Does this tortoise look healthy?

Tom

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No way for us to tell if its healthy just by looking. The eyes don't look great, he's been living on sand, and the pyramiding indicates that he was raised too dry. If you want to "rescue" him and give him a better life, I say go for it!. $50 ain't a bad price for what you might be getting.
 

PMQ

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No way for us to tell if its healthy just by looking. The eyes don't look great, he's been living on sand, and the pyramiding indicates that he was raised too dry. If you want to "rescue" him and give him a better life, I say go for it!. $50 ain't a bad price for what you might be getting.
I've been looking for a hermann's and this one was a good price and not too far from where I live. I just don't want to end up with a sick tortoise that will require many vet bills and visits.
 

Tom

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Its a gamble. This one ain't perfect. Problems can be seen in the pics, but it might turn out okay.
 

PMQ

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Its a gamble. This one ain't perfect. Problems can be seen in the pics, but it might turn out okay.
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1408653520.458746.jpg this tort looks better IMO.

Are Russians very similar to hermann's? I Mainly wanted a hermann's because of their coloration, but a Russian seems just as delightful.
 

Tom

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This one looks a bit better, but it also looks wild caught. Probably from Petco or Petsmart. Might be just fine.
 

PMQ

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This one looks a bit better, but it also looks wild caught. Probably from Petco or Petsmart. Might be just fine.
There is a reptile expo I am going to on Sunday, but after some research I'm not sure if any of the vendors will be selling tortoises :(
 

tglazie

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Go to the expo. If you don't have previous experience with tortoises, go to the expo so that you may at least see and hold what you're getting without the pressure of feeling like you're wasting the person's time. Breeders can also offer you advice concerning their husbandry techniques, though make sure to bounce anything they tell you off the members on the forum. Sounds like you're going about this the right way. When I first started keeping torts, there was no forum. There was barely an internet. But that didn't stop me from reading everything I could get my hands on. Don't settle for some tortoise just because it's cheap. Trying to nurse a sick tortoise back to health is a good thing to do, the righteous thing, but it can be a living nightmare that often invariably ends in tragedy.

T.G.
 

pam

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If i had to pick it would be the Russian :)
 

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