I'm thinking of getting a tortoise. Anything I should know, should be wary of or should have/be capable of?
>>2090986
It's gonna live forever, you'll be bored of it after a few weeks/months and wish you would have never gotten it.
t. turtle owner
>>2090986
It is very important that you provide a large full spectrum UV bulb and replace it religiously every six months, feed a varied diet of greens and veg (consult care sheet for specifics), and keep the humidity in the appropriate range for your species of tortoise. Failure to do so will result in vitamin deficiency and shell pyramiding. And that's bad.
It is also important, if possible, to provide a secure dig proof escape proof predatory proof outdoor enclosure in direct sunlight for your tortoise if it is at all feasible in your climate. Minimum you should let tortoise be outside a couple days a week during summer months, and bring back inside for night if it's too cold.
Pay attention to the care sheets about enclosure size. They need a ton of space relative to their size.
Tortoises are a big commitment.
Also, watch out for wild caught tortoises being sold, especially russian tortoises. You want a captive bred one. Best species for beginner are Hermann's tortoise, Greek tortoise (very active, extra big enclosure needed), red-foot/yellow-foot tortoise, and russian tortoise if captive bred.
>>2090986
>if it is at all feasible in your climate
I live in Eastern Europe. That means Niflheim one half of the year and Hell the other half.
How much space would a 20cm tortoise need for example?
>>2091006
consult care sheets on that. it depends on the species.
>>2090993
Sort of this. I was given a box turtle by a teacher when I was 16, and I'm 25 now. He's probably over 20 himself but still going strong. His care, especially since I keep him indoors, is pretty fucking involved. Has a huge cage that takes up about 1/5 of the floor area of the room, smells if you don't clean regularly, needs a ton of food, needs a varied diet, fucks up his water every day, always tries to eat my fingers, need to clip and file his beak and nails periodically, needs to hibernate in a fridge during the winter. Tortoises may be simpler to keep since they don't need meat and if you can keep it outside when it grows up though. Still, it's a lifelong commitment if you get one as a baby. You'll either give it up or have to take it with you wherever you go.
I like my box turtle but one is enough. I think he's put me off keeping more chelonians in the future.
Not tortoise but I have 2 turtles smuggled from China. They're pretty carefree DESU, just remember to change the water every month and feed them every day, literally takes seconds.
in a sense I enjoyed having a tortoise, but also it was too much work. I would have probably enjoyed it more if it lived outside.
I would put it outside and let it walk around but then I would have to sit outside and watch it to make sure it didn't scamper off
>>2091001
This, I killed my turtle as a kid, because I didn't know how to properly care for it, then again my parents should have researched it before buying me one, mind you this was before widespread interwebs and the people at the pet store said that a simple lamp would suffice
>>2093163
>didn't scamper off
Little niggas can move a lot faster than you'd expect when they feel like it.
>>2093122
>once a month
Nigger
You need to do a 10% water change everyday you fuck. How would you like it if you only got to flush your toilet once a month. Pull your head out of your ass.
>>2093235
Every week not day I fucked up sorry senpai
>>2090986
I read somewhere that some species of Turtles have the worst smelling farts of any single animal on earth, and that they smell like ten burning tires.
>>2090986
Are there any cuddly turtles that will come to you and want to be petted and snuggle up with you? Also is there such a thing as having a pet turtle without a shell, can they live in captivity without a shell?
>>2090986
Whats the difference between tortoises and turtles? Can you get pets of both, and do you need to fill the tank with water or not?
>>2091006
A Testudo hermanni ssp boettgeri or hermanni should be doable.
Maybe a Russian tortoise too
where exactly do you live?
As far as space, the enclosure for my group is about 6m long and 2m wide.
I would say they use pretty much all of the space. They love to climb over things, so keep that in mind also.
I can upload a pic of my enclosure if you want. But it currently looks pretty shitty, because winter just ended here.
>>2093281
>If I removed that shell, would you die?
>>2093290
Isn't the shell merely for protection from predators? I mean in captivity they would have no need for it right?
Don't they have skin underneath the shell? Like when you play Zelda LTTP , when you fight the boss turtle his shell comes off halfway throught he battle revealing his reptilian snake like body.
Isn't that's under the shell? Scaly reptilian skin like a lizard?
>>2093282
Tortoises are a family of terrestrial turtles called testudinidae. Elephant like feet, herbivores and upright gait. Other turtles are mostly aquatic to semi-aquatic omnivores but there's a ton of different families in the order with some being terrestrial like box turtles.
>>2093302
Are there any entirely aquatic turtles?
And can tortoises swim? I mean did this guy do something wrong here?
>>2093305
Marine turtles except for when they lay eggs.
Mata matas and alligator snapping turtles also rarely leave the water.
>>2093305
Tortoises do have limited swimming ability. It may have been enough for that one to save itself.
>>2090993
I got a box turtle when I was in kindergarten. I had it until I was 24 before giving it away to a reptile shelter when I had to move into a no pets apartment.
If you're getting a torturtle you're getting an animal that may potentially outlive you because their metabolism is fucking magic.
It's an investment, don't get one unless you REALLY love them.
>>2093312
why cant we take turtle dna and infuse it with our own to increase our longevity and make turtle people?
>>2093306
don't forget fly river turtles
>>2093315
Because that science hasn't been figured out yet
>>2093294
Shitty troll is shitty
>>2093215
>This, I killed my turtle as a kid, because I didn't know how to properly care for it, then again my parents should have researched it before buying me one
Same here. Had a gecko of some kind as a kid. No idea what it was. I would just dump 30 crickets into the cage (aquarium with no heat or anything) every couple of weeks.
I'm not saying it's my parent's fault that it died. But I just know they did something wrong even though I can't put it into words. I would never give my kid a pet and not oversee it for the pet's sake.
