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Joey

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Hello everyone. I have come highly interested in a tortoise, and read a good pile of info on them. I have seein youtube videos etc and they seem like terrific pets. :] Can anyone tell were I could buy one? I live in California(Stockton City)

Is there any store on the internet that I could order one from? What kind of tortoise is reccomendable?
 

Crazy1

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Hi Joey welcome to the forum. Do you have a type of tort in mind? Have you concidered a rescue rather than purchasing one?
 

Crazy1

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Joey, what amount of acreage do you have? If you want a large tort you need a large, large area.
You can buy a baby one or you can sometimes get a baby one at a rescue for free. Most CA rescues have Desert torts Yes even baby ones. There is no charge for CA Desert Torts. Though there is an adoption process. You can check with them here; http://www.tortoise.org/cttcmemb.html .
Or they do have reptile shows in your area. Plus there are places on line you can buy one. We even have ones for sale or adoption on this site.

But please do your research first. You will need an exotics vet you can get to. Know the laws and regulations in your area regarding reptiles including torts. If you are set on a young tort you need to know how to keep it. Young torts are sensitive and can expire if things for it are not just right. Like lighting (ultra violet rays vs sun shine), temperature, humidity, size and type of habitat, type of substrate, water requirements etc. Different torts need different care. Please think on this awhile and do more research. I know you want to have a healthy happy tort as much as we want you to so research now. I took over a year doing research before I got mine. Some people take less time some more but knowing what you are getting into is really important.
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Joey: Just from your "galapagos" comment, I get the impression that you know nothing about tortoises. So my suggestion to you is to firmly advise you to research them and learn as much as you can. Think about your yard and what you have to offer, then go online and research. These are the most common types in the hobby today:

Russian (Agrionemys horsefieldii)
Red Foot (Geochelone carbonaria)
Hermanns (Testudo hermanni)
Greek (Testudo greca)
Sulcata (Geochelone sulcata)

And since you live in California, there's the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassazii) You can't buy them but they come up for adoption all the time through turtle clubs.

These are by no means all of the kinds of tortoise, just the most common. But please don't do an impulse buy. Please research and see what kind will fit into your yard.

Yvonne
 

tortoisenerd

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Welcome to the forum!

Please don't take this the wrong way because I am very passionate about the following:

Please please don't get a hatchling. I regret getting a hatchling as my first tort, even though i did months of research. There is such a high learning curve, and I could have easily killed him. We have far too many sad storied here of hatchlings quickly taking a turn for the worse and dying.

I agree to do all your research, find a vet before you get the tort, have the enclosure set up (outdoors ideally), know exactly what you will be feeding, and think about common breeds like the Desert Tort and Russians. I literally spend over $500 for my tort and getting it set up properly, and trust me I could have spent a lot more. It's not just as easy as picking up a tort and an aquarium (aquariums typically make bad enclosures by the way)...you have lighting, UVB, heating, substrate, water, shelters for hiding, safety to think about (including escape), etc.

Consider rescues/adoptions, or captive bred juveniles. If you go to Petco or similar, the russian tort (most common) has been wild caught and imported in a huge crate with hundreds or thousands of other torts. Many get sick and die, and most of the time when you buy them there will be a lot of vet bills. By buying a wild caught tort, you support that business. You are not "rescuing" them from the pet shop as they will just go replace it with another one. It may take some searching, but you can find torts to rescue/adopt (through agencies or Craigs list for example), or get a captive bred one that is a tad older (I suggest over a year). Some people even sell torts here. Yes you can buy online, but I'd be very cautious and know exactly what you are getting. They can ship overnight. In my eyes, the one bad night being shipped is still better than taking them out of the wild and having them have the long trek across the world (literally).

This forum is an excellent resource. Have fun reading over the old posts and learning. I have never been steered wrong here--and there is a lot of incorrect information on the web about torts. There are also a lot of products marketed for torts/reptiles that are bad, so beware.

Best wishes.
 

egyptiandan

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Welcome to the forum Joey :)

You've already got some great advice :D

Danny
 

Stazz

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Welcome to the forum Joey :D All the advice given to you is from wonderful caring people who have kept torts for years, and have the best experience :) You can ask any questions you have, and this is a fantastic site to learn all about choosing your tort, and how to care for it after you get it :D
 
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