Which one is right for my climate?

[Cali_WA]

Hello all,
I am new to this forum and have fould it very enlightening. I have a question about finding a tortoise that can live here in Washington. I live outside of Seattle and I have a big yard. I have been looking on line but haven't seen anything about the type of tortoise that can live here. Any help toward a website or personal insight would help.

Thanks,
Cali

 

[Itort]

Humidity wise I would think one of the forest types. What are the average highs and lows May thru Sept ?

 

[Diana Stone]

I live in Washington and have the Russian Torts as well as a Greek tortoise and they all do very well. They live outside during the summer months and they just love it.

 

[Heather]

Hey I am in Washington too and well I looked all over for the same info, but my problem was I wanted something that got big unlike the greek or russian tortoises. I found this site:

http://www.ivorytortoise.com/information/documents/what_species.html

Not sure how reliable it is but it helped me narrow my choices down.

Im going for a sulcata or burmese mt. tortoise

 

[Chucky]

I live in Southern Oregon which is probably a little warmer and dryer but my Sulcatas do fine here although they have to be taken in at night and stay inside during the winters. Just make sure that if you do get a Sulcata, you have a nice big indoor place for it when the time comes.

 

[pyxistort]

Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) is good.
If you are interested in something big, you can try Burmese black tortoise (Manouria emys phayrei). I know a breeder who keep them outdoor in WA.

 

[Jentortmom]

IMO, when thinking about what type of tortoise to purchase, you need to think about, how much space you have outside that you can designate for your tortoise, also you need to think about what you would do for the winter months, tempatures and humidity levels, and then your experience as a tortoise caretaker, if you have never cared for a tortoise then I would not go for tortoises that are more expensive, and not as hardy for husbandry errors. Not knowing your tortoise experience, and your location I would suggestion russians, greeks, box turtles, smaller redfoots. Most tortoises don't like to be inside, and they do need outside time, so you would need a outdoor enclosure for the summer months, then a nice sized one for inside. I don't if this helps you or not, but good luck with your decision. For those looking at sulcatas I would think about it and your space, what will you do with a 2' long 100 lb sully during the winter, remember this is my opionon. Here is a cute story you might like to read that was posted a while back.. http://harpoandfriends.homestead.com/Harpostory.html