Sizes of common tortoise breeds?

[simonas]

I;m researching tortoises with a plan to purchasing one

I understand Hermans are very popular and recomended to beginners. I was hoping to get a tortoise that grows slightly bigger, what kind of torts should I b looking at that may be slightly bigger than a Hermans?

thanks simon

[joe_oasis]

I'm not that big on tortoises but i reckon a step up from a hermans would be a red foot or yellow foot (10-14inches)

[blazingtortoise]

Originally Posted by joe_oasis

I'm not that big on tortoises but i reckon a step up from a hermans would be a red foot or yellow foot (10-14inches)

redfoots and yellow foots do get bigger but are tropical tortoises (warm indoor accomodation all year round, don't hibernate, different humidity requirements etc). Depends if the OP is looking for a meditteranean species or not. I don't know much about them (meds) but think spur thighs are a bigger option than hermans. Wait for the meditteranean species keepers for a proper answer though!

p.s. redfoots are great though

[dusty cricket]

for a tortoise that requires the same care as a hermanns you will find there are a couple of choices.

a marginated tortoise grows to be a huge beast of a tortoise. they can be over 30cms in length, they are in my opinion the prettiest of all the mediterranean tortoises.

also if you can find one, a testudo whitei (a particular member of the spur thigh family) can grow to around 30cms in length and these are a taller tortoise than the marginated as far as i've noticed.

your best bet is a marginated tortoise. best thing you can do for your garden!!!

[simonas]

I; glad you sent that reply as I have been looking at the marginatedtortoises but struggling to find a great deal of info.

I hav always wanted a tortoise sionce I was a kid. 33 now married with children and the wife is maybe gtting me one for xmas

I;m a responsible animal carer I have lots of fish and a royal python plus dog ( they will be kept apart)

is there any extra care required of a marginated overthe hermans and horsefield you commonly see in shops?

one last question I flagged my garden last year dos that rule out a tort as a pet?

thanks simon

[annsimpson1]

it doesn't rule it out but they do need outside grazing/space in the summer, a baby could have something made I made a small garden out of an old sink for my hatchling but an adult needs a decent sized enclosure. People do keep them inside but the majority of us say the outside is best and the longest living healthiest torts are those that have a garden. Their enclosure doesn't have to all be grazing couldn't you just remove a few stones, I suppose it could just wander around on the hard surface but they love to dig and if they can find their own growing food all the better. You would have a few years before it needed anything sizable though, a hatchling can be as small as a 50p

[purplepixie]

Marginata are great tortoises, and do grow larger than any of the med tortoises. There are a couple of breeders around. I know of one in West Sussex. But not sure if they would have any left this time of the year. Most breeders would have sold by now. But there is always next years clutches.
Marginata are kept exactly the same as other med tortoises.

[the uro dude]

I would have to go with what the first people said on the post and go for a red foot they grow to a nice size (generally smaller than the yellow foot) they look fantastic especially the cherry heads, (brighter colours) very easy to care for and thrive in a warm and wet environment, also some people would disagree here but they are also due to the small amount of protein in their diet slightly more intelligent than your average tortoise and so makes watch them even more interesting. I can already hear people disagreeing with my last point but I believe it to be true.

[dusty cricket]

if you can get to bury st edmunds, i can ask a friend of mine. he has 6 MASSIVE margie females to three males and some years he has over a hundred hatchlings!

i know he sometimes grows some on himself because his children always get so upset that 'the little ones' get sold to owners!

fantastic.

we have just found another soon to be margie owner!

[dusty cricket]

Originally Posted by the uro dude

I would have to go with what the first people said on the post and go for a red foot they grow to a nice size (generally smaller than the yellow foot) they look fantastic especially the cherry heads, (brighter colours) very easy to care for and thrive in a warm and wet environment, also some people would disagree here but they are also due to the small amount of protein in their diet slightly more intelligent than your average tortoise and so makes watch them even more interesting. I can already hear people disagreeing with my last point but I believe it to be true.

i think the bloke just wants a 'typical' tortoise.... like a med tortoise.