Hello everyone!
Ive had RES for years but i want a tortoise...always have! I thought id start by telling you all about me and see what you think are the best species to match my life and environment. I live in southern New Mexico. In the summer our temps can get up into the 100s but average at around 94 with lows averaging around 63. In the winter (i was planning on the tort living inside during winter) the temps average at 55 highs and 25 lows. We do not get alot of rain, but i have a water hose! lol I own my home and have lived here for over ten years and im not moving anytime soon. I have a pretty decent size yard and can dedicate it all to my tort with some modifications. I want a baby to start with so im assuming ill have a few years to modify my yard and work my way up into a bigger and bigger pen, starting with a small seciton for the baby.
I have done a bit of research and cant stop thinking about a few species. Leopard torts seem ideal, i am aware of their adult size. I do want one that is pretty big but not as big as a sulcata. The only thing im worried about with the Leopard is finding the grass for it when it is bigger. Im not sure how that works. But i live in the desert and it comes from the desert and it is the size i want so i thought it was worth looking into. The other ones are the burmese mountain tortoise because its the right size, i know it neeeds high humitity but perhaps theres a way i can raise the humidity in an outdoor pen? Inside i wont have a problem because i already have hermit crabs who require 70%-85% humidity. The other two are redfoots or yellow foots. I like their size too and the fact that they can have a more varied diet than the Leopard. Again just the question of how to house them outdoors in a dry climate when they need humidity.
Housing them outdoors is very important to me i want to make their pen as close to their natural habitat as possible. But i also want to be able to bring them indoors which is why i dont want a sulcata.
Also i only want to get one...is this okay or do they need to have friends?
Ive had RES for years but i want a tortoise...always have! I thought id start by telling you all about me and see what you think are the best species to match my life and environment. I live in southern New Mexico. In the summer our temps can get up into the 100s but average at around 94 with lows averaging around 63. In the winter (i was planning on the tort living inside during winter) the temps average at 55 highs and 25 lows. We do not get alot of rain, but i have a water hose! lol I own my home and have lived here for over ten years and im not moving anytime soon. I have a pretty decent size yard and can dedicate it all to my tort with some modifications. I want a baby to start with so im assuming ill have a few years to modify my yard and work my way up into a bigger and bigger pen, starting with a small seciton for the baby.
I have done a bit of research and cant stop thinking about a few species. Leopard torts seem ideal, i am aware of their adult size. I do want one that is pretty big but not as big as a sulcata. The only thing im worried about with the Leopard is finding the grass for it when it is bigger. Im not sure how that works. But i live in the desert and it comes from the desert and it is the size i want so i thought it was worth looking into. The other ones are the burmese mountain tortoise because its the right size, i know it neeeds high humitity but perhaps theres a way i can raise the humidity in an outdoor pen? Inside i wont have a problem because i already have hermit crabs who require 70%-85% humidity. The other two are redfoots or yellow foots. I like their size too and the fact that they can have a more varied diet than the Leopard. Again just the question of how to house them outdoors in a dry climate when they need humidity.
Housing them outdoors is very important to me i want to make their pen as close to their natural habitat as possible. But i also want to be able to bring them indoors which is why i dont want a sulcata.
Also i only want to get one...is this okay or do they need to have friends?