Re: Good apartment tortoise?

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Posted by Esther on May 11, 2001 at 22:39:41:

In Reply to: Good apartment tortoise? posted by Katt on May 11, 2001 at 18:27:01:

How long do you plan to stay in an apartment setting before you relocate to a place with a yard? What part of the country do you live in?

In my humble opinion, I can only say that any tortoises that initially seem small and cute and well-adapted to apt living will quickly outgrow that situation. If you own sulcatas, like I do, you soon will find yourself cooking home a lot more to save the money so that you can move to a larger place with a balcony and direct sunlight for the babies. Be ready for MAJOR life-style adjustments. I don't really recommend sulcatas, they just outgrow everything and you MUST be prepared for them to TAKE OVER and RULE your apartment!:) If you will be moving to a fenced-yard type house in a few years, then that is a different situation. So I guess it all depends on your individual plans.

Once they turn 4, and you are in an apartment, plan to spend at least 1 hour a day cleaning up after poop alone. And don't buy any rugs that you don't mind, well, stained from time to time.

And when they knock over your trash can so that they can blissfully sit inside it in the middle of a mixture of spoiled pancake batter, napkins and olive oil, you are not allowed to get frustrated, you just have to laugh (and then find a new solution for the trash because they will pull their best tricks over and over again if left unchecked). When you have a fancy dinner party and they come out and charmingly show off and then poop in front of the guests, you must find a way to gracefully clean it up. They won't be confined to a tank, you know. . . .If you invite a sulcata tortoise into your apartment, guarenteed 4 years later, it will become THEIR apartment. You just exist to pay the rent, that's all! This is a situation that I have happily accepted and look forward to someday soon owning a real house with a real yard, just for their sakes. But I mean, you REALLY have to be ready for that committment.

: Can anyone suggest a tortoise that would do well in an apartment setting? Thanks!

: ~Katt

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Esther and then....... Georgia 05/12/01 (0)

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: How long do you plan to stay in an apartment setting before you relocate to a place with a yard? What part of the country do you live in? : In my humble opinion, I can only say that any tortoises that initially seem small and cute and well-adapted to apt living will quickly outgrow that situation. If you own sulcatas, like I do, you soon will find yourself cooking home a lot more to save the money so that you can move to a larger place with a balcony and direct sunlight for the babies. Be ready for MAJOR life-style adjustments. I don't really recommend sulcatas, they just outgrow everything and you MUST be prepared for them to TAKE OVER and RULE your apartment!:) If you will be moving to a fenced-yard type house in a few years, then that is a different situation. So I guess it all depends on your individual plans. : Once they turn 4, and you are in an apartment, plan to spend at least 1 hour a day cleaning up after poop alone. And don't buy any rugs that you don't mind, well, stained from time to time. : And when they knock over your trash can so that they can blissfully sit inside it in the middle of a mixture of spoiled pancake batter, napkins and olive oil, you are not allowed to get frustrated, you just have to laugh (and then find a new solution for the trash because they will pull their best tricks over and over again if left unchecked). When you have a fancy dinner party and they come out and charmingly show off and then poop in front of the guests, you must find a way to gracefully clean it up. They won't be confined to a tank, you know. . . .If you invite a sulcata tortoise into your apartment, guarenteed 4 years later, it will become THEIR apartment. You just exist to pay the rent, that's all! This is a situation that I have happily accepted and look forward to someday soon owning a real house with a real yard, just for their sakes. But I mean, you REALLY have to be ready for that committment. : : Can anyone suggest a tortoise that would do well in an apartment setting? Thanks! : : ~Katt

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