Gotta love reptile shows... Not

[lkwagner]

Russians with sulcatas.... 3 toed boxies with leopards!
If only the people that sold them actually knew how to take care of them themselves.
This was at the Michigan reptile expo

 

[Tom]

I just don't get this...

I wouldn't bring one of those tortoise in to my house if THEY paid ME. Human ignorance and stupidity astounds me daily.

 

[GeoGpp1012]

I went to an expo here in NY and I was shocked to see the conditions the animals were being kept in. Small containers with and the poor reptiles all mixed up and distressed ....was pretty upsetting and I'd never go back to one.

 

[lkwagner]

Yeah my cousin bought this map turtle and it didn't even take 24 hours to die.
I bought my first sulcata from there and the guy told me to keep it on Timothy hay. The other one I bought had a respiratory infection for almost 2 months when I got it because it was too small to do antibiotics and I don't trust many vets in MI with baby torts.
Wish I would of taken a pic of the full grown softshell in a rubber made tub with no water. Or the kid dragging around a poor cat on a leash around all the people.
The only reason ill ever go back is for cheap crickets!

 

[mattgrizzlybear]

It is possible that that is for the show only. I just hope they have better homes somewhere else.

---

Yeah my cousin bought this map turtle and it didn't even take 24 hours to die.
I bought my first sulcata from there and the guy told me to keep it on Timothy hay. The other one I bought had a respiratory infection for almost 2 months when I got it because it was too small to do antibiotics and I don't trust many vets in MI with baby torts.
Wish I would of taken a pic of the full grown softshell in a rubber made tub with no water. Or the kid dragging around a poor cat on a leash around all the people.
The only reason ill ever go back is for cheap crickets!

no comment on the cat and kid thing. Poor cat....

 

[FLGirl41]

:-( I went to a FL reptile show this weekend. Mixed species everywhere, animals so crowded they were stacked on top of each other. I walked up to a table and noticed a college-aged kid who had bought a red eared slider. He was about to buy an unmarked sulcata hatchling to house with the slider. Yep. The dealer was like, "Yeah, that would be fine", and I couldn't stand to watch this happen so I spoke up. The kid was unfamiliar with sulcatas and thought the tort was a baby Russian (still not aquatic!). When I told him this baby would reach 150 lb and need a large yard, he stopped the sale. The dealer was furious with me for losing his sale but, hey, I've had enough of ignorant people making impulse buys on cute animals at shows. Why a dealer would knowingly let the kid house a sulcata in an aquatic tank... It makes my blood boil.

 

[n3rdchik]

Russians with sulcatas.... 3 toed boxies with leopards!
If only the people that sold them actually knew how to take care of them themselves.
This was at the Michigan reptile expo

Lkwagner, I was at the same show with my son! ( I had thought about seeing if I can meet tortoise people - but we were on our way to a soccer match....). I was pretty disgusted - there were 2 poor redfoots who couldn't turn around right below the tanks of baby leopards.

Was not impressed.

 

[wellington]

That's what they do at most shows. I do think it is just for the shows, at least that is what most of them (sellers) say. some, see no problem with housing together, idiots. However, the pyramiding shows they don't know the proper way of caring for them when they get them home. It's sad that most reptile clubs putting on these shows don't have a clue.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

That RES and sulcata sorry is....well...just awful.

Thanks for stepping up on behalf of the Tort.

And that dealer, oh man.

Heather
sent while on my purple android TFOapp

 

[sibi]

I believe it may even be a buying tactic so that people would feel sorry for some of the animals and rescue some thinking they can provide a better home for them. But, what ends up happening is that they are given bad instructions which only makes the animal's life worse. Greed, people is what's at the heart of these shows. That's why the seller was furious when you told the kid the truth.

 

[Nelsamye]

I went to my first reptile show this weekend, and there was only one vendor booth that I was really displeased with, all the booths had them in fairly small containers for display, but none of them had mixed species. The one horrible booth had the smallest containers, and also the smallest turtles/tortoises. The really bad part was they had several red eared slider hatchlings that were severely deformed, so bad I doubt they would survive long at all. Their shells looked like someone had squeezed them and left them that way. And they were charging more for the deformed ones, I overheard one girl telling a kid the deformity just makes it a cooler pet.
Other than that booth I found the other ones to be fairly informative and accurately so. There were two separate Seattle based turtle/tortoise clubs/rescues, that was refreshing in a room filled with breeders.


Amy
Sulcata tortoise - Maximus

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Amy, your pictures were great! I don't blame the small housing at shows. It's just for display.

The deformed going for higher prices is crazy.

I haven't been to a reptile show since being a tort owner... should I keep it that way?

 

[RosieRedfoot]

I got Rosie at one. But a lot of the animals there were so cramped I felt bad for them. And being a rodent lover, the rubbermaid tubs of still live furred 10 day old mice without heat or their mother got to me.

I got Rosie from a vendor who only had a few species, mostly set ups and supplies. They said they don't go for quantity, and it showed because all their torts were in larger containers and kept on sphagnum/soil/repti bark depending on species/age. They even had signs that told the adult size/weight and how much space they'd need. Rosie was the only redfoot I saw there that was alert and curious, eating well, and had a large enough water dish to walk into. All the others were like 30 in a 10 gallon tank walking on romaine lettuce under heat lamps. She may have a slight amount of pyramiding, but that's probably because she wasn't raised humid enough and it's nothing serious enough or detrimental.

The guy at the booth even walked over with us to one of the other sellers and showed us how they were selling babies with popped yolk sacs and how they'd probably not survive without high risk of infection. I haven't gone back to the reptile shows for that reason.. I know I'd feel pity for something and have to bring it home.

 

[gtc]

:-( I went to a FL reptile show this weekend. Mixed species everywhere, animals so crowded they were stacked on top of each other. I walked up to a table and noticed a college-aged kid who had bought a red eared slider. He was about to buy an unmarked sulcata hatchling to house with the slider. Yep. The dealer was like, "Yeah, that would be fine", and I couldn't stand to watch this happen so I spoke up. The kid was unfamiliar with sulcatas and thought the tort was a baby Russian (still not aquatic!). When I told him this baby would reach 150 lb and need a large yard, he stopped the sale. The dealer was furious with me for losing his sale but, hey, I've had enough of ignorant people making impulse buys on cute animals at shows. Why a dealer would knowingly let the kid house a sulcata in an aquatic tank... It makes my blood boil.

He was furious with you?! He should be ashamed. Obviously all he cares about is making money, and has no respect for animal life. Just horrible.

 

[[email protected]]

I did take a pic of it when we went. to bad for my map turtle but I love my new penn cooter the only thing I can get him to eat is raw fish right now

 

[FLGirl41]

Yes, he also had multiple redfoot and yellowfoot adults in shallow bins (looked like kitty litter trays) on the floor in front of his table. They were very crowded and I saw so many people nearly stepping on them because they were literally in the aisles. Poor things were all hiding in the shells and looked scared. If he cared at all he wouldn't have put them there.