Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Thought I would post this for anyone thinking about getting that cute little tortoise in the window...I've had Moxie (a CB Hermann's tortoise hatchling) for about 6 weeks now, and I thought I would calculate how much I have spent on him thus far. The rough total (I could break it down for anyone who is interested) comes to over $700. This includes the initial purchase price, cost of building an outdoor pen/cover and filling it with soil and plants, indoor enclosure, proper heating & lighting, hides, vet visit w/ fecal check and worm meds., weed seed mixes, calcium and vitamins, etc., etc. Granted, I spent a little more because he is CB, and I may have gone a little overboard in some areas, but most of the expenses are not avoidable if you want a healthy tort. This also does not include the countless hours spent in research, construction, planting, food preparation, etc. I spend more time and money on Moxie than on any other of my animals, and I'm a stay-at-home mom, so I spend more time at home than most people.

Anyway, I figured this would be an eye-opener for newbies. Hope it helps people to make a well-informed decision.

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Jeannie

aka Sohni (my real name, just like Sony TV, it's Indian)
Northern California
0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa (Bella)
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake (Bess)
1.1 Rubber Boas (Isaiah & Esther)
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise (Moxie)
1.0 Leopard Gecko (George)
2.0 adopted DSH Cats (Amos & Silas)
1.0 rescued English Springer Spaniel (Jimmy)
and...
2.0 Kids w/ 0.0.1 California King Snake (Rex), 0.1 Leopard Gecko (Geico), 1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa (Lucas)
1.0 Husband (no pets, just us, lol)

Tortoise... $0.00 (adopt a tortoise)
Housing outdoors... $0.00 (find surplus building material)(cinder blocks are great)
Feeding... $0.00 (Neighborhood weeds, dryed out for the winter)(or the old time favorite of... you guessed it... dumpster diving)
If you are resourceful it can be as inexpensive as expensive
Ed

I think you are right in that with a little resourcefulness many of the costs can be substantially reduced...sometimes. It isn't always easy to salvage building materials around here--most building sites recycle their waste and/or have their construction areas fenced or patrolled. Scrounging from friends is a possiblity, though--again, sometimes. Collecting weeds is a whole 'nother matter. I live in an agricultural area (mostly vineyards), and it is very difficult to be sure that weedy areas are not adjacent to areas that have been sprayed (which is why I planted my own weed seeds). Dumpster diving is something I just don't have time for, but it's certainly not ouside the realm of possibility for others. Actually, I'm not paying for food now (except Mazuri), because I have enough weeds grown in, and I feed those exclusively.

Anyway, I think I did point out that my expenses were probably on the high side, and there are ways to lessen them, but the fact still remains that proper lighting, heating, and vet treatment isn't as cheap as a newbie might think (especially one who's been told by a pet store that their baby tort can live in a 10 gal. and eat romaine forever, lol). I'd be interested to see what others on this forum spend annually per tort.

I think we can agree that anyone who thinks that keeping a tort is akin to having a goldfish needs to do more research.
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Jeannie

aka Sohni (my real name, just like Sony TV, it's Indian)
Northern California
0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa (Bella)
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake (Bess)
1.1 Rubber Boas (Isaiah & Esther)
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise (Moxie)
1.0 Leopard Gecko (George)
2.0 adopted DSH Cats (Amos & Silas)
1.0 rescued English Springer Spaniel (Jimmy)
and...
2.0 Kids w/ 0.0.1 California King Snake (Rex), 0.1 Leopard Gecko (Geico), 1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa (Lucas)
1.0 Husband (no pets, just us, lol)

...with you both.

Like both of you, I keep a large number of animals. Being resourceful has helped to lessen the cost, but if you get one sick animal, you can easily break the budget. I rescue a moderate number of box turtles and other types in the Bay Area. What I spent last year on rehab and food, could have put me in a new Mercedes.

For someone who is not familar with the basics of deworming a turtle, it can cost in upwards of $200 immediately. Add a round of Baytril and you have a $500 turtle.

You both get the prize. Be aware of the cost and learn to be resourceful.

Paul

I think we can all agree that the reasons we keep the animals we do has nothing to do with cost, but rather with the level of enjoyment we receive from them, and for many other reasons.

When my brother died 4 years ago in a very traumatic way, I brought his 15 year old, grouchy, sick cat home with me...I had to, he was the last link to my brother. One year later and after $1000 in vet bills, he died, still grouchy. That darn cat growled and hissed at everyone, pooped bloody diarrhea everywhere, and I still miss him!
-----
Jeannie

aka Sohni (my real name, just like Sony TV, it's Indian)
Northern California
0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa (Bella)
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake (Bess)
1.1 Rubber Boas (Isaiah & Esther)
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise (Moxie)
1.0 Leopard Gecko (George)
2.0 adopted DSH Cats (Amos & Silas)
1.0 rescued English Springer Spaniel (Jimmy)
and...
2.0 Kids w/ 0.0.1 California King Snake (Rex), 0.1 Leopard Gecko (Geico), 1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa (Lucas)
1.0 Husband (no pets, just us, lol)