Tortoise as a pet - buy off gumtree?
Discussion
Used to have one when we were kids - the ones you're not allowed now. Was always trying to escape.
My daughter aged 6 now wants one. So any thoughts / advice? I quite like them as a pet as not too much looking after. Cant have cats or dogs here. Goldfish are boring. Etc so thinking of Tortoise. Seems to be a couple of main breeds people advertise; don't want some special expensive breed just a regular one if there is such a thing. About a hundred quid seems to be the going rate.
My daughter aged 6 now wants one. So any thoughts / advice? I quite like them as a pet as not too much looking after. Cant have cats or dogs here. Goldfish are boring. Etc so thinking of Tortoise. Seems to be a couple of main breeds people advertise; don't want some special expensive breed just a regular one if there is such a thing. About a hundred quid seems to be the going rate.
Shelled warriors forum is quite useful for care sheets etc....
We've got a 05'captive bred Herman called Trevor, doesn't take much looking after really, we feed him on Florette crispy salad mainly with a pinch of calcium twice a week, every now and then he'll get dandelion leaves or half a tomato etc. There main diet is weeds which iv tried in the past the provide but it to much of a pain in the arse.
He lives in a homemade tortoise table, ( pet shop will rape you for a viviarium)
They need a heat source, I use B&Q long life 100w spots as the Tera ones or £9 each or summit stupid like that but the UVB lamp is a proper jobbie,which was about £30 another £30-£40 for the transformer thing to run it,I pay about £30 for a sack of bedding which last about 2 month with spot cleaning,
The main thing I'd say is they need a lot of room/space they will walk around for hours on end,if its kept in a small viv the banging will drive you mad. ours is asleep under our bed at the moment but not to worry he doesn't snore
We've got a 05'captive bred Herman called Trevor, doesn't take much looking after really, we feed him on Florette crispy salad mainly with a pinch of calcium twice a week, every now and then he'll get dandelion leaves or half a tomato etc. There main diet is weeds which iv tried in the past the provide but it to much of a pain in the arse.
He lives in a homemade tortoise table, ( pet shop will rape you for a viviarium)
They need a heat source, I use B&Q long life 100w spots as the Tera ones or £9 each or summit stupid like that but the UVB lamp is a proper jobbie,which was about £30 another £30-£40 for the transformer thing to run it,I pay about £30 for a sack of bedding which last about 2 month with spot cleaning,
The main thing I'd say is they need a lot of room/space they will walk around for hours on end,if its kept in a small viv the banging will drive you mad. ours is asleep under our bed at the moment but not to worry he doesn't snore
Edited by J18NHS on Wednesday 19th November 23:19
I honestly wouldn't get a tortoise as a pet without doing lots and lots of research. They need very specific care with regard to temperature and diet.
They will also outlive you. A colleague at work has one estimated to be at least 80 years old which originally belonged to her great grandmother.
They will also outlive you. A colleague at work has one estimated to be at least 80 years old which originally belonged to her great grandmother.
Mobile Chicane said:
I honestly wouldn't get a tortoise as a pet without doing lots and lots of research. They need very specific care with regard to temperature and diet.
They will also outlive you. A colleague at work has one estimated to be at least 80 years old which originally belonged to her great grandmother.
Depends on the species of tort you get really, some are more hardy than othersThey will also outlive you. A colleague at work has one estimated to be at least 80 years old which originally belonged to her great grandmother.
There diets are as fussy as you choose it to be, in the wild they forage for food which is basically weeds.
CoolHands said:
can they live outside if you build a rabbit hutch type thing? With a fenced off running(!) area over part of the lawn.
Species dependent really, I think I'm no expert !!!. as for a run you'd be better off it being a planted up part of the garden which you could plant with seeds to grow varies weeds for the tort and flowers that form part of there dietThere lots of info on this site and they also sell seeds to grow there food aswell as dried food which I use to bolster trev diet, sweet things like fruit should not be offered to often as it will rot there guts.
http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/forum/
J18NHS said:
Mobile Chicane said:
I honestly wouldn't get a tortoise as a pet without doing lots and lots of research. They need very specific care with regard to temperature and diet.
They will also outlive you. A colleague at work has one estimated to be at least 80 years old which originally belonged to her great grandmother.
Depends on the species of tort you get really, some are more hardy than othersThey will also outlive you. A colleague at work has one estimated to be at least 80 years old which originally belonged to her great grandmother.
There diets are as fussy as you choose it to be, in the wild they forage for food which is basically weeds.
Mobile Chicane said:
J18NHS said:
Mobile Chicane said:
I honestly wouldn't get a tortoise as a pet without doing lots and lots of research. They need very specific care with regard to temperature and diet.
They will also outlive you. A colleague at work has one estimated to be at least 80 years old which originally belonged to her great grandmother.
Depends on the species of tort you get really, some are more hardy than othersThey will also outlive you. A colleague at work has one estimated to be at least 80 years old which originally belonged to her great grandmother.
There diets are as fussy as you choose it to be, in the wild they forage for food which is basically weeds.
I bought ours from an online store as I wasn't as clued up as I should have been. He came from an eastern european tortoise farm and he's essentially disabled. His shell growth is really quite bad and he's rather flat which results in him being unable to lift his shell of the ground when he walks. Our reptile vet syas we've doen a cracking job on the care but he'll never be right, poor bugger.
