Okay, I'm not quite sure why, but my dad is insisting I get a captive bred RT. Now, I will be a first time tortoise owner, so I kind of want an adult. Is it possible to get an adult captive bred tortoise? If it is an adult and they still have it, is it probable that there is a reason why it has not been sold? I think he's afraid if we get a wild caught adult we won't know it's age, it might have parasites, and he thinks it will be unfriendly. Is all of this true? I'm not sure where to go from here. What do you guys think I should do?
Can't decide whether to get captive bred or wild caught, and adult or hatchling
- Thread starter Penny525
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I say captive bred 
wild caught I would think have more disease than captive bred but that's just my opinion as far is why it's wasn't sold it could have been just that, it didn't get sold doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong with it is it from someone on TFO or local too you?
wild caught I would think have more disease than captive bred but that's just my opinion as far is why it's wasn't sold it could have been just that, it didn't get sold doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong with it is it from someone on TFO or local too you?
How would you know if it was one or the other?
@DanaLachney- There is a local store that has wild caught ones but can order captive bred. And thanks for the advice!
@Kerryann- I am far from an expert but RTs sold at big pet stores like Petco are usually caught from the wild I think. Many of people say that their wild caught ones turned out to be lovely though so I'm not sure if it matters much... My dad somehow got it to his head that wild caught ones are ferocious beasts.
@Kerryann- I am far from an expert but RTs sold at big pet stores like Petco are usually caught from the wild I think. Many of people say that their wild caught ones turned out to be lovely though so I'm not sure if it matters much... My dad somehow got it to his head that wild caught ones are ferocious beasts.
CAPTIVE BRED.
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Penny525 said:@DanaLachney- There is a local store that has wild caught ones but can order captive bred. And thanks for the advice!
@Kerryann- I am far from an expert but RTs sold at big pet stores like Petco are usually caught from the wild I think. Many of people say that their wild caught ones turned out to be lovely though so I'm not sure if it matters much... My dad somehow got it to his head that wild caught ones are ferocious beasts.
Lol ferocious beasts that makes me think of the show Maggie and the Ferocious Beast!! Love that cartoon
and I'm still new so don't take my advice to heart it's just my opinion. Others will be along to give a more expert advice later I'm sure I would go with captive for sure. The parasites and all that aside, i just feel its not very nice to take an animal that was happily living his life in the wild as it should be if you have the option not to. I personally will pay more for an animal that is captive bred from a reputable source just to discourage the wild cought / farmed industry. It should be reasonably easy to find a good adult from a breeder that is retiring one for most species i would think..
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Check in the for sale section of this forum I believe I saw some decent sized Redfoots on here
Okay thank you! I didn't think about that much, and that's a good point! I'll find a captive bred adult, and if I can't, I may settle for a captive bred baby because I have found a small store that sells them Haven't been able to find breeders though. I shall look harder!
Absolutely Captive bred, or a rescue..I highly recommend rescuing...but definitely never take from the wild...we need to keep as many as we can in the wild...it is very important. There are also alot of ppl on here that you might be able to get....
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I have a wild caught and after 2 weeks he was perfectly lovely. He is incredibly loving and outgoing. Personally I don't think it makes that much of a difference. Yes you would need to do a paracite test but I would think you would want to with a captive bred as well. But I agree with the others if you can, try not to take these guys from their native homes. Although I think there is not much of a difference other than just where they are from.
Again wild caughts can turn out just as well as a captive bred but if you can, definitely get a captive bred so your not taking these lovely creatures from their native habitat. If I would have known when getting my Shakespeare (my RT) that he was wild caught and its an option to get a captive bred, I would have waited.
Again wild caughts can turn out just as well as a captive bred but if you can, definitely get a captive bred so your not taking these lovely creatures from their native habitat. If I would have known when getting my Shakespeare (my RT) that he was wild caught and its an option to get a captive bred, I would have waited.
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There is a pair of proven redfoot adults 11" and 12" in there and more also there are many breeders on here that sell hatchlings as well good luck
Personality is an individual thing. Most russians are pretty outgoing, but I have seen CB and WC ones that weren't. I don't think CB or WC will matter in this aspect.
It is likely that a WC is going to have a higher parasite load, but once they settle in to captivity, this is usually not going to matter much. Some people believe that some "parasites" are actually beneficial in some ways to the host. This is a highly debatable subject. The bottom line is that most wild caught imports do fine with or without a parasite load.
Older larger tortoises generally allow a larger margin of error than a baby, but if you set up a hatchling right, and don't make any glaring errors, they should do just fine. It will be difficult to find someone willing to part with a CB that they raised from a baby. It makes no business sense to raise a tortoise for 5-10 years so you can sell it for $100-150. It would be luck to find anyone who wanted to get rid of a CB adult. You might get lucky and find an older baby though.
I don't buy into the "get a CB" for moral reasons. I have no problem with removing a reasonable amount of animals from the wild to make them captive pets. Captivity is a much nicer, much less stressful, much easier life in most cases. If I died and had the choice of coming back as a wild tortoise in Kazakhstan or a captive tortoise belonging to a forum member here, I would choose captivity without any hesitation. Further, anyone who buys a CB baby is directly supporting and rewarding the people who ARE responsible for removing them from the wild. They all did it for profit (among other reasons) and when someone gives them money for their long term hard work and effort, they are profiting from the "exploitation" of these animals. I don't have a problem with that as long as the animals are properly cared for. Some people do. That's okay. I just don't understand the disconnect.
It is likely that a WC is going to have a higher parasite load, but once they settle in to captivity, this is usually not going to matter much. Some people believe that some "parasites" are actually beneficial in some ways to the host. This is a highly debatable subject. The bottom line is that most wild caught imports do fine with or without a parasite load.
Older larger tortoises generally allow a larger margin of error than a baby, but if you set up a hatchling right, and don't make any glaring errors, they should do just fine. It will be difficult to find someone willing to part with a CB that they raised from a baby. It makes no business sense to raise a tortoise for 5-10 years so you can sell it for $100-150. It would be luck to find anyone who wanted to get rid of a CB adult. You might get lucky and find an older baby though.
I don't buy into the "get a CB" for moral reasons. I have no problem with removing a reasonable amount of animals from the wild to make them captive pets. Captivity is a much nicer, much less stressful, much easier life in most cases. If I died and had the choice of coming back as a wild tortoise in Kazakhstan or a captive tortoise belonging to a forum member here, I would choose captivity without any hesitation. Further, anyone who buys a CB baby is directly supporting and rewarding the people who ARE responsible for removing them from the wild. They all did it for profit (among other reasons) and when someone gives them money for their long term hard work and effort, they are profiting from the "exploitation" of these animals. I don't have a problem with that as long as the animals are properly cared for. Some people do. That's okay. I just don't understand the disconnect.
Penny525 said:Thanks everyone for the advice and help!
Here is my experience with Russians (is that the tort you asked about in your first post?)
I have 4.
*2 females, probably WC, that I adopted off of Craigslist (CL). They lived together at least for 3 years in a kiddie pool in a home that reeked of tobacco.
One is very interested in anything I do, the other sort of, well, laid back.
They had pinworms when I got them. Now wormed and fecal tests recently clear.
*A male RT from CL who was kept in a fish aquarium with no UVB and dry reptile bark, fed on romaine lettuce and canned beans for 3 years.
He is amazingly active, and fairly fearless. + for pinworms and being treated.
* a female RT, from yes, sorry 1000 times, Petco during a sale. Why did I go in there? She was in with 3 males and had blood on her back leg. I took her. Her fecal test was negative. She had a freak problem with something stuck in one eye (not a WC or CB issue, just generic) which is now resolved after a vet visit.
She lets me handle her and is also extremely adaptable and curious.
CB Russians are hard to find because they are hard to breed in captivity, but breeders do sell them. I believe it would be even harder to find a guaranteed CB adult.
WC RT's who have been 'preowned' are likely more socialized. However, my one tort from Petco is remarkably calm around humans, although she watches first to make sure I am 'safe'.
I was happy to help a few torts who needed homes, and I have not regretted that decision. I did not get hatchlings because I thought I would help out with adults who needed homes.
Russians are amazing tortoises.
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Oops I just realized you were asking about Russians tortoises not Redfoots my mistake but in any case there are still breeders in here that sell them too a new clutch recently hatched but I can't remember the name. Anyway sorry for the confusion
but in any case there are still breeders in here that sell them too a new clutch recently hatched but I can't remember the name. Anyway sorry for the confusion 
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The best thing about captive-bred is you know their birthday, and how they were raised. My RT is wild-caught so I don't know how old he is (so I have no idea how long I'll have him - he might outlive me or I might outlive him!) and I have no idea what he's been through in his life. He's very small, so I'm assuming he went through some tough times growing up, but I don't know that for sure.
I think captive-bred will give you the peace of mind of not having to wonder about your tortoise's early years
I think captive-bred will give you the peace of mind of not having to wonder about your tortoise's early years
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