Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This will be the deciding factor on which tortoise i get. I jsut wanted to know what you guys think is the best in all(personality, ease of care, etc)and that will be it. This will be my first tortoise so i don't want one that's hard to take care of or can be stressed too easily. Thank you in advance!!!
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Paullywog

If it has scales or smooth wet skin... snatch it!!!

I got a baby Hermann and he was so easy to take care of and so cute in his little personality that I ended up getting one more. I also heard Russians are great too. Good luck in choosing the right one for you.
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Becki

1 Husband
4 kids
2 Hermans
1 Dog
2 Finches
2 Betta
1 Cat

You keep asking for something easy...

A tortoise might not be for you. They can be easy if you key onto the right things from the start but that is not the norm.

Any of the tortoises you have listed would be great starter tortoises and they can be loads of fun but as a rule they are not 'easy'.

In terms of difficulty I usually list herps this way... Snakes, lizards, tortoises, turtles and then amphibs in the order of easy to difficult.

(just something to think about)
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

if someone asks me to name an "easy" pet to take care of, tortoise doesn't leave my lips until way down the list.

>>"In terms of difficulty I usually list herps this way... Snakes, lizards, tortoises, turtles and then amphibs in the order of easy to difficult."

before the UVb technology and information boom, i would have placed most lizard species more toward the end of that list, but even with all the available information, tortoises are a worthy challenge.

under the right conditions and with ample information seeking behavior on your part, you can successfully maintain a tortoise. just don't make the mistake of equating "easy" with "occasionally tossing a piece of lettuce their way."

take brad's advice and visit a site like russiantortoise.org to get an idea of the effort most of us consider reasonable for success.

good luck -- if you're into it, tortoise keeping is amazingly rewarding.

matt

WEll i have amphibians too and find them easy to take care of. I dont mean really easy and no effort. I mean, not having to get a 100 pound sulcata tortoise outside. SO yeah.
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Paullywog

If it has scales or smooth wet skin... snatch it!!!

I am not saying or expecting that tortoises will be as easy to take care of as say, my leopard gecko. The truth is, i love happy animals, and can't stand to see crowded, undernourished, depressed animals at the pet store, how they often are. I know that keeping a tortoise will not be super easy, will require lots of time to clean up after, and will need an appropriate, varied diet. I don't know why, but doing things such as these gives me a great deal of satisfaction in my hard effort when i raise animals to be healthy, beautiful animals, and i find that tortoises are cute, fit in to my lifestyle,and fit in with my desert climate. Just so you know!
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Paullywog

If it has scales or smooth wet skin... snatch it!!!

I don't understand why people say torts are not easy to take care of. I have two and I have no problem taking care of them. As long as you soak them regularly, make sure they have fresh water and food everyday and keep there pens clean. Other than that just turning there lights on at the appropriete times is the only other thing I can think of and you can put those on timers or just turned them on when you get up in the morning and turn them off at night. No big deal. The hardest part is getting started and making sure the temps are right. Put some thermometers around the pen in different areas to make sure the temps are okay. Torts do need work but I don't think it is that bad. I guess it depends on the person and how many and what kind of tort you have. Good luck! Just do your research and you will be fine.
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Becki

1 Husband
4 kids
2 Hermans
1 Dog
2 Finches
2 Betta
1 Cat

"The hardest part is getting started"
...once you have a healthy, happy tort, consider these benefit compare to other pets:

-you really doesn't have to feed them everyday (sorry dogs and cats!)
_they won't annoying your neighbours (sorry dogs and cats and birdies!)
_they will most likely outlive every living pets and pests in da house (sorry dogs and cats and birds and bees and HUMAN, too