Buying a tortoise in a expo

timwilliams

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Buying a tortoise from an reptile expo good or bad. does this fall into the pet store threoy and how they take care of them when they are hatchlings. There and expo coming up in aug in socal so i wanted to get some info befor buying.
 

Yvonne G

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One good thing about it is you get to see the actual tortoise you want to buy. And hopefully, get honest answers from the seller about how the tortoise has been cared for.
 

Tom

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This will depend on which seller you are talking to. Most people start most tortoises too dry. If you find a seller that soaks daily, keeps them on damp substrate for humidity, and offers a wide variety of the right foods, then there is no reason to not buy at an expo.

Read these before you buy from anyone:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-incubate-eggs-and-start-hatchlings.124266/

These two threads will help you understand what questions to ask of any breeder or seller you come across.
 

wellington

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The couple reptile shows/expo I have been too, I was not impressed with the selection or of the obvious care they had to be getting.
Go well informed and ask all the right questions before buying
 

Reptilian Feline

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I would say it depends on the seller. The expos I visit (and sometimes have a table at) consist of herp shop people, hobbyists, and "traveling around Europe with your stock"-sellers. Some hobbyists are breeders with lots of animals, other have just a few from happy chance breedings (like my scorplings and millies).
Look over what the seller offer, all their stock, not just torts. If the torts look OK, but their cameleons and tarantulas look sad, then don't buy unless you are certain the tort is old enough to be OK.

Oh... and know what to ask for, I didn't, and my experiense is not a happy one... for now.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Look closely at the tortoises on offer.
Make sure, they are active, bright-eyed and alert, heavy when you pick them up, like a stone and not too dry.
Ask the seller about their upbringing, particular with regard to humidity.
 

Ramsey

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Hi Tim,

It's usually not a good idea to paint with broad brushes and write-off an entire venue, just like when people ask me "what brand of car should I buy" - it depends, they all have their high-end and low-end models.

Same idea with the expos. Each vendor is their own entity. I went to the super show here in San Diego a few weeks ago. What I did was inspect the animals and ask a few fundamental questions to the vendors.

You can read this thread here and it tells a bit more about my experience: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/so-just-went-to-a-reptile-show.159025/

That being said, I personally would find the species that you are after and then research a solid breeder with good feedback and go that route.
 

Neal

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Personally, I think a reptile expo is one of the better marketplaces for buying a tortoise. You'll have your good and bad vendors, just like in any marketplace (including on-line). Buying from an expo gives you the chance to look the seller in the eye and ask them questions directly allowing you to judge them based on more than just their words (body language). Not to mention, you can visually inspect their product before purchasing, which is probably the greatest benefit of buying from an expo.

As important as good questions are, it's equally as important to know what answers you want to hear from the seller. So think of questioning a vendor like you would if you were conducting a job interview. Educate yourself by knowing exactly what species you want and know as much as you can about the care they will require, and then list important questions that you would want to know from the seller before going. Assuming you are new to the hobby, it may be a bit of a challenge to know the husbandry methods that would work best for you, so spend a lot of time researching and asking questions from those here with experience so you have a solid basis before you look for your tortoise.
 

timwilliams

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Yeah on aug19-aug20 in the grapevine convenention center. If u go to reptilemagazine.com and look under events they will tell u big expo in your state.
 

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