Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've lived in the suburbs for 20 years. I had an Asian Box turtle for 14 of those years, up till a few weeks ago.

I moved into the city and my mom was taking care of the turtle while I got situated. She let the turtle outside to walk around in the grass, which she usually did, but my mom forget to bring the him back in, and she couldn't find him. She didn't tell me for about 2 days, and by the time I made it back home, it was obviously too late to find him.

So that was a few weeks ago, and my new apartment is all set up, but I would really like a tortoise as a new pet. Are there any tortoises that could live in an apartment? It's not a small apartment, but it's not huge either. I'd like one that would grow to a fair size, but not for about 10 years. Is there a suitable tortoise for me? Thanks!!!

I Russian or an Indian star are nice- do alittle research on these and see which you think would suite you.

Russian Tortoises are among the MOST active species. They need an OUTDOOR enclosure of at least 6 x 8 feet! Read the literature. They are not suitable indoor pets - they require way too much room for exercise.

If you talk to any reasonable Russian tortoise keeper you will find that they will agree the Russian tortoise does, in fact, make a great indoor/apartment pet.

Yes they are active but this activity can be accommodated for by providing structure such as rocks and tunnels which they seem to love.

More space and outdoor accommodations is good but it is not a must and not a requirement.

>>Russian Tortoises are among the MOST active species. They need an OUTDOOR enclosure of at least 6 x 8 feet! Read the literature. They are not suitable indoor pets - they require way too much room for exercise.
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

As long as the enclosure has a creative set up with hiding spots, fun obstacles, etc. Id try to make a tort table at least 3x2.5, for a juvie Russian tort.

A russian would work well. They can live inside if you can provide a large enough enclosure. They are a lot of fun. A big rubbermaid container will work or a tortoise table would be better if you had room. Adult males are only about 8 inches and females can grow to be 10 inches. If you have any more questions, let me know!

Ash

Thanks for the reply. What are some tortoises that I can raise in an apartment (and occasionally take outside), that would grow to maybe 13 to 16 inches, provided I had a big enough enclosure for it? How big do Greeks get?

Ideally I would like a tortoise that will stay a managable-in-an-apartment size for maybe 5 to 10 years, but after that maybe get bigger. When do tortoises stop growing? Thanks for the help!

I dont think Greeks get bigger than 8 inches, but they really like to dig. I think they are supposed to do ok indoors. Russians can be kept in doors but they are pretty small too. (no bigger than 10 inches). For a tortoise that is 13 inches or bigger, you should probably be able to keep them outside.

So do most Russians reach 10 inches? And is that male or female? Thanks for all the help and info.

Male Russians are about 6 to 8 and females are 8 to 10. Females get bigger than the males do. If you are looking for a specific sex, you will probably have to buy one that is already a couple years old because you can't tell when they are little. If you want to do some extra research about them, this is a great website: www.russiantortoise.org. The guy that put this together did an excellent job. He also has a Yahoo group specifically about Russian Tortoises that you might want to check out. There are lots of very knowledgable people there who can help.

Hope this helps!

Ash

Thanks for the link. I'm checking out that site right now.

How bout Leopards? I've seen lots of very large ones, but are there any species of leopards that stay under...13 inches?

I am not an expert on Leopards as I do not have any, but from what I understand they are about 16 to 18 inches as adults and weigh around 40 lbs. I think there is one species of them that can get as big as 80lbs. As a general rule, they are a larger tortoise. There is another kind called the red foot tortoise. They are around 14 inches. The Cherry-head variety only get to be about 14 inches. I am not sure about their adult weight though.

Hope this helps!

Ash

Leopards are very slow growers as a rule. I have one female that is 14 years old and she is only 9 inches.

Leopards can, indeed, get to 80lbs and larger and that is not limited to the southern race.

>>I am not an expert on Leopards as I do not have any, but from what I understand they are about 16 to 18 inches as adults and weigh around 40 lbs. I think there is one species of them that can get as big as 80lbs. As a general rule, they are a larger tortoise. There is another kind called the red foot tortoise. They are around 14 inches. The Cherry-head variety only get to be about 14 inches. I am not sure about their adult weight though.
>>
>>Hope this helps!
>>
>>Ash
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Ed,
Will she eventually get to be 16 to 18 inches, or is that just that really large variety?

Thanks!

Ash

I believe every leopard I've ever owned had the potential to reach that size and I'm pretty sure of the origin from Somolia south.

>>Ed,
>>Will she eventually get to be 16 to 18 inches, or is that just that really large variety?
>>
>>Thanks!
>>
>>Ash
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Do you know if personality wise are they better than a redfoot? Somewhere I hear that they can be mean.

Ash
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TurtsandTorts Discussion Group
2 Russians (Harley and Marley)
2 RES (Sunny and Fatty)
2 Gerbils (Sydney and Vienna)
1 Cat (Abby)

yup, that is true. They can be feisty.

>>Do you know if personality wise are they better than a redfoot? Somewhere I hear that they can be mean.
>>
>>Ash
>>-----
>>TurtsandTorts Discussion Group
>>2 Russians (Harley and Marley)
>>2 RES (Sunny and Fatty)
>>2 Gerbils (Sydney and Vienna)
>>1 Cat (Abby)
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Which can be fiesty, leopards or redfoots?

The leopards can be fiesty.
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TurtsandTorts Discussion Group
2 Russians (Harley and Marley)
2 RES (Sunny and Fatty)
2 Gerbils (Sydney and Vienna)
1 Cat (Abby)

I am definitely interested in the redfoots, but I hear they need a good amount of humidity. How could I provide that in an indoor-only setting. Thanks.

Check out this link. They are very reliable. http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/redfootcare.htm
They suggest using Cypress Mulch to retain humidity. Make sure you get a thermometer that will read both temperature and humidity. Mine is made by Fluker's and it works well. I dont do anything to maintain my humidity and it stays pretty constant around 50%. I just use a mixture of sand and Bed-A-Beast for my substrate.

definately not so on the humidity requirement for a RF. A humid hide is more than enough to keep them happy and healthy.

Now, I'm not sure if this would hold up in a desert climate but I do know that it does hold up everywhere else and I'd be willing to bet they do fine in a desert environment as well with the above requirement met.

>>I am definitely interested in the redfoots, but I hear they need a good amount of humidity. How could I provide that in an indoor-only setting. Thanks.
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

What are some torts that max out size-wise at about 12 to 15 inches? Also...how long do most of...whatever kind of tort take to reach that size? Thanks