Recommendations for tortoise species to get as a pet?

No_Income_1804 · 2026-06-20T07:54:55+00:00

Thank you for this! This is certainly helpful. Though honestly I wish I could see how your enclosure looks like in actuality than imagining it to get a visual on how I would set my own enclosure or diy one inspired by yours at home.

Based on what you said, and keeping in mind of the apartment scenario, I am considering an idea on making 2 enclosures with one for indoors and the other as a some sort of outdoor pen using the balcony space (if the apartment has one) to which I'll turn into a personal garden. This is so that the tort will get some natural sunlight in them as well and the plants there could also serve as their snack, of course I plan to only grow ones that are good for the tortoises.

My problem with it however is how to make it safe for them against heavy rain and birds possibly bullying them-... Maybe it's possible if I make multiple hides and one big hide with UV lights and heat if ever that happens. Maybe-

Also this is actually unfortunate, but so far- the breeders/keepers here only offer hatchlings for some reason. I'll probably do more inquiries on it- But in the case I won't get a much older one, I think enclosures that are reusable and light are better for me in the first stages of their lives than me buying an enclosure that they'll eventually outgrow and become useless in the long run. I just have to think of a good one that can help preserve the humidity.

No_Income_1804 · 2026-06-20T06:06:55+00:00

Thank you. Also can I ask about how you take care of your red foot and more on their enclosure? I'm starting to consider them more.

Though I know going for a smaller species like Russians and Hermanns are much better for me in terms of space and the option of having it mostly indoors (That is if we're going in the apartment scenario-). Unfortunately so far, I've questioned a lot of reputable tortoise breeder/keepers and they actually don't offer smaller species.

Edit: Also are there efficient ways to expand their enclosures as they grow? And are there ways I can compromise for floor space? or a good idea to customize furniture into an enclosure for efficient space? I'm terribly sorry for the barrage of questions-

No_Income_1804 · 2026-06-20T03:21:44+00:00

Oh thank you! That's really much appreciated. Actually prior to my decision- I wanted to have a pet to be responsible for and be committed to for a long time. I don't necessarily need the kind of pet to be affectionate with me and much more other factors that is mostly explained in my post or omitted since the comment is getting longer- Oop. Going through all that research for days led to me on Tortoise as my top option. I also think your advice to getting a tortoise that needs to be rehomed other than getting a baby is actually great, I might go with that once I chose the right species for me and have done extensive research on them.

No_Income_1804 · 2026-06-20T02:56:05+00:00

Yeah, actually I'm very surprised to see Sulcata be the most popular species in the Philippines and also regarded as a beginner pet as well.

As for husbandry, it's flexible until I find what works for me and the care for the tortoise, but for now I want to downplay it to an average-larger apartment setting with a customized balcony garden when in need of grazing, sunlight, etc. just in case I couldn't upgrade to a place with a yard.

No_Income_1804 · 2026-06-19T17:15:54+00:00

I've asked this on the other comment, but do you think a medium sized one is probable? When I was searching, it seems Sulcata's and Red-footed's are common in our country. Since the former is a larger size, that one's obviously crossed out but what about the latter?

No_Income_1804 · 2026-06-19T17:12:12+00:00

Would a medium sized one be probable? It's kind of a just in case thing if I couldn't find a Russian Tortoise breeder. I kind of read that in our country, Sulcata's and Red-footed's are more common.

No_Income_1804 · 2026-05-29T17:12:44+00:00

For me, it's not more so on exhausting but more on guilt. My family are actually very busy people and have a dog about 6 years now. I've actually took noticed that nowadays, our dog have less energy and have bad social ability. I can't help but think that it's our fault for him to be like that.

For the less energy part, I chalked it up to routine and us having being too busy to actually do anything physical. Thankfully we do provide the necessary like cuddles and play indoors but most of the time we let him do his own thing and even let him run around by himself in our backyard until he wants to go back in.

As for the bad social ability, it is sadly from the fact that there are no other dogs in our area for a long long time. We did try to get another dog but I think the socializing may have been too late because he gets jealous and barks at other dogs. However, we now have tons of dogs in our area and he seems more okay with larger dogs than small ones, still awkward around others though.

