The first thing is to decide if you want a water species or a land species? Water species are extremely messy and require alot of maintenence. I like sliders, but hate the work. I recently acquired two Hermann's Tortoise hatchlings and enjoy them greatly. It is a huge responsibility since they can live to be 75 years old. Check out tortoiseforum.org they are a great source for information. Good luck with making your decision.