Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello folks! My name is Dan... nice to meet you all! Ive always loved tortoises and Ive never owned one. Over the years weve had many pet turtles, lizards and snakes. The last 10 years weve kept and bred dozens of boas.... so Im not new to reptiles and animal care! That being said, what would be a good tortoise to get started with? How big will it get? How long will it take to get that big? How much per month do they cost to feed? Also, I live in Northern California... near Napa, could it live outside? If so, does it need housing? Lots of questions for you pros! Thanks very much for your time and consideration... and nice to meet ya! Dan

Check out the mediterrainean torts. There's a few different species (hermanns, greeks, russians, marginateds) that are widely available. These all are great species because they are small, don't cost much to feed, and for the most part are tolerant of a wide range of climates. These tortoises hibernate when temps become too low. Russians especially are able to survive (and hibernate) in climates that have harsh winters.

You should also consider redfoots. They are great torts. A little larger than most mediterraineans, but they have been praised for their personalities. They are a rainforest tortoise that thrives in higher humidities, and they need some animal protein in their diet in order to stay healthy. These tortoises do not hibernate.

Sulcatas are also a popular choice. They have good personalities, and tend to thrive when given the proper environment, however they quickly grow very large (some are over 100 pounds and 30" shell length). These tortoises do not hibernate. Like most tortoises, sulcatas burrow. As you can imagine though, the burrow of a 30" sulcata is going to be much more substantial than that of a 7" russian. They are known for their ability to 'modify' landscapes.

Leopard tortoises are beautiful, however I've noticed that many people tend to have trouble with them. They are not as hardy as the other tortoises I've mentioned, and are much more susceptible to respiratory ailments. They can make great pets though, if you really work to provide them with the absolute best care.

So these are just a few options you should research. I'm a big fan of the mediterranean tortoises, simply because they are small in size (which means that you can easily give them plenty of room to roam and burrow...whereas a sulcata would need a much larger yard, and are known for constructing huge burrows). They are also much cheaper to feed, and if you have good plant growth outdoors, usually will not need much supplemental food (if any). My next personal favorites are the redfoots, which I hope to work with in the future. These slightly larger tortoises have beautiful markings.

It's all about preference. I'm sorry I don't have any real numbers for you, however for my four russian tortoises, on average it probably costs about $4-5 per week in food during the cooler months (which means all but two or three summer months here). In the summer they tend to eat far less store bought produce simply because they have access to dandelions, plantain, and other naturally growing weeds in my yard.

Good luck with your tortoise endeavor!

And thanks for your time, good food for thought! How big do the red foots get?

I'm sure there are some people here more experienced with red-foots (I haven't kept them yet... I really want to though due to their personalities). The largest one I have seen in person is about 14" straight carapace length. Some literature states their maximum size as 'up to 20"', but realistically they won't get that large. They don't weight so much as to be a burden to move. A former tortoise breeder I talk with locally used to have a bunch of large red-foots he bred, and I believe he stated that the largest ones he had were around 16 pounds, which is manageable for almost anyone.

I think red-foots are great. When I first got into tortoises I was divided between a russian and a red-foot. I went with the russian, and I'm also very happy with them due to there small size (which makes them easy to house), and their personalities. My torts all have different personalities, and all of them are a joy to work with. Part of me wishes I had gone with a red-foot, but at that point in my life I was still in high school and I was trying to keep pets that, if necessary, could be housed in an apartment relatively easily. Now that I'm in college and a little more optimistic about my future (and now that my parents are into tortoises) I have the itch again for a red-foot.

So it sounds like you may want to look into red footed tortoises. They are fantastic tortoises to work with. As I said, they have great personalities, and their size is impressive, but not unmanageable. There are even a few people on this board that keep redfoots that live in apartments. They tend to do pretty well in and indoor terrarium, provided that humidity is high enough. Tha should be one of your top concerns. They come from a very humid area and are easily dehydrated.

Just do as much research as possible before you decide. Don't completely rule anything out either. Try to find local places where you can see and maybe even interact with the different species you are interested in.

Just wanted to mention also that, as with most tortoises, red-foots tend to grow slowly. The 14" red-footed tortoise I was talking about is most likely over 15 years old, and it's a female (usually larger than males in that species).

Good food for thought! The boa lover in me wants a 100lbs tort, but honestly if and when we get them it will probably be one of the smaller variety! Thanks again for your time, Dan