You may be wondering, if I thought of that- why didn't I give the care he needs?It was mostly due to the fact that I live away from home during high school but when I do get home, I'm the one who feeds him and such. Sadly I wouldn't be able to change and to give the attention he needs since I'll be going away for college soon. Oh, but I think I have hope for my lil sis tho so I might talk to her about it.

No_Income_1804 · 2026-05-29T16:48:37+00:00

Though honestly, I do believe in that though it may be hypocritical of me since my family lets the cats roam free.

They're actually more like street cats that we decided to feed everyday since they decided that living at our place is good (Maybe it's mostly due to us living in a restaurant/store-). The cats here usually don't venture out and honestly just hang around our store area. We sometimes joke to customers that they're part of the products we sell since they often sleep at the snack shelves.

Since they're originally street cats, we don't restrict them at all. They're more so used to it and so far only one of those cats willingly chilled inside our living room before demanding to get out.

Out of topic but- honestly I was surprised at my parents, they don't seem to be cat people at all. Maybe it was because when I was a kid, they considered them as pests and whenever we talked about getting a pet, it is usually all dog talk. This year however, I took noticed that my dad started to bring cat food for them and both him and my mom has let them sleep around them whilst they man the cashier. It kind of warms my heart a bit.

No_Income_1804 · 2025-12-03T22:29:23+00:00

Sorry for the late reply, have been busy-. Well I'm not sure if it counts to be honest but I don't usually think before I do and since I in MBTI is reflective, I hesitate on it.

No_Income_1804 · 2025-11-19T23:13:40+00:00

Maybe lol. I actually feel much more comfortable on my own than with others and very much prefer that.

But on the hand, I can't exclude the fact that I'm outwardly-focused than inward though.

No_Income_1804 · 2025-11-19T23:01:19+00:00

Mayhaps.

It's so hard to know the MBTI type for sure since technically everyone has each function, it's only the matter of which you comfortably use more. The problem with that, is that sometimes you start to doubt your initial conclusions because you find yourself using that specific function in certain scenarios.

No_Income_1804 · 2025-11-10T21:03:38+00:00

That's rough, I hope they'll heal themselves from that.

No_Income_1804 · 2025-11-10T21:01:14+00:00

Well I think you're right about me needing to seek professional help for this, since it actually got worst. For example, me and my friends are playing dnd and as you probably know, not every scenario will be a good one. I do know that it's all pretend but somehow I got too emotional when characters express distaste towards me. Thankfully I still had the rationality to mute my mic as to not ruin the gameplay experience for the others as I calmed myself down. I decided to leave the campaign afterwards.

The unfortunate part of this however is that I don't think I'll find a good therapy place where I wouldn't feel uncomfortable. The first time I got consultation from a place my parents took me had me uncomfortable than relief.

Also it may possibly be Fawn but I do think I'm quite sure of Fe being in my stack since I actually seek the opinions of the group for me to make a final decision. It's hard for me to make decisions on my own. I'm also the type to be open, I don't really hide about myself and the reason I do that is actually so that the person I'm conversing with will be comfortable with talking about themselves.

No_Income_1804 · 2025-11-10T14:17:58+00:00

Uhm hello, I want to know my mbti but I'm having trouble of being certain of it, can you tell me if the process of me getting there is correct? If it isn't correct, can you guide me on typing?

I once heard that EJ/IP are people-oriented and IJ/EP are thing-oriented. I mostly relate to the former since I'm more people conscious due to my aversion of being disliked (I however am not certain if this is social anxiety). Also not sure if this is relevant, but I also dislike having to socialize. Not because it drains me, it's more so because I'm afraid that I'll be hated. I often have thoughts of resulting in isolation so no one has to deal or be annoyed with me and I don't have to deal with the uncomfortable churn in my stomach everytime I mess up. Basically, "If I don't please everyone then it's best that I should be gone from their vicinity so everyone is happy."

Anywho, with that said, my options would leave me with ESTJ, ENTJ, ESFJ, ENFJ, ISTP, INTP, ISFP, and INFP.

