My Son wants a tortoise,advice and opinions please.

Peakma

My son has been asking for a tortoise for months.He is a very sensible nature loving boy and is very mature and respectful of nature,and would not treat it as a glorified toy! He is coming up 11 next month and is bombarding me with"please can I have a tortoise?" continuously!
He is constantly researching and reading up on their care,I am in two minds whether it's a good idea.I don't really like to see any creatures kept captive as pets (we have two cats who have the right to roam free.is it ethical to keep tortoises? If we go ahead would it be an idea to rehome one? Do they like to be kept in pairs,or are they solitary animals.Our house is generally quite a noisy one,kids ,music t.v etc,would this be disturbing to a tortoise?
Am I mad for even considering this?How much space would we have to find for their living area?we live in a small bungalow,but space could be found,but I wouldn't want to compromise a tortoises life,by not giving it enough room.
How much is it likely to cost in all? although I expect we could gather various stuff from friends(my brother has random tanks heat lamps etc,and freecycle so often comes up trumps)As with everything I try to do as cheap as possible,but no doubt this would be an expensive life long responsability.If we get one or maybe two,I would want to make sure it had the very best care,but is it right to keep them at all?
Advice please!

elsien

Have a read of this - might help think things through a bit more. (Didn't know you could still buy tortoises any more, I thought they were all banned. ) How much outside space have you got?
http://www.reptileexpert.co.uk/KeepingTortoisesPets.html

Actually, this ones got a bit more info.
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/Downloads/Taking_care_of_pet_tortoises_web.pdf

It'd put me off!

Fire_Fox

Wouldn't a tortoise normally live outside? Tortoises can live a long time, would you be willing to care for the tortoise once your son goes away to university/ moves into a flat of his own? He may well not have access to a garden, may not be able to rely on his housemates to care for the tortoise appropriately, may have clauses preventing pets in his tenancy agreement/ long lease.

Deep_In_Debt

Tortoises should live outside. Ours does and hibernates in the garage.

mirrorimage0

im pretty sure you are not allowed to own a tortoise anymore, we looked into it in the summer

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Really - i know someone who knows a breeder. Hmmm. Never heard you weren't allowed to own them anymore.

But yes they deffinately need outdoor space. Hows about a turtle? You have to do your homework and get a species that doesn't grow too big. Or terrapins - they are lovely!

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

I think the 'ban' means you must ensure you are getting one from a licensed breedeer. With documentation! So be warned about this - from what i have read they are tough little creatures to look after properly!

picklepick

Cant toroises live to be like 90 or something?
Sounds like an awfully big commintment for an 11 year old to make!

Dont get terrapins, they can grow to be quite big and the bite on them will take the end of your finger off!!

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

picklepick wrote: »

Cant toroises live to be like 90 or something?
Sounds like an awfully big commintment for an 11 year old to make!

Dont get terrapins, they can grow to be quite big and the bite on them will take the end of your finger off!!

Lol, ok i thought they were terrapins (just assumed) - maybe they weren't. We spoke to a guy in a reptile store who said the ones in his tank don't grow much larger than they already were. However he did state that they are best left alone and not handled often so it might not be what your son is after.

Are you willing to have it as a family pet or expecting your son to be the sole carer (obviously with your input). If a family pet then i think a long living animal would be nice as long as you do alot of research and know what you are getting yourself into.

picklepick

mmmm yes pet shops often tell people that about terrapins. If you go down to an inner city park in the summer u might see some rather large tortoise like animals basking in the sunshine. They are in fact terrapins that have grown massive, the owners have discovered that they are evil little !!!!!!s and released them into the pond! haha

Spudette

Hi Peakma,

A Tortoise is a lovely pet but IMHO not really a good pet for a child. They are not really for petting and like to be left to do there own thing. Also, as you will know they live a long long time and children change their minds so frequently that inevitably you will be the one who has to look after it.

However, if this is something that you are prepared to do then I believe exo terra do a wide range of reptile products. Maybe call your local reptile specialist for some advice.

If you do change your mind then a Hamster although very conventional is a very suitable first pet for a mature child as they only live a short time but also they give the love and affection that I am sure he craves. They are more of a companion pet whereas Tortoises are more for observation.

I do not know a massive amount on reptiles but if you want some help PM me and I will be more than happy to help you.

Good Luck

Spudette