Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i'm thinking of getting another tortoise,either the egyptian or the spider tortoise.i previously keep indian star,pancake,sulcata,leopard and radiated tortoise.but i hear that these 2 tortoise are hard to keep.i can get a c.b. juv of these 2 tortoise species.

i live in a tropical country.so i wouldnt have to worry about the tempreture too much.as for the egyptian,i can use a dehumidifyer to keep the humidity down.

so should i get a egyptian or the spider as the price of this 2 is not much difference.and which of the 2 is rarer in captivity?

thanks

If you are having no probelms with the other species you mention then an Egytpian would be best. All of your others are arid environment tortoise's and Egytpian's are no different. They just need it hot and very dry.

Alrhough they come from a a hot climate they aren't active when it is hot and must have a ambient of 78-82 and then a basking spot of 90-105. This s a very common miss conception peopel think animal come from the destert and keep them very hot and dry but what they didn't think of is in the wild the can dig and go into micro habitat. It maybe be 110 degrees and 25 percent humiduty outside. But in a smalle hole or tunnel its 76 and 50% humiduty and with some thing like a egyptian tortoise it can mean a short live and death from renal failure.
Xavier

so you think that i should get a egyptian?actualy,are they very hard to keep like most websites say?because most also say the star tortoise are also hard to keep but i have not have any problem with even WC hatchling to 5in individual for a long time.so do you think the egyptian is an okay next tortoise?
thanks

Fist, captive bred torts are generally easier than wild caught because they haven't been grounded in an environment. That doesn't mean you can suddenly put redfoots in a desert environment or egyptians in a tropical one with high humidity. That being said, no tortoise is difficult IF you get the husbandry correct, i.e, a set up that mimics their natural environment. For some torts that's easy for others (like Spiders, Forest Hingebacks, and, most Asian box turtles) it's darn near impossible.

As long as you keep Eqyptians in a dry, warm enclosure with plenty of space to move around, they are more active than you think, they'll do just fine.

Check out Dan Wolfe. http://www.dwherp.com/
He's a breeder of Egyptian's in Montana has has good info on their care and husbandry on his site.