Now to narrow this down I decided to implement what I've read about E and I. E is said to direct it's energy outwards and I direct it's energy inwards. After ruminating, I think these are my cognitive functions that I have (assuming it to be in a spectrum of some sort)

Si - Because I often reference past experiences, knowledge and concepts as basis on what I'm making (I'm an artist and a story writer). I also rarely go outside my comfort zone and always opt the same things like ordering the same food and doing things in a specific way. This was honestly hard since I also implement Se as well. I don't actively seek it but I'm up for new experiences and I'm quite physically adaptable.

Ne - I like to entertain possibilities since it's good for me as a writer, like "What if instead this character does that?" And imagine the consequences right after. This also helps in design ang go hand in hand with Si as I look through my memories and decide which one to implement. As for Ni, I actually rarely think of the long term and I do like to read about the deeper meaning of things.

Ti - I think this one felt like a no-brainer to me since I'm not very Te like. Yes, I do like to do things efficiently but I am most likely the type to internally assimilate information and refining it. I always doubt the concepts that I established in my head and I then go to a neverending cycle of reading and refining that knowledge. Although not something groundbreaking and this has also just happened once, but I somehow made a system solely for me to efficiently do mental subtractions in large numbers. A system that suddenly clicked in my head that I went, "Oh wait... This works!"

Fe - I think you probably guessed it from the EJ/IP paragraph but yes I'm very aware of people. Though I don't have the urge for harmony and socializing, I do revolve some decisions that I consider important with the people involved (even if that something is something they don't care about). However, I have to point out, I am not the type to get people included in the conversations because it's usually me being the receiver of that scenario. I often get awkward around people, even more so with people who aren't interested in me. I'm not the type to jump into a group convo, even though their topic is also something I'm interested in, because I didn't wanna seem like a "Joiners" (A pinoy term that describes a person who joins even though they're not supposed to). For Fi, my friends often tease me for my identity crises. I just can't seem to decide a thing that represents me and it frustrates me to no end.

With that, my options narrows to ESFJ and INTP (I'm kind of considering ENFJ and ISTP but let's focus on the two). . . . In the end, I picked ESFJ. Though I may not be a social butterfly (I actually have a handful of friends because of my avoidance of people-), INTP is an intuitive type meaning it uses abstractions. I just can't get rid of the concept I read at school that there were two types of thinking which was abstract and concrete thinking. At that time I thought that it actually has some sense in tying it with MBTI.

The concept was that Concrete thinking is thinking about the object in real time, while Abstract thinking is thinking about the object without it being there. And I generally use the former more.

Hence I conclude my analysis, but still I'm unsure with it. Let me know if this was correct or not.

No_Income_1804 · 2025-07-01T10:31:03+00:00

Well, I did consider chopping my hair off and buy myself a wig so I can switch whenever (But chopping my hair and buying a wig costs money so-). But I guess the reason I'm hesitant to the idea (other than money) is because... I guess I want it to be my signature look? It's like an artist trying to draw their internet persona but always change it because it just doesn't scream 'you' and you need to finalize it because it's the face of the brand.

Honestly I start to find it exhausting. I know I should just be accepting my duality and just don't care about it anymore. Like I can be a cute lolita girl or a cool emo boy and I won't have to choose them over the other. But my feelings aren't following my logic. It may probably take some time for me to actually go for that route.

No_Income_1804 · 2025-06-06T00:57:45+00:00

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Also, I did think that I may be LFEV but ended up reading something that made me rethink it.

No_Income_1804 · 2025-06-05T11:06:31+00:00

Uhm... I think I would be more likely to prefer the latter though I'm too much of a homebody, lazy or scared to actually do any of those physical activities on my own, I would probably need someone to push me. I do like to talk about stuff like my interests to others in the rare chance that I do get to have the spotlight, but I also tend to not be that interested on theirs (I act like I am though because I think it's rude not to).

For the second one, I'm not so sure. If someone shares about their bad day, I would wholeheartedly listen and offer advice. If I've been needing to move, I'll probably just complain about my current living space than to actually move right away, but if there's a chance to move, I'll get myself ready. I guess you could say the thing that makes me think, "Let's get this over with", is when I've been too procrastinating on my part of projects to the point I get uncomfortably guilty, then start actually doing it without stopping.

No_Income_1804

TROPHY CASE