Ethan D Wrote:my beardies just sits on my shirt and runs all over me, i swear they know they names lol, whenever i say it, they always cock their heads and look at me XD great personalities

AWOSME!

tortle Wrote:I got one of my sulcata for $45 and the other for $50. $125 seems way too overpriced even looking at some online ones.
7' X 5' seems good if it's only for the night.

I wish I could of got mine for that price mine cost 125$

(07-16-2012 07:26 PM)leonardo the tmnt Wrote:  

tortle Wrote:I got one of my sulcata for $45 and the other for $50. $125 seems way too overpriced even looking at some online ones.
7' X 5' seems good if it's only for the night.

I wish I could of got mine for that price mine cost 125$

XD lol

$125 is a fair price for a retail store to be selling them. They have a lot of overhead to cover. The people selling them online for $50 do this as a hobby and don't expect to even cover their costs in most cases. Many people prefer to see the animal first hand and check out its behavior and personality for themselves.

As far as a 10x7' pen for an adult all winter... I would not do that. It shouldn't kill them if its done right, but jeez, that is tiny for such a large tortoise. As a personal choice, I would not keep sulcatas, or any other large species in a climate where they could not live outside year round. This is why I don't keep Manouria or redfoots. It is too hot and dry here. Sulcatas and leopards do just fine here, but some species would just not do well here.

Tortoiseboy... Craigslist? Really? Why would you take such a risk, with all the breeders we have here on the site that you KNOW do it right? Did you make sure that this person soaks them daily and uses a decent substrate? I know some of the breeders up there, and I'm afraid you are going to end up with a problem. See number 1 in my beginner mistakes thread. Just trying to help you out...

leonardo the tmnt Wrote:I wish I could of got mine for that price mine cost 125$

I'm getting mine for $60.00!

my four were all free... rescues.. they were babies once!

but the pens and housing and heat are NOT FREE.. and Im with Tom... if you cant house them outside.. its not fair to them.. you can keep a horse in a room, but should you?

(07-16-2012 08:26 PM)Laura Wrote:  my four were all free... rescues.. they were babies once!

but the pens and housing and heat are NOT FREE.. and Im with Tom... if you cant house them outside.. its not fair to them.. you can keep a horse in a room, but should you?

Agreed, i probably struck a deal with the fam anyway, lol, everyone here will see what i get here hopefully soon, depending on how expensive supplies are XD could be 4 months could be 7 :/

Laura Wrote:my four were all free... rescues.. they were babies once!

but the pens and housing and heat are NOT FREE.. and Im with Tom... if you cant house them outside.. its not fair to them.. you can keep a horse in a room, but should you?

I am with you 100%!

(07-16-2012 08:09 PM)Tom Wrote:  $125 is a fair price for a retail store to be selling them.

Tortoiseboy... Craigslist? Really? Why would you take such a risk, with all the breeders we have here on the site that you KNOW do it right? Did you make sure that this person soaks them daily and uses a decent substrate?

Agree. There's always a cheaper option, but I only support reputable (local if possible) business. ESPECIALLY with animals. If $125 is a lot of money to you - Don't buy a Sulcata. Seriously - They cost a lot more than that to take care of properly. $125 is a BARGAIN for such a magnificent animal. When you buy from a reputable source, you know that the animal was taken care of properly during its early life... Well worth more than $125.00

I've SOLD a lot of stuff on CL. I've BOUGHT - nothing on CL.

Bottom line is animals cost money. You can do somethings cheap (maybe), although there will be a point where it could need cold hard cash... Ask your parents. LOL

Temp / Day-Time enclosure I'd budget around $100.

Adult Enclosure - To do it the right way, can easily hit the $300-600+ mark. Not even mentioning TIME!

Also running a heat lamp / UVA bulb can cost about $15-30 a month in electricity alone.

Yes the cheaper option is not always the best. But I got lucky because even though they were so cheap I know that they are from good breeders. One of them I got to actually go to their house and see their setup for the babies and the adults, they were kept in all the right conditions. And the other I got from azsulcata. Didn't even have to pay for shipping because I just picked them up.

Tom Wrote:$125 is a fair price for a retail store to be selling them. They have a lot of overhead to cover. The people selling them online for $50 do this as a hobby and don't expect to even cover their costs in most cases. Many people prefer to see the animal first hand and check out its behavior and personality for themselves.

