Tortoise Research

chaos_coordinator

New Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2022
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Florida
Hello!

I have recently started looking into getting a tortoise for my 5 year old. She is obsessed with all things turtles and tortoises, she's always telling me (and anyone she talks to) facts about specific species! I didn't tell her I was looking into it because I want to get plenty of research in first to see if it was a possibility.

I was hoping I could get some input on which species would make the best pet and any other tips or knowledge I might need!

We live in South Florida, pretty hot and humid all year. We live in a house with a fenced in yard. I am a stay at home mom and my daughter is homeschooled so we are home and able to supervise all day everyday. My husband would prefer one that doesn't completely destroy our yard, not sure if that will be possible though!

Any input and education is GREATLY appreciated! Thank you in advance!
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hello and welcome! You are going about this perfectly, and you will be rewarded with a successful happy tortoise experience as a result.

The first thing to know is that pet stores, vets, most breeders, and nearly every online source is going to give you old, wrong care info. Sad, but true. Luckily, you have found the one place in the world with tens of thousands of people who actually keep, raise and breed tortoises, and we will make sure you get the right info. This community is fantastic! One huge mistake that new keepers make is buying their tortoise from the wrong source. We will help you avoid that when the time comes.

In your situation, I can't imagine anything working better than a redfoot tortoise. They are gorgeous, personable, friendly, engaging, they grow to a nice size, but not unmanageable, they are not destructive to the yard, and as an adult they can live outside year round in your area with a simple heated night box shelter which will keep them safe from pests and predators every night, and also warm on your rare winter cold spells.

Other good options would be hermanns tortoises, marginated tortoises, South African leopard tortoises, pancake tortoises, elongated tortoises, Burmese star tortoises, and if you want something bigger, Burmese mountain tortoises. All of the above are hardy, easy to keep and feed, personable, and should thrive in your climate.

Now you have to decide if you want to raise your own from a hatchling in a large indoor enclosure, or buy an adult that can live outside right away.

Keep in mind that care advice differs for different species, and also from babies to adults. Advice will vary regionally too. A person can't house a redfoot in SoCal the way you can house them in FL. There are really three general ways that tortoises need to be housed: Temperate, tropical, and forest. Each species will have minor differences, and different sizes and ages will too, but most care situations fall into one of these three categories. Once you pick a species, we can steer you toward the right care info.

Questions are welcome! :)
 

chaos_coordinator

New Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2022
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Florida
Hello and welcome! You are going about this perfectly, and you will be rewarded with a successful happy tortoise experience as a result.

The first thing to know is that pet stores, vets, most breeders, and nearly every online source is going to give you old, wrong care info. Sad, but true. Luckily, you have found the one place in the world with tens of thousands of people who actually keep, raise and breed tortoises, and we will make sure you get the right info. This community is fantastic! One huge mistake that new keepers make is buying their tortoise from the wrong source. We will help you avoid that when the time comes.

In your situation, I can't imagine anything working better than a redfoot tortoise. They are gorgeous, personable, friendly, engaging, they grow to a nice size, but not unmanageable, they are not destructive to the yard, and as an adult they can live outside year round in your area with a simple heated night box shelter which will keep them safe from pests and predators every night, and also warm on your rare winter cold spells.

Other good options would be hermanns tortoises, marginated tortoises, South African leopard tortoises, pancake tortoises, elongated tortoises, Burmese star tortoises, and if you want something bigger, Burmese mountain tortoises. All of the above are hardy, easy to keep and feed, personable, and should thrive in your climate.

Now you have to decide if you want to raise your own from a hatchling in a large indoor enclosure, or buy an adult that can live outside right away.

Keep in mind that care advice differs for different species, and also from babies to adults. Advice will vary regionally too. A person can't house a redfoot in SoCal the way you can house them in FL. There are really three general ways that tortoises need to be housed: Temperate, tropical, and forest. Each species will have minor differences, and different sizes and ages will too, but most care situations fall into one of these three categories. Once you pick a species, we can steer you toward the right care info.

Questions are welcome! :)
Thank you SO much! I've tried to look things up but a lot of my internet research has contradicted itself, frustrating! My little girl was actually talking about the red foot tortoise yesterday! So, I guess I will start my research there! I would like a smaller one but not sure if a hatchling would be smart to take on. My child will try and be as hands on as allowed and thinking about tortoise safety first, I can see a stressed out hatchling.

