Chris Leone- Garden State Tortoise & Hermanni Haven

Nick V.

New Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2016
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
Keyport, New Jersey
I purchased a female Florida box turtle and a Burmese star tortoise from Chris. Both of which are spectacular animals in great health. He really cares about the animals he sells and the conservation of incredibly rare species. Definitely looking to buy from him again in the future.
 

KevinGG

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2013
Messages
1,119
Location (City and/or State)
Santa Cruz, CA
Just bought five adults from Chris. He is incredibly helpful. Fair prices. Beautiful, healthy animals. The tortoises ate right out of the box. I couldn't be more pleased. If you are looking for a tortoise, buy from Garden State.
 

Patty P

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2016
Messages
149
Location (City and/or State)
Rockland County, NY
Just bought five adults from Chris. He is incredibly helpful. Fair prices. Beautiful, healthy animals. The tortoises ate right out of the box. I couldn't be more pleased. If you are looking for a tortoise, buy from Garden State.
Which type of tortoises did you buy?
 

Franco F

Active Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2017
Messages
187
Location (City and/or State)
New York, New York
I purchased a hatchling western Hermann's tortoise (Apulia) from Chris last month and I couldn't be happier with the tortoise. His prices are incredibly fair for a great product, and he is very accessible in terms of reaching out to him with questions. My tortoise is noticeably healthy and is fitting into his home very well. Chris is incredibly dedicated to breeding and is an excellent source of tortoise knowledge. Look out for his care sheets that provide thorough information on how to care for each specific breed of tortoises. I would definitely recommend purchasing from Garden State Tortoise!

Thank you @HermanniChris !
 
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Thor-toise

Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2017
Messages
27
Location (City and/or State)
SoCal
So our sweet baby Groot arrived safely and healthy earlier today. I couldn't be more happier to receive such a rare, beautiful specie from no other than Mr. Chris Leone. Now our other baby Scooter is very happy that she has a sister that came from another great collector Mr. Gary. I can attest to what everyone's saying here about him. HE CARES for the animals, HE KNOWS HIS STUFF & if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask....I'll be for sure getting more shelled friends from you again soon & will recommend you to everyone. LOOK NO FURTHER cause Mr. Chris has all the right answers! :DHe's the turtles/tortoises PRO!!!:tort:Thank you @HermanniChris!!!
 

kittennoodlesoup

New Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2017
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
Pittsburgh, PA
Just purchased a wonderful little T. hermanni hermanni hatchling from Chris and it was a pleasure dealing with him! He's been super responsive to all my questions and was happy to delay shipment until I had my setup right. You can tell that Chris really does care about all his animals. The little guy I received has settled right in and I'm very happy with him.
 

Bobrose

New Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2017
Messages
1
Location (City and/or State)
New York
We bought a western Hermann's from Chris and had an A+ experience. Being new to the world of tortoises, we originally found him by googling and gradually came to realize how well-regarded he is. We originally reached out in the spring to reserve a hatchling for the summer, and when the time rolled around a few months later, there were no hiccups or problems with the shipping process. Chris is very quick to respond to e-mails, and the baby we received arrived in excellent shape and good spirits -- eating well, moving well, adjusting well.

I also highly recommend Chis's websites (see the subject line of this thread) as fantastic and authoritative resources on all things tortoise. So much practical information! I find that I refer to them even more than the books I bought on tortoise care. Even his Instagram is super interesting and informative! His care and respect for the animals shines through.
 

Ernie Johnson

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2017
Messages
98
Location (City and/or State)
McKinney, Texas
Just a quick review on Chris's service and quality of his animals.

Ordered two Burmese Star Tortoises from him and he held them until shipping made sense (Texas summer not a good time) and fit our schedule for timing and day.

Superb looking and interactive and healthy Burms.

Highly recommended and Burm's aren't his only available tortoises!

Ernie
 

Yako

New Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2017
Messages
1
Location (City and/or State)
Bronx, NY
I ordered an Ibera Greek Tortoise from Chris at Garden State Tortoises last week. He has answered many emails with my detailed questions, and I have a happy and healthy hatchling now in my home. I had a great experience getting my tortoise in the mail here in the Bronx, I also recommend Garden State Tortoises.
 

Rayodee

New Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
Texas
I ordered 3 Mesopotamian tortoises (aka Golden Greeks) from Chris. They are beautiful and active. I would highly recommend Garden State Tortoise, Chris has very informative and helpful!
 

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BucktownExotics

New Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2016
Messages
17
Location (City and/or State)
Bucktown, PA
I can’t recommend Chris at Garden State Tortoise enough! I have a group of Florida Box Turtles from him, and couldn’t be happier with all of them! He has been so patient and helpful with my millions of questions, and his knowledge and passion is unmatched. It is so nice to be able to find someone you can trust in this hobby. I will be a repeat customer for sure! :)
 

Benito

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2016
Messages
83
Location (City and/or State)
New Jersey
I have been purchasing tortoises from Chris for years now. Currently I have 19 Western Hermann’s and three Burmese Stars, all Chris Leone stock. They are all extremely healthy and very active. He is the only breeder I would use for Western Hermann’s. His animals are always high-quality purebreds that are DNA tested to preserve accuracy among the different regions. Chris is the expert when it comes to Western Hermann’s. His knowledge about tortoises and their natural habitats is extensive. He keeps his adult tortoises separated by region to preserve their pureness and includes region specific plants in their habitats. I have had the pleasure of touring Garden State Tortoise many times and could spend a full day viewing all of his beautiful animals. He has a very impressive setup, it is always clean and well maintained. All of his animals are always healthy, very alert and active.

