HI everyone after discussing the possibility of buying a tortoise for the last year my partner , daughter and I have decided now is the time to research fully what would be the best and most suitable tortoise for us to keep



We have moved to a bungalow now that is very enclosed and we have a large garden.

At the far right-hand side is a strip 18 foot long by 5 and a half foot width

We were wondering if this is suitable to build an enclosure on.

the enclosure we feel has to be totally cat and fox proof and therefore wil have a mesh top

can anyone help with the advice about what tort would be good for this size

we have no experience with tortoises only snakes and lizards which is why were going to spend the next year bulding and perfecting the enclosure whilst we do our research and before we purcahse our tort


I have today taken a piccie of the part of the garden we are thinking of usisng

cheers everyone

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Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature. .... Helen Keller

If you don't mind having a species which hibernates then an easy to care for med species like the hermanns, horsfield or med spur-thigh would love that space - you could easily keep a small group in there. If you're thinking of a hatchling though it wouldn't need that whole area for quite a few years and you may find it difficult to find if you ever need to bring it in for bad weather!

If you don't want to hibernate then species such as redfoots or leopards would be worth looking at.

Unless you're planning on building a heated shed then bear in mind you'll still need a table for indoors for when the weather is bad.

Tinkerbruce has posted a great thread on outdoor enclosures which is a sticky at the top of this section. There's also a sticky with lots of links on Med tortoises in the newbie section.

Great idea to plant up the enclosure well in advance though... this will ensure all plants are pesticide free before the tort goes in there.

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in that size area any of the hibernating species would be fine, such as a hermanns or a horsefield. They are both a great tortoise for beginners, but the horsefield is slightly hardier in our ( cold) climate. they are also called russians and are known to dig underground to hibernate. so its important to prepare them to hibernate before they decide to do it themselves! its really up to you to choose, as long as you research the care of the species you choose then i am sure you will manage fine!

thanks tinker and tina...

we thought we should organise and plant up well in advance and that way it would be pesticide free and ready for our new tort..

we dont mind having an older tort either...

I will be looking into what tort we feel would be right and im feeling really positive now that were doing it the right way..

thanks for your input

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Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature. .... Helen Keller

can i also ask if theres any plants to avoid and any that are particularly recommended for horsefields>>>

my daughter and partner like the horsefields the best whereas i prefer the hermans..

so it looks as though the horsefield may be our choice next year

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Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature. .... Helen Keller

Here's a couple of links for edible plants/weeds:

Tortoises

Untitled Document

There's also a sticky in this section with pics of some of them.

Bear in mind that horsfields dig for England so you'll have to dig right down and put in barriers for them!

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