Anyone got a tortoise?

[ralph and maverick]

I am rather keen on the idea of getting a tortoise, OH says they are boring and don't do much!
I think they are vey enchanting and would love to get one.
Any book recommendations would be great, as I dint know much about them.
Also any advice, best place to purchase, tips, pros, cons etc.
We have a totally secure garden, so he wouldn't be able to wander off.

Thanks in advance

 

[cold_feet]

This thread is quite old, but interesting. I had tortoises as a child, and loved them, they have great character. I know it is now illegal to import live tortoises, so be careful how you go about getting one.
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090515094239AAeuJFU

 

[ralph and maverick]

Thanks for the link, made some interesting reading!

 

[Echo24]

Nope but I've always wanted one!

You can't let one out in the garden until they're 5 years old as they're too small and can die! You need to get a special table with heat lamps for the first few years of their life. They are tiny though (colleague's kids have them) but so cute! Still trying to persuade OH to let me have one (as well as a cat and a horse!)

 

[lindsayH]

I've always had them and work at an exotics vets. I think they're great! They have very distinct personalities. The only thing I don't like is when they hibernate, I miss her! It's true that if you get a younger one (under 8 years or so depending on species) that you shouldn't hibernate them and they need constant heat/uv, but they can go in the garden in good weather in a run. Older ones also will probably need heat/uv at certain times to be really healthy, when they first come out of hibernation for example. Getting an older one may be a good idea, there are even tortoise rescue societies online. Go for one of the more straightforward species, such as spur thighs.

 

[Bearsmum]

Yep - Dougal has just woken up from hibernation and is currently stonking round the lounge, I would put him out but it's quite cold and windy today.

They are very entertaining and although we inherited him I quite enjoy looking after him. I've just planted this years pea and bean crop to keep him going over the summer, he loves the leaves to go with his hedgrow each morning.

The tortoise trust has a wealth of information on their website and is well worth a read, there is a lot of rubbish advise out there especially when it comes to feeding and they have some quite shocking photos of the impacts poor diets can have on a little crusty friend.

Good luck and we need pictures if you do decide to get one.

JD

 

[nsequestrian]

I've got one!!! She came out of hibernation last week and is eating like a little pig with a shell!!!!

 

[Karran]

Yep - Dougal has just woken up from hibernation and is currently stonking round the lounge, I would put him out but it's quite cold and windy today.

They are very entertaining and although we inherited him I quite enjoy looking after him. I've just planted this years pea and bean crop to keep him going over the summer, he loves the leaves to go with his hedgrow each morning.

The tortoise trust has a wealth of information on their website and is well worth a read, there is a lot of rubbish advise out there especially when it comes to feeding and they have some quite shocking photos of the impacts poor diets can have on a little crusty friend.

Good luck and we need pictures if you do decide to get one.

JD

I thought peas and beans were bad for torts? Cos they're legumes? I've never given anything like that to mine!

I grow roses and pansies for mine! There's a great site called thetortoisetable that provides info for feeding and I buy plants from naturescape to go in the garden for him

 

[here_i_am]

We've got 2 Leopard tortoises. They're African, so don't hibernate. They don't need the humidity that the tropical ones like the Redfoots need either. Diets between the breeds vary quite a lot. Ours live off various weeds & dark green veg (and grass). Much cheaper to feed them over the summer than the winter!
Hermans & Horsefields are the most popular breeds for people who are new to torts. There's still a lot to it though. We bought ours as 3 year olds from a very knowledgeable & experienced private breeder. We can still call him whenever we want for advice. They're still only babies (10 years), so they're more than a life-long commitment. We've discussed who'll have them when we die!!
Loads of fact sheets on places like Shelled Warriors, Reptile Forum & The Tortoise Trust websites & forums.
They're lovely pets & actually have proper little characters. However, when things go wrong with them, they're very very difficult & expensive to fix. One of ours is very very poorly atm & is still touch-and-go whether he'll make it

 

[Cobiau Cymreig Wyllt]

Another one here who has always wanted a tortoise....I LOVE them....funnily enough my daughter told me earlier that on blue Peter they said the oldest living tortoise is.......drum roll......188!!!!!!!!! Amazing creatures, gotta love em....

 

[cremedemonthe]

We've had ours about 42 years, he was about 10 when we got him

 

[ralph and maverick]

Thanks for all te replies, will have a look at the tortoise trust, and look up some info sheets.

Here-I-am, fingers crossed yours makes a full recovery.

Cremedemonthe, your tortoise is lovely!!

More pics wanted please!

 

[Harveydales]

These are my 2 torts in their winter quaters. I've had the bigger one for 50 years now and the little one I "rescued" a couple of years ago. He is about 6 or 7 and was being kept incorrectly, hence his odd shape, but he is recovering well.

 

[Bearsmum]

I thought peas and beans were bad for torts? Cos they're legumes? I've never given anything like that to mine!

I grow roses and pansies for mine! There's a great site called thetortoisetable that provides info for feeding and I buy plants from naturescape to go in the garden for him

I don't feed him the peas and beans - they're for me! But he does love the leaves and they make a handy quick supplement to his other food.

 

[hnmisty]

We had a few tortoises when I was little.

The last one left was called Mariah, and our neighbours were desperate to look after her when we went on holiday. We had a neighbour across the wood who has an aviary in his garden who said he would look after her as she had no chance of escape. We let the neighbours look after her, and at some point, someone left the gate open.

Tortoises patrol the perimeter, and if they find an escape route, they take it.

I was about 6 at the time, and until I was about 19, I thought she might still be happily plodding around the wood. Then my dad let slip that he'd found her shell not too long after.

The other week when I was home (now 24), he let slip that she had in fact gone into one of our neighbour's fields and he had been out topping it...yup All in all, I was much happier pretending that she was still plodding around.

So...word of warning there...our garden was tortoise proof...apart from when someone left the gate open. Therefore I would advise making sure the gate was fenced off, so even if someone did leave it open, your tortoise couldn't get out!

If we'd let the other neighbour look after her, we'd probably still have her :/ (and I wouldn't have to tell people that our tortoise ran away!)

 

[Karran]

I don't feed him the peas and beans - they're for me! But he does love the leaves and they make a handy quick supplement to his other food.

They can have the leaves? I'm probably sounding really dense here I'm still rather novicey to all things tortoise (only had my spur thigh 4 years) so I kept strictly well away from all things like that, assuming (clearly wrongly) that the leaves would be just as bad at the actual pea and beans!!

 

[_jac_]

We have 2 hermanns, yoda and vader had them since they were hatchlings and they have great characters and love having baths

 

[suestowford]

they're more than a life-long commitment. We've discussed who'll have them when we die!!
(

A friend of mine is leaving me her tortoise in her will! he is only about 5 and she is 60+ so he will probably outlive her.