hi,iam thinking of getting a horsfield tortoise as i now no longer work due to a disability so have lots of time on my hands..iam currently looking at buying one from the tortoise shop as this seems to be the only decent place i have come across..not sure about the delivery bein boxed up and sent via a courier mind u,but i have no other way of receiving the tortoise..also i live in a flat so its mainly gonna be indoors but i can always take the tortoise to mums garden in the summer months..any advice would be appreciated..thanks darren

I'm a little intrigued as to how you think the tortoise shop is the only decent place when there are breeders all over the country. The place you mention, imports tortoises from hotter countries, grows them on at an alarming rate and puts them up for sale looking nothing like a wild horsfield. Delivering a tortoise in a box is no different than sending your dog through the post or a person, come to that - very stressful, extremes of temperature, not conducive to good travelling and very often they are turned up upside down, covered in faeces and not just a little disgruntled.  It's not really possible to keep a tortoise in a flat, especially a burrowing species like a horsfield that needs very deep substrate to be happy. I'm afraid taking it to a garden to suit humans is not really an option as they really need to be able to choose their own temps, basking facilities etc in order to thrive and develop to look like a normal horsfield should. Sorry if this is not what you want to hear, but I imagine it's better to know now, than a few years down the line. Have a look at the horsfields on the webpage you mention (very domed and lumpy)and then look at the ones on my own webpage that have been grown as nature intended www.tortsmad.co/russians.htm

Hope this helps. It's not intended as a criticism, it's just hard to understand how a commercial outlet with poor info can be considered better than a UK breeder. Many of them do deliver in person, I am just back from taking two marginated babies to the Midlands, it's the only way I will allow them to travel.

well i still think iam very capable of giving a tortoise a good home,iam new never had one before so iam asking for advice not trying to be put off buying one,iam quite sure my flat and the gardens are quite capable of being a good home for a tortoise,,,iam quite sure that people who live in houses neglect there tortoises much more than i would..i have time on my hands iam sure plenty other people are out workin all week why there tortoises fester at home in unhealty circumstances..so yes your reply did come across quite firm...i would appreciate advice telling me how to give it a good home..like i say iam sure there are plenty tortoises much worse off

what tortoise would you suggest???

just been looking at the link you sent and yes the tortoises do look better than the ones i was gonna buy from,iam doin lots of research and iam determined to give one a good home..i was not taking it to my mums gardens to suit humans i was doin it suit the tortoise..we all have to learn just like we do when bringing up children..all advice welcome thanks

Hi, I am sorry you are offended. I'm sure you could give a tortoise a good home, but they would need outdoor accomodation to thrive. Those who keep them indoors full time, usually end up rehoming them and will surely agree that you will have lots of digging and scratching and your tortoise will not grow the way nature intended if you do not allow it full time outdoor accomodation in summer. Sorry it's not what you wanted to hear, it's just that I am passionate about tortoises, which I have kept for over thirty years and see far too many indoor rehomers for me to ever agree with this as a long term option.

I just gave the advice that I knew would work. If it's any consolation, as a long term breeder I will not sell to anyone wanting to keep these esentially wild animals indoors, it just doesn't work. You may be able to make it work with a redfoot or similar but they are big and need high humidity levels, not always very good for your home. Maybe you would be better getting fish or something that is happy being indoors full time - just a thought. As you say, we all have to learn, but if given the facts first thing, it usually makes things easier all round.

Take care

Sue

www.tortsmad.com

Hi, I am sorry you are offended. I'm sure you could give a tortoise a good home, but they would need outdoor accomodation to thrive. Those who keep them indoors full time, usually end up rehoming them and will surely agree that you will have lots of digging and scratching and your tortoise will not grow the way nature intended if you do not allow it full time outdoor accomodation in summer. Sorry it's not what you wanted to hear, it's just that I am passionate about tortoises, which I have kept for over thirty years and see far too many indoor rehomers for me to ever agree with this as a long term option.

I just gave the advice that I knew would work. If it's any consolation, as a long term breeder I will not sell to anyone wanting to keep these esentially wild animals indoors, it just doesn't work. You may be able to make it work with a redfoot or similar but they are big and need high humidity levels, not always very good for your home. Maybe you would be better getting fish or something that is happy being indoors full time - just a thought. As you say, we all have to learn, but if given the facts first thing, it usually makes things easier all round.

Take care

Sue

www.tortsmad.com

Just because there are many tortoises worse off (and there are) does not make it right to suggest trying to make something work, when it is what nature intended for them. I love giant tortoises, but would not entertain keepig one as it would not be practical and beyond my budget.  Hope this does not offend ;)

no offence taken but i will make it work,iam sure there are lots of tortoises piled up in bad conditions right now waiting be sold on and surely that cannot be good for the tortoise..iam quite sure one would be more content living alone with me and bein looked after than waiting be shipped off in a box to somebody who would get bored after a few mth and pass it on..i will make it work

some site this is i joined for help and all i get is negative vibes..kiss my arse

Oh, how rude. I am only trying to help. For every one shipped off in a box, at least one, sometimes more (depending on if they survive the importation) will be obought to replace it, so it's not really rescuing a tortoise, just adding to the cruel importation trade. As already mentioned, there is no way of a compromise when keeping a tortoise. That would be like me saying I love horses, but only have a ched with no field. Yes, it might survive, but it would not thrive and this is what animal keeping is all about.

I'm afraid this site is for helping people to understand how to keep these lovely creatures, not to hurl insults if you have made a poor decision.

Take care ;)

Sue

www.tortsmad.com

Maybe it will help to try a few more sites/forums. The more well known ones are tortoise trust forum, shelled warriors, hermann tortoise, tortoise friends and a few more if you do a google search. Good luck :)

Maybe it will help to try a few more sites/forums. The more well known ones are tortoise trust forum, shelled warriors, hermann tortoise, tortoise friends and a few more if you do a google search. Good luck :)