tortoise or not to tortoise?

[tikeyas_mom]

I want a toroise. But not one that get bigger then me lol. any suggestions on a breed? Thanks

[Desert Arabian]

Seems like you want every kind of animal.

[Karen]

Most tortoises are small. The only giants are endangered and rare species like the Galapagos tortoises, which you cannot have as pets anyway. Do a search on http://PetoftheDay.com for tortoises that have been featured, and you will learn plenty. This is actually an easy way to learn about all sorts of pets and breeds.

[wolf_Q]

Although there are some large tortoises, I highly doubt a large one would be available for you to buy.

I thought you said you weren't going to get any more pets?

[tikeyas_mom]

I know I said no more pets but ahh i cant get enough ..

[CathyBogart]

Tortioses are a BIG and EXPENSIVE commitment. Odds are a tortoise will outlive you, so they are DEFINITElY not a good impulse pet, especialyy if you are the kind of person for whom the "novelty" of having a pet wears off a few months after you get it.

If you are serious about getting a tortoise please stop by forum.kingsnake.com and look at their tortiose forum. There are a lot of very experienced people there. Ask one of them to walk you through a week in the life of a tortoise owner. Ask a lot of questions before you make a decision.

[popcornbird]

If you couldn't afford a cockatiel, how are you going to afford a tortoise? I don't know the price for them, but I believe they are expensive and harder to care for than the typical dog/cat/bird/bunny................common pets.

[tikeyas_mom]

I am not sure how mcuhh one would be to buy. I would get one from this place where I live they have tortoises and the lady owns about 4 of them. I would maybe ask her for one. I was just wondering about them. I am not the kinda person that gets bored of a pet by all means I love my pets and they are going in my will. I will look on that forum thanks alot guyz

[kingrattus]

I don't have a tortoise but I do have a snapping turtle. I got very lucky with him, hes not a picky eater & I created the perfect diet for him. I find it really easy to care for him, but it is alot of work. Cleaning a turtle (shell) with 20 1 inch claws isn't as fun as it seems, its quite painful. & I have to drain his pond every 2 weeks at the most, & he eats alot of food. 1-2 mice every second week & as summer comes, he'll be eating 3-5 mice every 2 weeks. & every mouse costs $1.99+tax...

You need to think long & hard to see if u really want to care for a turtle for the rest of ur life & u'll have to put him/her in ur will.

If I'm lucky I will out live my turtle, their avg age in captivity is 50 yrs, so I'll be approx 70yrs old when he may pass on, & I'm ready for it... but he will be put in my will because I know there is a chance he may out live me.

[tikeyas_mom]

hey kingrattus. I am just thinking about it, I wasnt going to jump into anything. I didnt know turtles eat mice. wow thats weired. I wonder if toroises eat mice? humm..l

[Desert Arabian]

Originally posted by tikeyas_mom
hey kingrattus. I am just thinking about it, I wasnt going to jump into anything. I didnt know turtles eat mice. wow thats weired. I wonder if toroises eat mice? humm..l

Snapping turtles eat almost anything that comes within their reach...such as my foot....yes, I got attacked and chomped on twice by a snapping turtle. By his size, my dad said he/she would be around 80 years old. It was huge, and made me pee in my pants and scream like a baby.

Um, NO..tortoises DO NOT eat meat, they eat fruits and veggies. Suprised you didn't know that, since you want to get a tortoise. How could you consider, or even think about getting an animal, without even knowing that much about it??

Yes...I'd like a Beluga Whale please...thanks!
Ok, that'll be $25,526.
Will a 10 gallon tank be ok?
I was planning on feeding it mushrooms and slugs, is that ok too?
Yup...it sure is.
Thanks!
Have a nice day!

[kingrattus]

Like Yellow said, my turtle is a meat eater (but he does love veggys & fruit aswell, but his main diet is meat) & the one u want is a veggy/fruit eater only...

I have 1 thing to say to u.. Thank u for asking about the turtle first & not after u got him, because u & him/her could have been screwed... But if u still want to get one make sure u give it more space then the pet store tells u to. Or maybe u can get one from rescue, that might be best...

but u still need to think a while on it & learn sooo much more about them, cause if their harder to take care of then my snapper, then I wouldn't want one...

Yellow, r u sure it was a common snapping turtle? cause Aligator snappers get to approx 100yrs in the wild & in captivity... if my memory serves me right Commons in the wild live under 50 & in captivity avg out to 50 yrs... but I still don't care how long he'll live, he's going in my will...

... but I have a midterm to do so I gotta study, chat more about this later

[wolf_Q]

Originally posted by YellowLabLover

Um, NO..tortoises DO NOT eat meat, they eat fruits and veggies. Suprised you didn't know that, since you want to get a tortoise. How could you consider, or even think about getting an animal, without even knowing that much about it??

GREAT post YLL, I completely agree.

[luckies4me]

Actually a lot of tortoises eat meat, sulcatas and my turtle Lucky eats meat all the time...well not all the time but probably about once a week. A lot of tortoises also LOVE crickets!


Lucy doesn't eat crickets but she does get some ground beef/chicken tenders once in a while, as well as Innova dog food, fresh fruits and veggies, grass, hay, flowers, cactus, etc.

They do have very specific dietary requirements and are a long time commitment. I have had Lucy for 7 years, and she is about 40 years already. I am not sure how long she will live but she's pretty healthy now so I am keeping my fingers crossed.


They need either an artificial or natural sunlight, a Vitamin D supplement as most of the time Vitamin D is lacking in the diet, and can lead to brittle bones etc. A calcium supplement is also a good idea. They need regular soaks, as it helps them digest food and keep them hydrated. Lucy gets a soak once a week in the summer as she has the heat from outside to help her digest her food...actualy Lucy is a he so I need to stop calling him a she lol.

They need to be dewormed every few months, and parasites CAN kill them. You need to keep their shells clean,, as well as take care of their skin. There is reptile oil on the market which is good for keeping their shells and skin in good condition.

[tikeyas_mom]

thanks luckies4me that was a helpful post about the turkey slices. I posed here about tortoises because I was thinking about getting one and I wanted to know about them. I would NEVER acctully get one without knowing EVERYTHING!!! trust me.. but thatnks for be a bit worried becsause I would have done the same thing if I never new the whole story .