Charsuibun
New Member
Hi All,
I wasn't sure where exactly to post this, or if there's even much I can do but I'm really concerned about a tortoise I've seen for sale today.
I'm based in the UK, and generally (at least where I'm based) the only shops to sell tortoises are exotics specialists, but today I found a new chain pet store near me who sell tortoises as standard. They informed me that the horsfield tortoise they've got on sale is 2 and a half years old (paperwork states it was born Nov 2016). I've got a photo of the little guy here, along with my horsfield who's about 3. I can't believe that there'd be such a disparity in size, which leads me to believe that the paperwork they have is falsified.
The tort seems fairly well looked after, albeit a bit dry so I'm not overly concerned for its well-being. But I am concerned that the suppliers they're using are importing these from abroad illegally.
Can I do anything about this? I'm guessing DEFRA would be my best bet, but again I don't know how much they could do.
I wasn't sure where exactly to post this, or if there's even much I can do but I'm really concerned about a tortoise I've seen for sale today.
I'm based in the UK, and generally (at least where I'm based) the only shops to sell tortoises are exotics specialists, but today I found a new chain pet store near me who sell tortoises as standard. They informed me that the horsfield tortoise they've got on sale is 2 and a half years old (paperwork states it was born Nov 2016). I've got a photo of the little guy here, along with my horsfield who's about 3. I can't believe that there'd be such a disparity in size, which leads me to believe that the paperwork they have is falsified.
The tort seems fairly well looked after, albeit a bit dry so I'm not overly concerned for its well-being. But I am concerned that the suppliers they're using are importing these from abroad illegally.
Can I do anything about this? I'm guessing DEFRA would be my best bet, but again I don't know how much they could do.