Anyway, the outcome of this is that you should get one froma good, known UK source. THere's quite a few tortoise resuces where you canget a nice healthy adult that needs rehoming rather than buying a hatchling and adding to the terrbile trade in these cool little creatures.
Anyway, the outcome of this is that you should get one froma good, known UK source. THere's quite a few tortoise resuces where you canget a nice healthy adult that needs rehoming rather than buying a hatchling and adding to the terrbile trade in these cool little creatures.
Aren't you supposed to have a licence to sell a tortoise, even if it is your own one and you want to sell it on?
Had a tortoise when I was a kid, I have fond memories of him; he lived outside but unfortunately he got out one day and was attacked by next doors dog, he was never right afterwards and died a few months later.
Had a tortoise when I was a kid, I have fond memories of him; he lived outside but unfortunately he got out one day and was attacked by next doors dog, he was never right afterwards and died a few months later.
HorneyMX5 said:
He came from an eastern european tortoise farm and he's essentially disabled. His shell growth is really quite bad and he's rather flat which results in him being unable to lift his shell of the ground when he walks. Our reptile vet syas we've doen a cracking job on the care but he'll never be right, poor bugger.
Unfortunately a lot of captive bred reptiles are coming from these farms now. HTP99 said:
Aren't you supposed to have a licence to sell a tortoise, even if it is your own one and you want to sell it on?
AFAIK the only license you need (unless owning an animal listed on DWA list) is a pet shop license. You don't need a license to own one or sell one privately. Some species might be covered by CITES, but this is so difficult to police your unlikely to ever caught unless your a breeder.
Care sheets/diets are bery flexible. Most reptiles sold as pets are extremely hardy and will tolerate variances in diet/habitat.
I've got two horsefield tortoises. Don't think tortoises are an easy creature to look after. They need weeds and flowers as a diet preferably although some mixed salad leaves will suffice in the winter. They need regular bathing to keep them hydrated in order to prevent bladder stones. Do plenty of research as to what type of tortoise you think you could manage. Some tortoises are tropical and DO NOT hibernate. Some tortoises grow huge. They need specific temperature and lighting that includes UVA and UVB in order to prevent metabolic bone disease. If you have a hibernating species and wish to hibernate it will require a winding down period of about a month in order to make sure there is no food left inside the digestive tract. Also a box under the bed is not suitable at all they need a low temperature - a fridge is the preferred method for most keepers at a specific temperature. Don't jump in with both feet and think they are easy to care for - they are not. However if you decide to get one there is plenty of information online - Shelled Warriors and The Tortoise Table are both excellent sites for information and help. Good luck.
We bought our pair from a breeder in Southampton!
Fundamentally, they're not a suitable pet for a 6yr old at all...they're not a 'fad' pet, and as has been said, they'll out live you, and I find it really sad when people buy tortoises for the 'short term' because their kids no longer want them, and the parents don't want to look after them.
So please do think very hard about it.
That aside, ours live outside 24/7, but I had a house build which is fully insulated and heated (and lit).... definitely do not put them outside in an unheated environment, certainly throughout the winter - recommended min. temperature is about 10 degrees.
diet is important, and florette salad is considered to be an 'OK' emergency food, but it is largely water, so sprinkle neutrobal on it, and if possible supplement with either weeds, or 'complete food' pellets.
the SW forum mentioned up there is also very good, though the threads do sometimes get derailed! (much like any other forum).
Oh, and be very very careful about gumtree purchases - it's often used to sell on illegal animals without the A1 certificate or microchips.
Fundamentally, they're not a suitable pet for a 6yr old at all...they're not a 'fad' pet, and as has been said, they'll out live you, and I find it really sad when people buy tortoises for the 'short term' because their kids no longer want them, and the parents don't want to look after them.
So please do think very hard about it.
That aside, ours live outside 24/7, but I had a house build which is fully insulated and heated (and lit).... definitely do not put them outside in an unheated environment, certainly throughout the winter - recommended min. temperature is about 10 degrees.
diet is important, and florette salad is considered to be an 'OK' emergency food, but it is largely water, so sprinkle neutrobal on it, and if possible supplement with either weeds, or 'complete food' pellets.
the SW forum mentioned up there is also very good, though the threads do sometimes get derailed! (much like any other forum).
Oh, and be very very careful about gumtree purchases - it's often used to sell on illegal animals without the A1 certificate or microchips.
CoolHands said:
can they live outside if you build a rabbit hutch type thing? With a fenced off running(!) area over part of the lawn.
Mine does in the summer 10 inch high stainless steel wire panels about 10 ft long by 5 ft with a wooden box for shelter then put in our summer house at night with cardboard box with straw in it, if he wants to. Hiibinates in the box which we bring in and put in the cupboard under the stairs, eats lettuce weeds, flowers, dandelions, cucumber the odd strawberry or rasbury and let him out for a run around every now and then,.Before anyone says I am doing it wrong I am sure there is lots of new advice out there, but he was bought for me as a pet in
1963, Fully grown then, him not me!
That's a point to note, they can live a long time
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff