New and Sad

Herkey’s Grandma

New Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
Warren Michigan
Hello. I’ve finally decided to officially join and share our story.

For my son’s 16 birthday ( this past June) We surprised him with a baby Greek hatchling. He has always wanted one ! We had done the research, built a wonderful enclosure and thought We’d found a reputable breeder .

“Hercules” arrived a day after my son’s birthday ... and was seemingly healthy. Herkey was eating well and we absolutely adored him. About 3 weeks later, Herkey passed away. All of a sudden, We noticed he was walking funny. We took him to the vet immediately and one day later Herkey was gone.

This has been devastating! The vet said he was most likely dried out by the breeder and made it with us as long as he could ...but he just wasn’t strong enough even with the proper care we were giving him.

My son (and I) would like to try again, as the vet insured us that it wasn’t our care that caused his passing. He told us not to be discouraged and to honor Herkey by trying again.

We are both a bit nervous now, but are hoping to possibly find a “well started” or yearling ...eventually to care for and love and to give a wonderful forever home to, in the future.

Our hearts are broken and I’m hoping by joining the site and to continue learning about and loving tortoises, we’ll get stronger and braver and maybe a new “shell baby” will eventually come into our lives. Thanks for letting me share and try to heal.

Ps. My profile photo is my son Ethan, and Hercules soon after we got him. :(
 

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Ben02

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2018
Messages
1,830
Location (City and/or State)
Brighton, Southcoast, UK
I’m so sorry:(, you gave that little guy a good life while it lasted.

I would definitely not let this discourage you from tortoise keeping. There is a great guy who runs a company called “Tortstork”, he hatches and raises well started babies. Perhaps that’s something to consider, you won’t have any doubts on whether these babies were started well.

Good luck!
 

katieandiggy

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2018
Messages
1,022
Location (City and/or State)
Suffolk, United Kingdom
I recently lost my little tortoise, same reason as yours. Mine hung on for 12 months but it got him in the end.
My vet told me the same thing, was raised too dry from hatchling and irreparable damage to the kidneys.
I am going to rescue an adult next spring.
Don’t be discouraged just make sure you do your research. There are some excellent excellent breeders on this forum who raise babies the correct way. Like Ben, I am sad that I’m not in the US to be able to buy one.
 

Herkey’s Grandma

New Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
Warren Michigan
I recently lost my little tortoise, same reason as yours. Mine hung on for 12 months but it got him in the end.
My vet told me the same thing, was raised too dry from hatchling and irreparable damage to the kidneys.
I am going to rescue an adult next spring.
Don’t be discouraged just make sure you do your research. There are some excellent excellent breeders on this forum who raise babies the correct way. Like Ben, I am sad that I’m not in the US to be able to buy one.
 

Ray--Opo

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Messages
7,018
Location (City and/or State)
Palm Bay Fl
Welcome and sorry for your loss. There are also good breeders here on TFO. I am not sure if anyone breeds Greeks.
Good luck!
 

Bountyboy

Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2019
Messages
79
Location (City and/or State)
Philadelphia PA
Sorry for your lost... I hope you guys can find a better healthy one soon it hurts to hear these stories. But they are lessons to be learned. Oh and hello and welcome to the forum
 

SweetGreekTorts

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2018
Messages
980
Location (City and/or State)
Tucson, AZ
Very sorry for your loss. There are 3 highly reputable breeders that I would recommend, and I've bought Greek hatchlings from all of them.

Garden State Tortoise has the most variety. There are over a dozen different subspecies and locales, and Chris has them all. I've bought a dozen hatchlings from him last year and already bought another 15 this year.

Tortstork has the terrestris, marokkensis and the ibera. I've bought 2-3 of each from Randy. He also sells the "Insta-Hatch" eggs if you'd like to hatch your own Greek tortoise. I've also had that experience from him.

Arizona Tortoise Compound. Andrew and his wife have a handful of Greek subspecies and they are well started and well loved.
 

sibi

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 23, 2012
Messages
6,486
Location (City and/or State)
Florida, USA
Hi and welcome to this forum where you'll find the most helpful, informative, experienced owners and breeders in the world! Anything you need to know can be found here. When you're ready to be an owner of a tortoise again, we'll all be here for you.
 

MPappagallo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2019
Messages
368
Location (City and/or State)
Myrtle Beach, SC
Hello. I’ve finally decided to officially join and share our story.

For my son’s 16 birthday ( this past June) We surprised him with a baby Greek hatchling. He has always wanted one ! We had done the research, built a wonderful enclosure and thought We’d found a reputable breeder .

“Hercules” arrived a day after my son’s birthday ... and was seemingly healthy. Herkey was eating well and we absolutely adored him. About 3 weeks later, Herkey passed away. All of a sudden, We noticed he was walking funny. We took him to the vet immediately and one day later Herkey was gone.

This has been devastating! The vet said he was most likely dried out by the breeder and made it with us as long as he could ...but he just wasn’t strong enough even with the proper care we were giving him.

My son (and I) would like to try again, as the vet insured us that it wasn’t our care that caused his passing. He told us not to be discouraged and to honor Herkey by trying again.

We are both a bit nervous now, but are hoping to possibly find a “well started” or yearling ...eventually to care for and love and to give a wonderful forever home to, in the future.

Our hearts are broken and I’m hoping by joining the site and to continue learning about and loving tortoises, we’ll get stronger and braver and maybe a new “shell baby” will eventually come into our lives. Thanks for letting me share and try to heal.

Ps. My profile photo is my son Ethan, and Hercules soon after we got him. :(
So sorry you have gone through this. Please don't let this stop you from trying again. There are a ton of reputable breeders, and I am sure you will find one that is able to supply you with a good, healthy tortoise that will live for many , many years to come. Welcome to the forum, and I hope your future tortoise experience is much better than your past one.
 
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