Which tort is right for me

[tortoisenotturtle]

I want a buddy who I can just kinda chill and hang out with. If I'm watching tv he/she will maybe just kinda hangout and "watch" with me. But I don't want a guy that does literally nothing I'd love some personality. I realize this could vary among individuals and that I may be expecting too much out of it but is there any specific species of tort that sound right for me? The reality is I'll love my tort no matter what but I just want to know if there's a naturally calmer species as apposed to a hyper species, etc.

 

[FLINTUS]

Well a few big questions for you:
How much space inside for an enclosure?
And outside?
Do you want a rain-forest type tortoise, or a grassland, arid type tortoise?
What kind of diet do you expect-and what's easiest for you- to feed him?
Do you want a hibernating tortoise or non-hibernating tortoise?
Do you plan to make more additions to your tortoise collection in the future?
Washington will mean that outside time will be limited I suspect.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Maybe what you want isn't a tortoise or turtle. You can hang out with one in the garden and its outdoor habitat or in the tortoise room indoors while it goes about its day, but trying to fold it into your activities isn't good for it. It's not how tortoises are. You can spend hours watching it, rebuilding its habitat, foraging for weeds and getting it the best food and equipment. If you expect it to relate as a buddy you are going to be disappointed, frustrated and eventually bored.

It's a matter of expectations.

They're all calm if their needs are met. It's easier if you get one whose care is somewhat compatible with your climate.

 

[Hermes]

I want a buddy who I can just kinda chill and hang out with. If I'm watching tv he/she will maybe just kinda hangout and "watch" with me. But I don't want a guy that does literally nothing I'd love some personality. I realize this could vary among individuals and that I may be expecting too much out of it but is there any specific species of tort that sound right for me? The reality is I'll love my tort no matter what but I just want to know if there's a naturally calmer species as apposed to a hyper species, etc.

Sounds like you want a bearded dragon... Because what u described is exactly how beardies act.

 

[Delilah1623]

Agree with everyone above. Tortoises are more to be watched than handled. They prefer doing tortoise stuff and don't really bond to people they way other animals do.

My friend had a hedgehog that she let's out that likes to interact more. Maybe look into that as an option. I am not familiar with their care and needs at all but he is a cool little guy.

 

[Hermes]

Agree with everyone above. Tortoises are more to be watched than handled. They prefer doing tortoise stuff and don't really bond to people they way other animals do.

My friend had a hedgehog that she let's out that likes to interact more. Maybe look into that as an option. I am not familiar with their care and needs at all but he is a cool little guy.

But hedgehogs are nocturnal so you might get to interact with it in the evening but not all day, and changing their sleep pattern is just cruel and causes a lot of stress.

 

[Tom]

But hedgehogs are nocturnal so you might get to interact with it in the evening but not all day, and changing their sleep pattern is just cruel and causes a lot of stress.

I don't agree with this at all. I know lots of people who handles theirs day or night, and its causes no stress and most certainly isn't cruel. Same with hamsters, rats and mice. They have plenty time to sleep in their shelters anytime day or night.

 

[tortoisenotturtle]

Thank you every body for your help and who knows what I might do is get both and just never have them meet. I've had a bearded but unfortunately I was 12 and irresponsible so it didn't live as long as it shouldve though it was also from petco and we all know how that goes. But I've really fallen in love with tortoises through all my research so if that means I have to let him/her be I have no issue with that.

 

[Tom]

I want a buddy who I can just kinda chill and hang out with. If I'm watching tv he/she will maybe just kinda hangout and "watch" with me. But I don't want a guy that does literally nothing I'd love some personality. I realize this could vary among individuals and that I may be expecting too much out of it but is there any specific species of tort that sound right for me? The reality is I'll love my tort no matter what but I just want to know if there's a naturally calmer species as apposed to a hyper species, etc.

I think you might want a Blue tongue skink, a snake, or the already mentioned bearded dragon. Check this out.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-blue-tongue-skink.30188/

 

[tortoisenotturtle]

Well a few big questions for you:
How much space inside for an enclosure?
And outside?
Do you want a rain-forest type tortoise, or a grassland, arid type tortoise?
What kind of diet do you expect-and what's easiest for you- to feed him?
Do you want a hibernating tortoise or non-hibernating tortoise?
Do you plan to make more additions to your tortoise collection in the future?
Washington will mean that outside time will be limited I suspect.