As far as a 10x7' pen for an adult all winter... I would not do that. It shouldn't kill them if its done right, but jeez, that is tiny for such a large tortoise. As a personal choice, I would not keep sulcatas, or any other large species in a climate where they could not live outside year round. This is why I don't keep Manouria or redfoots. It is too hot and dry here. Sulcatas and leopards do just fine here, but some species would just not do well here.

Tortoiseboy... Craigslist? Really? Why would you take such a risk, with all the breeders we have here on the site that you KNOW do it right? Did you make sure that this person soaks them daily and uses a decent substrate? I know some of the breeders up there, and I'm afraid you are going to end up with a problem. See number 1 in my beginner mistakes thread. Just trying to help you out...

He sails them every 2-3 days and I already made a commitment to him so I don't want to flake! And he has a Facebook page and everything! Trust me he is very trustable! I really couldn't ask for more information! He has already given me so much!

(07-16-2012 09:28 PM)Biff Malibu Wrote:  

(07-16-2012 08:09 PM)Tom Wrote:  $125 is a fair price for a retail store to be selling them.

Tortoiseboy... Craigslist? Really? Why would you take such a risk, with all the breeders we have here on the site that you KNOW do it right? Did you make sure that this person soaks them daily and uses a decent substrate?

Agree. There's always a cheaper option, but I only support reputable (local if possible) business. ESPECIALLY with animals. If $125 is a lot of money to you - Don't buy a Sulcata. Seriously - They cost a lot more than that to take care of properly. $125 is a BARGAIN for such a magnificent animal. When you buy from a reputable source, you know that the animal was taken care of properly during its early life... Well worth more than $125.00

I've SOLD a lot of stuff on CL. I've BOUGHT - nothing on CL.

Bottom line is animals cost money. You can do somethings cheap (maybe), although there will be a point where it could need cold hard cash... Ask your parents. LOL

Temp / Day-Time enclosure I'd budget around $100.

Adult Enclosure - To do it the right way, can easily hit the $300-600+ mark. Not even mentioning TIME!

Also running a heat lamp / UVA bulb can cost about $15-30 a month in electricity alone.

actually money isn' my problem, i have just seen them go for cheaper thats all if i thought something to be expensive right now for an animal, then an albadra and mini pig fit the list for me.

(07-16-2012 10:36 PM)TortoiseBoy1999 Wrote:  He sails them every 2-3 days and I already made a commitment to him so I don't want to flake! And he has a Facebook page and everything! Trust me he is very trustable! I really couldn't ask for more information! He has already given me so much!

Anyone can set up a face book page, that does not amount to anything as far as how well these hatchlings are cared for. A facebook page does not make someone trustworthy. This is NOT a question of trust anyway, this is a question of CARE. Most people do not start these tortoises well and the effect of the chronic dehydration is for them to fail to thrive for several months and then get lethargic, soft and die. Sometimes this takes 6 months, and YOU will be blamed for the death, even though it was not your fault. Read "Hatchling Failure Syndrome" please.

YOU are the paying customer! You can ask as many questions as you want. There is no limit. And if any seller is giving you grief over all the questions your young mind might have, then they are NOT the right seller for you. You need to ask two more questions: How often are they soaked? and, What substrate are they on? The answers you get could literally mean the difference between a healthy thriving 300 gram tortoise 6 months from now, and a dead or dying 40 gram tortoise 6 months from now.

(07-17-2012 05:29 AM)Ethan D Wrote:  actually money isn' my problem, i have just seen them go for cheaper thats all if i thought something to be expensive right now for an animal, then an albadra and mini pig fit the list for me.

I'm out in CA and you're in NE, that may have something to do with it (along with other factors, being friends with the person, bargaining etc... etc...) although out here $125 is a solid fair price.

(07-17-2012 09:39 AM)Biff Malibu Wrote:  

(07-17-2012 05:29 AM)Ethan D Wrote:  actually money isn' my problem, i have just seen them go for cheaper thats all if i thought something to be expensive right now for an animal, then an albadra and mini pig fit the list for me.

I'm out in CA and you're in NE, that may have something to do with it (along with other factors, being friends with the person, bargaining etc... etc...) although out here $125 is a solid fair price.

Cool, just wondering lol, seen em go for less with shipping good info