What to do?

[Cheezypoof]

I live in Oregon, it is very rainy most of the year and getting to be very cold. What would anyone suggest be a good first tortoise for me to get? There is plenty of room for any size with space indoors and outdoors. I've done some research but haven't found anything to conclusive. I am just not sure what, any thoughts or suggestions. Please and thank you!

 

[Kenny]

welcome to the board.
for your 1st tort you might wanna get your feet wet with a russian. They're smaller and easy to take care of.
but you could also go with a red/yellow foot. they would thrive in Oregon.

 

[moswen]

if it's rainy there you could go with a forest dwelling tort, the humid environment and pressure changes that come with that would be beneficial to them.

russians are kind of known for their ability to survive, i have a greek and she's bullet proof, but some greeks tend to be somewhat prone to URI's and they're notoriously difficult to cure of this, spider torts (although pricey) stay small, red foots are larger but they're more personable and active, my spiders spend most of their time hiding. it's really all a matter of preference! that far north i wouldn't suggest a sulcata even if you have the space, they would spend more time of the year in a heated indoor enclosure than outside. there are so many options! it really all comes down to personal preference, every tortoise owner on here will tell you that the tortoises that they have are the best tortoises to get lol! we all love our torts! a box turtle would do pretty well up there, they enjoy the humidity and they can handle cold better. just a few days ago i pulled over for a boxie that was booking it across the road on a 65 degree day.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Cheezypoof (May we know your name?):

Welcome to the forum!!

 

[Floof]

Hi, Cheezypoof, welcome to the forum! I actually lived on the coast of Washington for the last 8 years, so know exactly what you're talking about in weather.

As has been said, you can't go wrong with a Russian! They're hardy, cold-tolerant, easy to care for, and small enough that they can be housed indoors year round if necessary. I owned two, briefly (a little short of a year), while living in Washington, and they thrived for me. Any day when the temp was over 60 was OK weather to take them outside, and, though I tried to avoid keeping them out on rainy days, they didn't mind it much. They're also very personable.

Box turtles, generally speaking, seem to love wet weather. In addition to my RTs, I owned an Eastern briefly. Her absolute favorite days were the really rainy ones. It could be 75 and sunny one day, and 55/60 and raining the next day, and it was always the rainy day she spent cruising her outdoor pen. Boxies are easy to care for, tolerant of (and often even favorable to) the climate in your area, and, again, stay quite small.

Redfoots would enjoy the humidity in your region, but dealing with the cool temperatures might be tough. I'm not sure how cold-tolerant Redfoots are, but, indoors, they need steady temps in the upper 70s/low 80s throughout the enclosure, so having one outside regularly after Labor Day might be really tough to pull off. They are, though, small enough (though some might say just barely, at a max size of around 12" or so) to be kept inside during the winter and on cold days. Yellowfoots were mentioned--I don't know much about those beyond their care is similar to Redfoots and they get much larger.

Sulcatas are absolutely humongous. They're personable, friendly, but they get HUGE and need HUGE and expensive space and accommodations to match. If you can handle the upkeep, have the space, and like the idea of a very large (outdoor only) pet tortoise in the yard, they make a potentially good choice. They are an African species and prefer high temperatures and high sun, but keeping Sulcatas in the PNW can be done. I can think of two members with adult Sulcatas in the PNW here on TFO--Maggie, in Northwest (?) Oregon, and Chadk, north of Seattle. Though the climate isn't ideal for Sulcatas, they both successfully keep their adult Sullies outside, year-round, despite the weather, by having heated, insulated sheds built to accommodate the tortoises. One upside of the year-round rain is your Sulcata has fresh, green grass to graze on just about the whole year!

Gah. I hope you don't mind the novel. I tend to get a little carried away, lol!

 

[Jacqui]

What size animal would you be most comfortable with? Do you want one who only eats plants, one who would also get some fruit, or would you have any issues with one who ate plants, fruits and animal matter? Are you wanting an animal who is active? What level of interaction with you, do you want this tortoise to have? Does it being high maintenance bother you? Do you have a price range for the tortoise and it's habitat?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Wecome.