I'm not opposed to having an indoor enclosure. I planned on making one for our few cold days in the winter (cold is 50-70 for us, but we've only had a few days of that this year). Just being honest, I don't know anything about making or starting an enclosure. How large would it need to be? And what age do redfoots move outside?

Thank you for all of your help! I really appreciate it!
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,405
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
First thing is you gotta' dismiss the idea that you're getting your daughter a 'pet.' Tortoises are wild animals. They haven't gone through years of human intervention to make them domesticated. Yes, there occasionally are exceptions to the rule, but mostly they are not interactive 'pets.'

My first choice would be a russian as a first tortoise. The only down side is they require a pretty large enclosure. Russians stay small, don't tear up your yard, and become pretty personable once they realize you are the food goddess. But they are hard wired to roam great distances looking for food and if you set them up in a small container they drive you crazy with their pacing and digging to escape. The best place for a russian tortoise is outside in a safe and secure, escape proof area. And your daughter can help you set this up and adding "furniture", etc. rocks (boulders to a tortoise), plant saucers for water, knick knacks that act as sight barriers to the tortoise.

Good luck with your new endeavor, and keep us posted with pictures, etc.
 

chaos_coordinator

New Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2022
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Florida
First thing is you gotta' dismiss the idea that you're getting your daughter a 'pet.' Tortoises are wild animals. They haven't gone through years of human intervention to make them domesticated. Yes, there occasionally are exceptions to the rule, but mostly they are not interactive 'pets.'

My first choice would be a russian as a first tortoise. The only down side is they require a pretty large enclosure. Russians stay small, don't tear up your yard, and become pretty personable once they realize you are the food goddess. But they are hard wired to roam great distances looking for food and if you set them up in a small container they drive you crazy with their pacing and digging to escape. The best place for a russian tortoise is outside in a safe and secure, escape proof area. And your daughter can help you set this up and adding "furniture", etc. rocks (boulders to a tortoise), plant saucers for water, knick knacks that act as sight barriers to the tortoise.

Good luck with your new endeavor, and keep us posted with pictures, etc.
Thank you for your response!
I will add the Russian to my list of research! I will definitely update when I figure out which type of tortoise would be happiest in our location and situation!
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Thank you SO much! I've tried to look things up but a lot of my internet research has contradicted itself, frustrating! My little girl was actually talking about the red foot tortoise yesterday! So, I guess I will start my research there! I would like a smaller one but not sure if a hatchling would be smart to take on. My child will try and be as hands on as allowed and thinking about tortoise safety first, I can see a stressed out hatchling.

I'm not opposed to having an indoor enclosure. I planned on making one for our few cold days in the winter (cold is 50-70 for us, but we've only had a few days of that this year). Just being honest, I don't know anything about making or starting an enclosure. How large would it need to be? And what age do redfoots move outside?

Thank you for all of your help! I really appreciate it!
Here is a thread on redfoot care:
 

chaos_coordinator

New Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2022
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Florida
Here is a thread on redfoot care:
This was so helpful. Thank you so much Tom! Quick question, do you know if a leopard tortoise would do well in Florida?
Thank you, again!
 

TechnoCheese

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Messages
4,505
Location (City and/or State)
Lewisville, Texas
This was so helpful. Thank you so much Tom! Quick question, do you know if a leopard tortoise would do well in Florida?
Thank you, again!
A leopard would do very well in Florida! The warmth and humidity is great for virtually all species.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
This was so helpful. Thank you so much Tom! Quick question, do you know if a leopard tortoise would do well in Florida?
Thank you, again!
South African leopards seem to do very well there. Some people have trouble with regular leopards in the colder weather due to the extreme humidity. Regular leopards now have very mixed genetics, so its a bit of a gamble. While some people have them and things seem to go okay, I generally don't recommend regular leopards or Russians for South Florida.
 

chaos_coordinator

New Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2022
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Florida
South African leopards seem to do very well there. Some people have trouble with regular leopards in the colder weather due to the extreme humidity. Regular leopards now have very mixed genetics, so its a bit of a gamble. While some people have them and things seem to go okay, I generally don't recommend regular leopards or Russians for South Florida.
Okay! Thank you so much! We will start building an enclosure and looking for a redfoot!
I really appreciate all of your help!
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Okay! Thank you so much! We will start building an enclosure and looking for a redfoot!
I really appreciate all of your help!
If you get a baby and raise it primarily indoors, while slowly acclimating it to the great outdoors as it grows, I think any species would do well there.
 

New Posts

Top