Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm sure you guys always get this kinda stuff but i'm trying to decide between an egyptian and russian tortise. i need a small guy because i'll be renting a house soon and i've already got a leopard gecko and parrot so I need a tortise that wont take up a lot of space, granted i already know that both need a min. of six square feet of floor space. so anyways i'm looking for reccomendations on a tortise that will be "friendly" and moderatly easy to care for. I will have an outdoor area as far as i know depending on which college i go to, most likely in ohio, so suggest away all opinions are welcome, and thanks in advance.
*ash

Ok here is what i think So you are going to keep it indoors. I say go with a russian tortoise they stay small and are easy to take care of they also adapt to climates easy. Egyption stay smaller but will take more caring for. So over all i think russians or even greed would be good for you. Have you looked at hermans tortoise they stay small and look awsome. Well hope this helps.

i havent looked into hermans or greeks. can anyone suggest a site with good info on them? i did a yahoo search and didnt really get any good information. the tortoise i have will be ableto go outside for a few hours a day during the summer, unless humidity is a problem, or if its rainy. I may end up adopting a tortoise if one becomes available in the next few years but if not i'm going to need a reccomendation on where to buy a tortoise from. thanks for all suggestions.

Well you could try this site for overview on some of the tortoises heres the first link. http://www.pettortoise.co.uk/tortoise_species.php

Here is a link for greek care. http://www.reptileguru.com/care sheet greek_tortoises.htm

Here is a link for hemans tort. http://www.reptileguru.com/care sheet herman's_tortoise.htm

And this is a good site for care sheets http://www.reptileguru.com/Tortoise_Turtle_Caresheets.htm

Hope this helps you.

well thanks for all the help buti think i will be getting a russian. they are the most readily available and i can find info on them easily, plus i've just always liked the russian, second to the sulcata, and i can't get a sulcata. thanks again.

Remember that those cheap $35 Russian tortoises are wild caught. Spend a bit more money & get a captive born Russian. That way you get to watch it grow up & it will probably end up costing you less in the long run.
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I plan on buying them from a breeder. i was looking int LLLreptiles, but am open to suggestions of other places. and if i found one at a pet store for $35 i'd know there is somthing wrong because all the et stores around here sell russians for $70-$100

Well LLL sounds like they are good they say they are all CB. But a lot of petstores do say there CB but they arnt. You might want to call them and ask them about them and stuff. I say they are better then petco and stuff though. Also you can try Turtlepimp.com he has alot of turts. and torts. and i know alot of people with good results. He is a good breeder. Well if i see any other for sell ill tell you.

LLL is great. They have a very good reputation. Got my hermann's from them and she is perfect.

Hi i was woundering about LLL i wanted to get a hermans but did not know how goog they would be. So what size was yours and how much if you dont mind me asking. Thanks.

I got her/him last March. He/she was the about the size of a quarter. Has tripled his/her size since then. The Russian's they have now are not captive bread but the hermann's and Greek's are. I would highly recommend LLL.

The russians at LLLReptiles are NOT CB. The only way you will find an adult CB russian is through a private breeder, and those are few and far between. A CB baby generally will cost you $150-175, but will save you at least $100 in vet bills. If you want more information on russians, and to find some quality breeders, check www.russiantortoise.org and groups.yahoo.com/group/RussianTortoise.
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Sohni

2.2.2 Testudo horsfieldii
0.0.2 Testudo hermannii hoetgeri
0.0.2 Testudo hermannii hermannii
1.0.0 Testudo marginata

LLL does have a very good reputation and there is no reason for them to say they are CB when they are not.

There are many backyard breeders who do not want to deal with the public and they end up almost giving them to dealers like LLL. They in turn pass along the savings to the customer which is why they have a good reputation.

I've seen CB russians for sale at shows for under $75. These are people who have no desire to make money but a just interested in getting rid of the animal.

Ed

>>The russians at LLLReptiles are NOT CB. The only way you
will find an adult CB russian is through a private breeder, and those are few and far between. A CB baby generally will cost you $150-175, but will save you at least $100 in vet bills. If you want more information on russians, and to find some quality breeders, check www.russiantortoise.org and groups.yahoo.com/group/RussianTortoise.
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>>Sohni
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>>2.2.2 Testudo horsfieldii
>>0.0.2 Testudo hermannii hoetgeri
>>0.0.2 Testudo hermannii hermannii
>>1.0.0 Testudo marginata
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Wasn't implying that LLL was being misleading, as their website doesn't say CB, and they do have a good reputation. A lot of pet stores, however, will say their russians are CB without really knowing the difference. I recently bought a big (1288g) female, clearly WC, and she was labeled as a 4 year old CB male! The buyer needs to know what they're getting into, since the mortality rate is higher with WC, no matter how reputable the business, and most guarantees won't do any good if the tort dies after a couple weeks (which happened recently to someone on another list I'm on). For a beginner, especially one who just wants a pet, I'd recommend CB over WC any day.

Don't think I've seen CB russians for under about $150, but we don't have many shows in my area, and not many tortoises at those.
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Sohni

2.2.2 Testudo horsfieldii
0.0.2 Testudo hermannii hoetgeri
0.0.2 Testudo hermannii hermannii
1.0.0 Testudo marginata