Re: which?

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Posted by Terry on January 06, 2001 at 16:21:11:

In Reply to: which? posted by Nickole on January 06, 2001 at 14:47:34:

That depends on how you're going to house it, and the climate where you live.
IF you live in a warm climate and have a large secure yard, sulcatas are very easy tortoises to care for.They can be housed outdoors year round when old enough. You can grow most if not all of their food yourself. And if provided with a safe/dry overnight shelter they will do very well.

If you don't live in a warm climate and can't house the tortoise outdoors year round a Russian might be a better choice.

Russian torts are mostly wild caught and need to see a vet as soon as possible after obtaining it. Many are infested with internal parasites (worms) and some have other health problems.
The tortoise can be treated for the worms by your vet and with TLC Russians become quite tame.
They don't require as much room as a sulcata but still need a nice large enclosure. Russian tortoises hibernate ( although not the first year you have it, or if it's not 100% healthy).
They can easily be housed outdoors during the summer and indoors during the winter months. If you live in a cooler climate.

Sulcatas are very cute as hatchlings and being captive bred usually come with less health problems than wild caught russian torts.
However they grow quickly and need a lot of space.
In just a few years you will have a large tortoise on your hands, if you get a sulcata. A tortoise that eats a lot, needs a lot of room and poops a lot!
If you can't house a sulcata outdoors year round I would get a Russian.
You can house a sulcata indoors for a while, but they grow quickly and obtain a huge size as sub adults/adults.Do you want a 150 lb tortoise living in your house?!!!
They don't hibernate and are active year round.

Check out sulcata station, linked below. I have 5 sulcatas ranging in size from 75 grams to 150lbs!

If I couldn't house them ( the larger ones) outdoors year round there's no way I could keep them. They are too big, too active and too messy for the average household.

I also have Russian Torts . They too live outdoors but are small enough to over winter indoors.

So if you have the climate and the yard space etc sulcatas are great tortoises. If you don't, then go for the Russian torts.
Here's some info on Russian Tortoises:

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/horsfield_habitat.html

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/horsfield.html

Terry.

Sulcata Station

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: That depends on how you're going to house it, and the climate where you live. : IF you live in a warm climate and have a large secure yard, sulcatas are very easy tortoises to care for.They can be housed outdoors year round when old enough. You can grow most if not all of their food yourself. And if provided with a safe/dry overnight shelter they will do very well. : If you don't live in a warm climate and can't house the tortoise outdoors year round a Russian might be a better choice. : Russian torts are mostly wild caught and need to see a vet as soon as possible after obtaining it. Many are infested with internal parasites (worms) and some have other health problems. : The tortoise can be treated for the worms by your vet and with TLC Russians become quite tame. : They don't require as much room as a sulcata but still need a nice large enclosure. Russian tortoises hibernate ( although not the first year you have it, or if it's not 100% healthy). : They can easily be housed outdoors during the summer and indoors during the winter months. If you live in a cooler climate. : Sulcatas are very cute as hatchlings and being captive bred usually come with less health problems than wild caught russian torts. : However they grow quickly and need a lot of space. : In just a few years you will have a large tortoise on your hands, if you get a sulcata. A tortoise that eats a lot, needs a lot of room and poops a lot! : If you can't house a sulcata outdoors year round I would get a Russian. : You can house a sulcata indoors for a while, but they grow quickly and obtain a huge size as sub adults/adults.Do you want a 150 lb tortoise living in your house?!!! : They don't hibernate and are active year round. : Check out sulcata station, linked below. I have 5 sulcatas ranging in size from 75 grams to 150lbs! : If I couldn't house them ( the larger ones) outdoors year round there's no way I could keep them. They are too big, too active and too messy for the average household. : I also have Russian Torts . They too live outdoors but are small enough to over winter indoors. : So if you have the climate and the yard space etc sulcatas are great tortoises. If you don't, then go for the Russian torts. : Here's some info on Russian Tortoises: : http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/horsfield_habitat.html : http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/horsfield.html : Terry.

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