Reptile & Amphibian Forums

does anyone have an opinion if between redfoots, hermanns, marginateds, or greeks any of them are hardier or easier to keep as hatchlings?

All of these are relatively easy but do have different requirements as they get older. They all make great pets.
I'm partial to the Redfoots but the others have their charm.
Ed

Hermann's are very hardy and they are surprisingly adaptable. I keep them in my backyard here in coastal southern California where it gets somewhat humid. They do fine, but my Greeks tend to get the sniffles and sometimes get mucous in their noses because of the dampness. Golden Greeks especailly like it dry, dry dry.

Redfoots are pretty hardy also if you keep them warm enough and with good humidity. They like the moisture because they are more of a forest dweller. Greeks may not do well if you don't keep them dry enough. They are more of a desert dweller. Marginated's also like it pretty dry, and they are pretty hardy as well under the right conditions.

If you haven't tried keeping Redfoots in SoCal you should give it a shot. The Cherryheads are very drought tolerant and do fantastic in this climate. Now Yellowfoots might be another story.
Redfoots are not really forest dwellers. From what I can tell from the natural history litterature, they seem to prefer grasslands and transitional zones.
Ed

Refoots are one of the few tortoises I have not kept. However, according to what I have read on them and learned from others who have kept them, they do seem to prefer humid forested areas. They have moved out into the grasslands as well, but some researchers believe this may be do to deforestation by humans and not natural choice. Most of the sites I found on the internet say they prefer humid forests. There is some controversy about this, and the following is from one of the sites I looked at.

Oh well, I guess it wouldn't let me post what I found. Anyway, it said that some herpitologists think the redfoots prefer the grasslands, but others say they prefer forests. There can be no doubt though, that they are commonly found in forested areas.

Well, talking to the people who actually find them in the country of origin... they are not commonly found in the forest. The majority of the populations are found in the transition zones and as a side note, deforestation is actually increasing habitat in this particular case.
Needless to say, these guys can take it a lot drier then many folks let on.
Ed

Well, I've talked to people who say they always found redfoots in the forest when they went collecting, so I guess we're at a stalemate. But if you study it further, you will find they are MOSTLY, not always, but MOSTLY forest dwellers.