Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I was wondering what kind of tortoise would be good for a beginner? I am not new to reptiles as I have a few but I want a tortoise so can someone direct me to some good sites and a few good breeders? thanks for ya help!

If you can give us more specifics it would be really helpful. For instance, what size tort do you have in mind and what kind of climate do you live in? Are there any traits you are going for, like personality, looks etc? Are you willing to hibernate your tort? Some torts to look into would be redfoot, russian, hermann's, and leopard. I would check out the classifieds on this site. Good luck!

I live in Sunny San Diego so the temps are ok right now. I wanna learn about tortoises before I actually get one. I wanna spend about a month or more learning before I rush into it but so far Im looking into a leopard they look pretty cool but I need a good site that has a good caresheet and just stuff like that so I can read up.

Hey, in respones to your question, I would reccomend a redfoot or some other smaller tort (hermanns, russian ect.). I have had my Leopard for 9 years now and I totally love her but I would really reccomend a redfoot (i have two of these guys too).

I say this for a few reasons. First, the redfoots have alot of personality, they are not shy like many leo's are. Second, they can tolerate fruit unlike leos, this makes buying grocery store bought food much easier. Third, leos tend to be a bit less hardy than many other torts, redfoots are usually considered very robust and sicness resistant.

These are of course total generalities but are based on my personal expierence. Let us know what you decide....

Oh yea, care of leos is identical to sulcatas if you cant find a caresheet for leopards. Check out the tortoise trust (google it, you'll find it) for alot of good articles.....

-Ian

You live in San Diego? That's great, because the San Diego turtle & tortoise society is there and can be helpful. I would recomend a Russian or California Desert tortoise (available captive hatched with a permit, do not collect a wild one!). I believe both these species have lots of personality and can become quite "friendly" and interactive. They are somewhat similar in behavior and temperment (big generalization here...), eat a varied and easy to get diet (local weeds, cacti) etc. Leopards in my experience are pretty, but many are quite shy and withdrawn, atleast compared to the other two. Further, I like to hibernate my tortoises, giving a husbandry break during the Holidays, so consider that. Leopards and sucattas both require heating systems, and so do redfoots. Be sure to check out the the SDT&T society and the C.T.T.C. websites. Good luck, Vic

Hey guys thanks for the info. Hmmm I might look into rescuing one but first I need some more knowledge on these species. Wow didnt know that tortoises were pretty expensive and as of now I dunno which one I'll get but I'll look into the ones you guys spoke about. So far I have a vacant 60 gallon tank sitting in my room which once house my dragon but since has gotten an upgrade to a much bigger cage to house him along with another dragon (seperated). Well as I said I'll look into tortoises and I might want to trade my dragons for a pair of tortoises so we'll see how things go down but thanks for the help.

try adopting one and see how it goes...be warned, though, they're quite addictive and b4 yer knew it...(man, any folks on here will tell ya about them potatoheads...)...now where's that ED...