I generally do not post reviews; however, I have recently seen tortoises advertised on Fauna and other sites for well below market value, that causes me to think that something may be wrong or they may not be purebreds. Many times I have seen them for the same price or close to what an Eastern variety would go for. Does that seem odd to anyone but me? Personally, I would not purchase these tortoises or even think about adding them to my colonies even though they are being offered for a so called “good price.” Especially not really knowing of their origins or pureness, anyone who has any real interest in obtaining a legit Western should do their homework and say to themselves “if it is too good to be true it usually is.” I want to help preserve the pureness of the Western Hermann tortoises and not promote the cross-breeding of Eastern and Western species.

After my experiences with Chris Leone, seeing his remarkably high-end setup, witnessing his high-quality animals first hand, his amazing knowledge of every minute detail about these amazing creatures, Chris Leone is the only person I would ever buy a Western Hermann from period. Why would I go anywhere else when I know that he is the only one who brought these animals into the U.S. other than George Ullman. I know when I buy tortoises from Chris I am getting the purest Western Hermann I can get with zero chance of it being mixed with its Eastern counterpart. He has put in a lifetime of research and support to make sure you are doing everything right for your tortoise. He is available to answer any questions I have had about tortoises and their care, and I have had many! Here is a link with pictures of my Western collection: https://imgur.com/gallery/kFnpu

Owner of 19 Westerns 2.4 Apulia, 2.4 Tuscany, 2.5 (Madonie) Sicily,

3 Burmese Stars

4 Leopards

2 Aldabras

2 Ivories from Rich Fife, 5 Sudanese Sulcatas and My normal (Gamera)

With a pre-order of 18 Westerns from Chris for 2018: Nebrodi, Mt. Etna, and Ragusa Sicily (3 brand new locales introduced to the U.S.)
 

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Tim Cordray

New Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Messages
2
Location (City and/or State)
Ohio
I've recently purchased a Mesopotamian tortoise from Chris and am vary pleased! He shipped promptly and answered all my questions even checking in a few days later. Next time I'm looking for animals I'll be sure to ask Chris Leone of Garden State tortoise!
 

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Dacody

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2016
Messages
1
I had heard of Garden State Tortoise and Chris Leone many times, yet I didn't know he also had box turtles. Recently I had been wanting to add a couple Desert Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata luteola) to my colony and noticed that Chris had them. I couldn't be happier with the hatchlings I received, already showing some perfect growth, they arrived in great condition (awesome packing skills!) and were real active. Chris showed me pictures of the sire and dam that produced the babies (beautiful specimens by the way) and was truly nice to interact with. He was real fast at replying to my emails and was also willing to offer husbandry tips, etc. Couldn't have asked for more, I'm sure I'll be coming back to him for more box turtles again in the future!
 

gixman

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2016
Messages
9
I recently purchased an Egyptian/Kleinmann's tortoise from Chris at Garden State Tortoises. He answered all my questions (and the questions started last November and they haven't stopped. I just asked him a question yesterday, lol) and provided me with all the information I needed to properly take care of my tortoise. He recently added a care sheet on one of his sites. Link below. He has many different species and sub species available. I highly recommend you talk to him if you are looking for a turtle or tortoise.

Thanks Chris!


https://www.hermannihaven.com/egyptian-tortoise-care-sheet

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ElizabethTW

New Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2017
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
Massachusetts usa
I just received 2 temperature sexed female Indian Star tortoises from Chris. They are absolutely gorgeous, active, and robust, with great appetites. I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a quality tortoise or turtle. I can tell that he really enjoys what he does, and he is very professional and knowledgeable. I'm sure I'll be purchasing something from him again in the future... when I can make more space haha...
In the photo I attached, the 2 new stars are shown with my original star which is several months older. One of the new kids is even bigger than my original star .
I just love all of them.
Thanks again, Chris!
 

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Joined
Jun 19, 2017
Messages
46
Hi everyone ! I recently bought a baby testudo graeca floweri (Golden greek) from Garden state tortoises. Man Chris Leone Is great, he answered all my questions even though most of them were silly. He really knows and loves his tortoises and wants to see them thrive! the tortoise came and was packaged great and was ready to go as soon as I unpacked him gave him a quick soak an was eating as soon as placed in his enclosure he is doing awesome here are some pictures I would definitely buy from him again IMG_4324.jpgIMG_4325.jpgIMG_4334.jpg
 

Mkombert

New Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2018
Messages
1
Location (City and/or State)
New york
Hi all! I recently bought a baby hermann's tortoise from Hermanni Chris. He is great, he answered all my questions even though most of them were silly and had a simple answer. He answers all my emails within 10 minutes of sending them. He really knows and loves his tortoises and wants to see them thrive! the tortoise came and was packaged great and was ready to go and move around!! I recommend everyone checks him out. I would not second guess myself in buying another tortoise from him!!!! (sorry for the blurry photo)


Hi Everyone,
Just received 1.1 indian star tortoises from Chris at Garden State Tortoise. The entire experience from start to finish was excellent. Chris responds to messages rapidly and thoroughly. The torts arrived without any incident, expertly packed and warm as toast despite the abnormally cold temps. The tortoises themselves are beautiful!, robust, bright alert and extremely good eaters from the get go. I could not be happier with Chris and the tortoises he sent me, I highly recommend Chris and Garden State Tortoises for beautiful, healthy captive bred tortoises. I'm already considering pestering him for some pancake tortoises this spring.
 

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