too. We need to learn more especially now with many tortoises facing extinction.
Humans need be Good Steward of What God Gave us.
My first tortoise happened at the ripe old age of 4. I'm 26 now and I'm still into it.
I find that a great many things that mean the most to me as an adult can be attributed to having learned about when I was young. Classic cars, my love of Texas and family history, tortoises, all of these seeds were planted early in my life and I would trade them for nothing.
I find that a great many things that mean the most to me as an adult can be attributed to having learned about when I was young. Classic cars, my love of Texas and family history, tortoises, all of these seeds were planted early in my life and I would trade them for nothing.
Well, I think its fine, but u need to take care the torts and try to make ur child be responsible with the torts..
But do not expect too much as ur child still 5 yo..
But I guess pets will be good for a child..
And remember to watch over ur child hands after touching torts, they need to be cleaned first..
But do not expect too much as ur child still 5 yo..
But I guess pets will be good for a child..
And remember to watch over ur child hands after touching torts, they need to be cleaned first..
I realize now I do want to stay with a smaller breed like the Russian! All the great advice and articles here helped me realize that. I did put up a want ad so hopefully someone will respond!
My husband and I actually raise Flemish Giant Show rabbits so my son is use to animals and taking care of them. I do not plan on him taking care of this tortoise though. Just helping me out. He has a 75 gallon fish aquarium that he also helps with.
My husband and I actually raise Flemish Giant Show rabbits so my son is use to animals and taking care of them. I do not plan on him taking care of this tortoise though. Just helping me out. He has a 75 gallon fish aquarium that he also helps with.
My family has had reptiles and dogs as long as I can remember. When I was growing up we always had a green iguana, although back then care wasn't the best. We didn't know anything about UVB or that heat rocks were bad. They really don't tell you much at the pet store. See a cute little iguana, tell them you want it, they put it in a box, and there you go. I never had a pet "turtle" (might as well call everything a turtle like most of the world) aside from wild ones I would keep for a day or two before letting them go.
Hopefully if you get the tortoise you'll be planting the seed, since it has a good chance of outliving both of you. Unless it dies or you get rid of it, you or your son will have it for life. It's a big responsibility and something to consider.
I also recommend a goldfish until he gets older. You can always watch nature shows to teach him about tortoises and other animals.
Hopefully if you get the tortoise you'll be planting the seed, since it has a good chance of outliving both of you. Unless it dies or you get rid of it, you or your son will have it for life. It's a big responsibility and something to consider.
I also recommend a goldfish until he gets older. You can always watch nature shows to teach him about tortoises and other animals.
I would go a head and get him the tortoise, as long as you realize that it is alot of work. A Russian would be great, and unless your house gets into the low 50's at night, you won't need a CHE. There are always plent of people selling Russians on CL or on Kingsnake or other forums.
CFin said:
It seems to me that you are the one who is eager to get a tortoise because he has many pets already
Well in that case, fast get one and I think a small breed will be nice to have for a family. Easier to take care for sure too.
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