Plenty inside but limited out.
I don't really mind where it's from.
Stuff like fruit and veggies would be nice because I have things like that already but I'm also willing to pay for a special diet.
Non hybernating.
possibly more. It really depends
and yes that means that completely lol

 

[Hermes]

I don't agree with this at all. I know lots of people who handles theirs day or night, and its causes no stress and most certainly isn't cruel. Same with hamsters, rats and mice. They have plenty time to sleep in their shelters anytime day or night.

Well I'm not an expert, but from what I have seen all of the hedgehogs that had theirs sleep pattern changed were always stress out and very jumpy, it might have been due to other factors and not just the sleep but that was always my theory. I know I was stressed when I worked the midnight shift for 2 years and had to sleep all day. But back to the original question I agree that a skink or beardy maybe even a snake would be better suited for what the OP expects.

 

[tortoisenotturtle]

I look into all of these suggestions except snakes lol. Really just not my thing but I do like lizards so thanks for your help. Another question if nobody minds. If i had kinda a let's say "reptile room" could I keep a lizard and tort in the same room just not the same cage. I'd never let them interact but I'm assuming they have similar temperature need so keeping them in one room would be much easier.

 

[Hermes]

Plenty inside but limited out.
I don't really mind where it's from.
Stuff like fruit and veggies would be nice because I have things like that already but I'm also willing to pay for a special diet.
Non hybernating.
possibly more. It really depends
and yes that means that completely lol

Ps there is also nothing wrong with having more than one pet if you can afford it. You can have a tortoise and then get a second pet to do the other things you want like chilling out on the couch, lol I have (besides my tortoise ) a beardy and a dog and they both love watching TV and a 4 year old boy that is also obsessed with the TV.

 

[FLINTUS]

Plenty inside but limited out.
I don't really mind where it's from.
Stuff like fruit and veggies would be nice because I have things like that already but I'm also willing to pay for a special diet.
Non hybernating.
possibly more. It really depends
and yes that means that completely lol

The max. space you would want to give up both inside and outside for the tortoise would be good. Someone's idea of 'plenty' can be very different to someone else's 'plenty'. If you want a non-hibernating species, that limits the options quite a lot, generally resulting in harder care, and a larger enclosure. It sounds though like Red Foots may work, for they will eat a lot of fruit and mushrooms in addition to the mainly weeds based diet of most species.

 

[FLINTUS]

Oh, with Red Foots, you also need to be able to live with them in a high humidity environment. Think about how you'd keep the humidity in the enclosure, and not in the rest of the house.

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't think you're going to find what you want in a tortoise. They are wild animals and prefer to be left alone. Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule, but basically tortoises are solitary creatures that go about life without interacting with any other creatures, human or animal.

 

[tortdad]

Sounds like he's set on a shelled animal so start with something that stays small and is easy to cafe for. Ever thought about box turtles? They live on land like a tortoise and stay small.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Box turtles do better with serious outdoor time in the summer. I would not want to keep one indoors most of the year.

You might see what's available from a local rescue or Craig's list. Even if your climate isn't ideal, you'll be making that creature's life so much better by rescuing it.

 

[Hermes]

Box turtles do better with serious outdoor time in the summer. I would not want to keep one indoors most of the year.

You might see what's available from a local rescue or Craig's list. Even if your climate isn't ideal, you'll be making that creature's life so much better by rescuing it.

That's a great idea, and the OP is from Washington (I'm going to assume state and not DC) like me, I've been keeping an eye on Craigslist here in Tacoma and they have a red foot listed that has been living in a 20gal tank... That would be a nice rescue.

 

[Hermes]

Box turtles do better with serious outdoor time in the summer. I would not want to keep one indoors most of the year.

You might see what's available from a local rescue or Craig's list. Even if your climate isn't ideal, you'll be making that creature's life so much better by rescuing it.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/for/4738209105.html