hi i have ordered a tortoise and a starter kit from my pet shop getting it december so i have plenty time to find out everything i dont already know  !

 i bought book to read up on what i need to do and buy but any tips/ideas welcome !

i have always wanted a tortoise and decided now was time to get one i am looking for pic's of outdoor enclosures but will keep mainly in house as i live in the country and do not want anyhting to happen to him/her. my sons loves doing joinery work and would like to give him an idea of what to build and how big  etc all ideas n suggestions very very welcome

i know they require a bit of looking after and is there any reason why keeping him/her in the house is not good ???

lastly how do you know what to name him/her or doesn,t it matter ??

Hi, WELCOME to the TPG. I am pleased that you are doing some research BEFORE aquiring your tortoise. What book did you get as there are many about, and not all good? If you use the menu bar to the left of this page, and click on The Tortoise you will get a list of care sheets for different species. Have a good read through these and don't be surprised if the care that we, as keepers of tortoises recommend differ from that of a trading pet shop. I think you will be enlighted and someone is always here to answer your questions once you have read the care sheets. There are also pictures of good set ups in the picture gallery, which a good joiner can mimic! They are wonderful creatures so don't be put off by conflicting advice. We also have a UK breeder list under the Breeders and Vet list on the menu bar, perhaps this would be a healthier route for you to go down.

What ever you decide, please take the time to go through all of our information in the menu bar and feel free to ask away, this ensures another tortoise has the best we can offer.

Hope this helps,

Elaine 

Hi and welcome to the forum

As Elaine has said, we do have a recommended UK breeders list on this site........we would strongly advise that you buy from a breeder rather than a pet shop.  A lot of pet shop tortoises are imports and are suffering from stress from transportation and often carry worms which need to be treated. UK captive bred tortoises from breeders are also a lot cheaper and come with peace of mind knowing you can talk to the breeder if you have any concerns or worries.

A tortoise will not do well living indoors the whole time........natural sunlight is absolutely vital to their well being, without they can suffer from Metabolic Bone Disease, which is very painful and seriously shortens their life-span.  What you need is a secure outdoor enclosure that nothing can get into, and your tortoise cannot get out.  Have a look in the picture section, there are some great pictures of outdoor enclosures designed for little tortoises.

What kind of tortoise do you intend to keep?  I'm not sure if you are after a non-hibernating species as you say you are getting it in December,this is when most tortoises are hibernating.

We would also advise you to read as much as you can on here and on www.tortoisetrust.org  please feel free to ask as many questions as you like.

Jo