Tortoise advice

SillyMangoX

I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a tortoise over the last few years, doing as much research as I can before I jump into such a huge commitment. Does anyone have first hand experience of keeping them? Any tips of advise you’d like to share?
My mother had two tortoises around 50 years ago and had a bad experience with one coming out of hibernation early and dying from pneumonia, and the other was murdered (people thought they were monsters, rural area and never seen them before ). She learned by trial and error as any child would but I’d love to have as much knowledge as possible before getting one!

ZiabR

There are a few things you will need to consider:

You will need a big enough enclosure.
You will need a heat source/heat lamp.
You cant leave them outdoors 24/7, they will die in our climate. So you you will likely need an indoor enclosure for the really cold months.
You need to feed a good diet with a balance of fresh fruit and Veg.
If you are buying one that is young, you will need to soak it in water a few times a week. They can get dehydrated very easily, particularly when young, so this will help.
Provide good shelter and hiding spots.
I would also recommend you use some substrate, soil, pebbles, grit etc.

They are a really cool pet, once you get the hang of things, its easy.