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Is LLLReptile a good place to buy a tortoise?
LLLReptile?
- Thread starter ErinLaForce16
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I've never bought a tortoise from them but my boyfriend got a tegu thru them and was very pleased with the animal and the service. Delivery was right on time and he was packaged nicely, appropriate for the time of year.
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I have never bought a tortoise from them but I have purchased supplies and have had a good experience with them.
There is a section in the forum dedicated just for reviews you can also check out.
It depends on what you are getting and where it is originally coming from. Let me explain...
First LLL is a GREAT company. Loren, the owner, has been a friend of mine for many years. BUT (there's always a "but"...), they sell a lot of tortoises and therefore have to buy all sorts of tortoises from all over the place to meet the demand. Because I am a "tortoise snob", I have ways that I think are the "right" ways to raise a tortoise and some of the people they buy from don't start their babies the way I think they ought to be started. You stand a much better chance of getting a good one from LLL than many of the other sellers, but I would prefer to get one directly from the breeder so I know EXACTLY every detail of how it was started.
First LLL is a GREAT company. Loren, the owner, has been a friend of mine for many years. BUT (there's always a "but"...), they sell a lot of tortoises and therefore have to buy all sorts of tortoises from all over the place to meet the demand. Because I am a "tortoise snob", I have ways that I think are the "right" ways to raise a tortoise and some of the people they buy from don't start their babies the way I think they ought to be started. You stand a much better chance of getting a good one from LLL than many of the other sellers, but I would prefer to get one directly from the breeder so I know EXACTLY every detail of how it was started.
TOM,,,,what have you for sale,or,what do you know of for sale???....I too am a snob ,only the best will do.....seeking a bold healthy ,big headed mountain tort,...I'm afraid to "just"order one .point us in the right direction ,who got what .pm if you'd like........when only the best will do.
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You can, of course, always ask for pictures of a particular group of tortoises. 
While we can't guarantee a particular animal from a picture, you can judge for yourself if the group of babies appears to be in the kind of condition you'd be happy purchasing.
I don't fault you in the slightest for wanting to know exactly how babies are raised, Tom, and we will actually tell customers that if they want the kind of information about how a baby was raised from day one...it's worth it to pay the extra money for a baby directly from the breeder.
OP, what kind of tortoise are ya looking for?
-Jen
While we can't guarantee a particular animal from a picture, you can judge for yourself if the group of babies appears to be in the kind of condition you'd be happy purchasing. I don't fault you in the slightest for wanting to know exactly how babies are raised, Tom, and we will actually tell customers that if they want the kind of information about how a baby was raised from day one...it's worth it to pay the extra money for a baby directly from the breeder.
OP, what kind of tortoise are ya looking for?
-Jen
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LLLReptile said:You can, of course, always ask for pictures of a particular group of tortoises.
I don't fault you in the slightest for wanting to know exactly how babies are raised, Tom, and we will actually tell customers that if they want the kind of information about how a baby was raised from day one...it's worth it to pay the extra money for a baby directly from the breeder.
OP, what kind of tortoise are ya looking for?
-Jen
I'm looking for a Russian tortoise. I would like one that is a couple years old.
Thanks everybody!
edwardbo said:
I have nothing for sale right now. Fresh out of everything. I'm really not much of a seller anyway. I'm just a hobbyist and occasionally have an extra animal or two that I don't mind parting with.
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I went to my local LLLReptile and it seemed like the sulcata hatchlings were showing signs of pyramiding....not 100% sure but didn't look as healthy as some of you guys' pictures
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thegame2388 said:
This is exactly what Tom was referring to - we do not have sulcatas in our stores long enough to cause pyramiding, but if a breeder has babies that have begun to pyramid...we'll still offer them for sale. They are usually listed at less than what perfect babies will sell for during that same time of year.
OP, we have LTC (long term captive) Russian Tortoises right now, but no captive bred ones. If you're just looking for a pet to keep alone, these russians are at least a few years old, if not older than that, and doing well. If you want captive bred, you're better off waiting a bit - one of our locations has a very, very sweet gentleman who has a pair of torts that breed for him every year. He brings us pretty much all of his babies, all extremely well started and perfect little things. We also get CB russians from a couple other folks as well.
Just keep an eye out, and don't hesitate to call!
-Jen
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LLLReptile said:thegame2388 said:
This is exactly what Tom was referring to - we do not have sulcatas in our stores long enough to cause pyramiding, but if a breeder has babies that have begun to pyramid...we'll still offer them for sale. They are usually listed at less than what perfect babies will sell for during that same time of year.
OP, we have LTC (long term captive) Russian Tortoises right now, but no captive bred ones. If you're just looking for a pet to keep alone, these russians are at least a few years old, if not older than that, and doing well. If you want captive bred, you're better off waiting a bit - one of our locations has a very, very sweet gentleman who has a pair of torts that breed for him every year. He brings us pretty much all of his babies, all extremely well started and perfect little things. We also get CB russians from a couple other folks as well.
Just keep an eye out, and don't hesitate to call!
-Jen
Well from my take, it seemed like all the babies had pyramiding...not just a few.
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Tom said:
Funny, ironic, that's the same for Tortoise Supply in Vegas. He buys and sells as well as breeds. It comes down to the individual animal. At the various shows, where both vendors appear, it's a toss up who will have the animal that represents the risks I would be willing to take. LLL has displayed a range of animals that I find I could pick a winner. So at least between these two, price might be considered a reasonable criteria.
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ErinLaForce16 said:I'm looking for a Russian tortoise. I would like one that is a couple years old.
Thanks everybody!
Are you here in Southern California? Our Menifee location has some CB russians that look roughly 6 months old (maybe a bit older) - I think they're from the local guy who brings them in, and he holds on to them for a while before he sells them to us.
They're not listed on the website, though, so if you're not able to visit the store in person you won't be able to order them.
I got a picture from the store yesterday intended to go on Facebook, so these are three of the exact babies there:
Just thought I'd mention it if you were still looking!
-Jen
Look how big the baby on the left is! Oh so cute!
Those little russians look great Jen. Can you tell us what they sell for? Menifee is not that far and I'm headed to Anaheim on Saturday.
Will said:
For the record, we produce probably 90% of the animals that we sell. I've never denied buying and selling animals, but we buy from a total of about 3 people, all of which you would almost all know and consider excellent sources for tortoises. Not sure why Will thinks he knows much of anything about what we do (he absolutely doesn't), but he's stretching the numbers on a large scale. It's increasingly apparent that he has a man-crush on bad mouthing us.
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