What is the best kind of pet tortoise?

Question

Last week, I went to the pet shop and I saw a baby tortoise. It is so cute. There are many kinds of baby tortoise. The price of each kind of tortoise differs a lot. I don't care about the price. I just wanna know what is the best pet tortoise?

Answer 1

I am a multi- tortoise owner, having several species ranging from 3 russian tortoises, 1 desert tortoise,3 herman;s also called greek tortoises,1 leopard,1 red footed and honestly i believe all make very good and fun pets..IALSO have box turtles, various species. all are alot of work to care for but if you really are into the tortoise scene like i am i honestly do not believe that there is a bad species to choose.so pick one or do as i did and go w/ several..Check on diets for each species, but from my experiences i find all will eat almost the same diet. Always feed dark green leaff vegtables. some types are kale, collards,mustard greens dandilion greens,not spinach- too much iron.. also frozen mixed veges thawed out before feeding, they all like all of these foods and will eat readily.hope this helps..let me know. Nancy.

Answer 2

My recommendations for a beginner are, in order...

1. Box Turtles. Not really tortoises, but they live on the land, are usually cheaper, stay smaller, and generally have easier cares. Go for a Eastern or Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrepene carolina carolina or T. c. triungus)

2. Hermann's (Testudo hermanni) or Greek/Spur-thighed Tortoises (T. graeca). These stay rather small- 8"- have good personalities, look sharp, and are about the easiest to care for tortoises.

3. Red-foot Tortoise (Chelonoidis (or Geochelone) carbonaria). Beautiful, medium-large, relatively easy care but needs rainforest-like habitat that can be tricky. My favorites!

A common species that is often recommended, but that I don't like for beginners is the Russian Tortoise (Testudo horsfeldii). Many people have trouble with this species after a few years unless they are kept outside and hibernated. Not everyone has troubles, but enough that don't put it on my top list.

AVOID the common Sulcata Tortoise (also called the African Spurred Tortoise, Geochelone sulcata) This is a cheap and cute baby that grows into a bulldozer!

Answer 3

Lots of tortoises are cute as babies but you need to plan ahead. Tortoises live to be around 50 years old depending on the species. They are a life long commitment and won't stay that little and cute forever. Some grow to be 18 inches and more. So while they seem really cute and sound like a good idea as a pet now I would consider if your ready for that big of a commitment now. They cost a lot of money to care for as well. I'm not telling you that you will be a bad tortoise owner because you may not be. I just wanted to inform you on what a huge responsibility these little guys are. With that in mind I'd say that a russian tortoise would be a good one to start with if you are really serious about getting one. Best of luck!

Answer 4

The main reason that the prices differ so much is because their adult sizes differ greatly. The russian tortoise gets to be about a foot in length of shell (from tail end to head end not including tail and head). The Sulcata Tortoise gets to be close to 3 feet and near if not over 200 pounds. It all depends on how much tortoise you want to deal with. Below are some links of different tortoise pictures so you can get a better idea on the sizes:

Sulcata:

http://www.rgttc.org/wantsulcata_files/i...

Russian:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_KKFek1cTVLc/RpQ27g...

Hermanns:

http://www.naturalist.co.uk/reports2004/...

Madagascar Radiated:

http://images.wildmadagascar.org/picture...

Burmese Starred:

http://www.arkive.org/media/B4B302E3-A2E...

Gopher:

http://frog14.myweb.uga.edu/Gopher%20Tor...

Leopard:

http://ivorytortoise.com/price/descripti...

Red Footed:

http://www.monsterreef.com/images/REPTIL...

Yellow Footed:

http://www.dianeszoo.com/guineapigs/sigg...

If you want any more information on any of those tortoise or have any questions at all you can email me at [e-mail]

Answer 5

Try and find a Russian Tortoise, they are relatively cheap and very docile.