Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm an experienced reptile keeper. Mostly a Snake and Lizard guy. I've been think about adding a tortoise for sometime now and would like to ball park prices of the more common species out there. And perhaps some opinions if you like to share them. Any help would be appreicated.

Good beginner tortoises are A. horsefieldi "Russians" and T.g.ibera "Greeks", both captive hatched and raised. Also T. marginata, Marginated tortoise. I like them because they are hardy, coming from climates roughly similar to what I can offer here in Northern California. I would expect to pay about $100 each, perhaps a bit more for marginata. Perhaps a bit more on the East coast. With a little looking, you can find captive bred specimens of the above, which are typically less problems and usually cheaper in the long run than imports... I evolved into tortoises only about 6 years ago after some 35 years with snakes and lizards. They are fun, lot's of personality in the above species, and house guests aren't afraid of them! Good luck, Vic

Just out of curiostity VICtort, do you still keep any snakes and lizards, or just torts now?

Dear Bovox, I still keep a few dozen snakes, a handfull of geckos and some bug colonies. I am trying to reduce my caretaking chores due to time constraints, I have never lost interest after 35 years of husbandry. I do not know why I took so long to work with tortoises, but they have been a joy and learning and solving puzzles is the reason why for me. Tortoises being vegetarians is a big plus, those darn mice and rats are a lot of work (for snake food)...