Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I am new here. It's been very helpful to read many posts here. I would love to get some opinions from you experts.
I would love to get a tortoise. But I live in Chicago. In an apartment. The weather here is not the greatest for tortoises (or for people). It's very hot and humid in summer and freezing cold in winter. So the tortoise would have to be indoor most of the time. I have a back yard the tortoise can walk around when weather permits. Is anyone successfully keeping a tortoise in this kind of weather? What kind do you suggest would do better? Could my tortoise be happy?

Any opinion would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!

Why not consider buying a small tortoise such as an Egyptian or Pyxis & raise them insides on a tortoise table?
With the proper lighting & husbandry skills these tortoises can be happily raised to maturity & through breeding.
Both of these species have been raised for several generations completely inside.
It is very important to have good ventilation - so an open top is important. I also have a small fan running nearby in all but the coolest times.
tortoise table construction

I forgot to add - always do your homework before any animal purchase!
I researched my tortoises for over a year before purahsing.
Also remember what works for one person may not work for another!
I live in the far south so it is warm here most of the year... even inside! My tortoise room can get into the upper 90's F. easily - even in the winter on cold days the room will eventually warm up to the low 70s.

I thought about Egyptian, but I thought it might be too humid here. I found some information on pyxis. They seems to be more tolerant of humidity and temperature change. And they are so cute. Their heads look kind of like sea turtles', with big eyes..
Do you know any breeder? or do you know anyone who has one? Is reptile show a good place to get a tortoise?

Thank you so much for your suggestion.

Have you thought about 3 toed box turtles. They do really well in Chicago, thats where I live. I hybernate mine every winter and warm them up in the spring. I have had them for years, and they don't get very big.

Good luck

Shlep

I haven't thought about box turtles. How do you keep them? Do you have a table or aquarium? Do they need a lot of water?

Thank you for your suggestion!