Hollo Introduction & advice

[NZealo]

Hello all, nice to meet you. I'm NZealo or NZ for short. I'm more of a T / Tarantula hobbyist, with over 11 different species, and a few odd ball invertebrate species as well. Some of my favorites are my p. metallica, Hapolopus sp. Colombia, and my Paraphrynus mexicanus ( Not a T, but still a favorite).

My significant other and I are both lovers of the reptile world, him so more on Tortoises & snakes, while I lean my to my T's.
We currently reside in TN, and have been here for quite a few years. Our one and only Tortoise that we have is our radiated Tortoise, which we named Dee, My old man and I received Dee as a gift about 8 years ago from a breeder that we would help out from time to time, though we no longer have contact with him unfortunately, which leads me to my question or advise for help.

We've been wanting to get a few companions for our lovely Dee, but for obvious reasons, we've been having a difficult time trying to get Dee a few buddies. What with us being in TN and the whole restrictions on Radiated Tortoises and having to have a CBW if we were to buy any across state lines.
Any advise on how to obtain a few Radiated within TN??

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

One thing you should keep in mind if you were ever to find a Radiated tortoise in Tennessee - tortoises are territorial. This means they neither want nor need another tortoise in their territory. In fact, male or female, they will fight (sometimes to the death of one of them) to chase the other tortoise out of their territory. So, the need for finding some companions for your tortoise is strictly YOUR need, not your tortoise's. He's totally happy being the kingpin of his kingdom.

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Please do post some pictures of your tortoise, Dee!

 

[wellington]

I second Yvonnes post. So be sure you have the room to house them separated if problems arise. If Dee is a male, you should get at least two females, three would be better
If Dee is a female, then you still need to get two more females and one male if you wanted to breed. If not interested in breeding, then no male is needed
@Tom is into tarantulas and other reptiles other than just tortoises.
To find a TN breeder of Rads, look in our breeder section and also look on the faunaclassified.com

 

[zovick]

Hello all, nice to meet you. I'm NZealo or NZ for short. I'm more of a T / Tarantula hobbyist, with over 11 different species, and a few odd ball invertebrate species as well. Some of my favorites are my p. metallica, Hapolopus sp. Colombia, and my Paraphrynus mexicanus ( Not a T, but still a favorite).

My significant other and I are both lovers of the reptile world, him so more on Tortoises & snakes, while I lean my to my T's.
We currently reside in TN, and have been here for quite a few years. Our one and only Tortoise that we have is our radiated Tortoise, which we named Dee, My old man and I received Dee as a gift about 8 years ago from a breeder that we would help out from time to time, though we no longer have contact with him unfortunately, which leads me to my question or advise for help.

We've been wanting to get a few companions for our lovely Dee, but for obvious reasons, we've been having a difficult time trying to get Dee a few buddies. What with us being in TN and the whole restrictions on Radiated Tortoises and having to have a CBW if we were to buy any across state lines.
Any advise on how to obtain a few Radiated within TN??

I bred Radiated Tortoises from 1971 though 2019 and have sold several Radiated Tortoises to a few people in TN over the years. From whom did you get yours? Perhaps I know him/her or may be able to refer you to someone in the state who might have some.

As you may know, the CBW permit process has really broken down, and virtually no one has one for Radiated Tortoises these days, so you will need to buy within TN as you mentioned. If there is no private person from whom to obtain the species, your only hope would be the Knoxville Zoo or possibly the TN Aquarium (and I am not sure they would even have any available or if they would make them available to a private party if they did).

 

[Tom]

Hello all, nice to meet you. I'm NZealo or NZ for short. I'm more of a T / Tarantula hobbyist, with over 11 different species, and a few odd ball invertebrate species as well. Some of my favorites are my p. metallica, Hapolopus sp. Colombia, and my Paraphrynus mexicanus ( Not a T, but still a favorite).

My significant other and I are both lovers of the reptile world, him so more on Tortoises & snakes, while I lean my to my T's.
We currently reside in TN, and have been here for quite a few years. Our one and only Tortoise that we have is our radiated Tortoise, which we named Dee, My old man and I received Dee as a gift about 8 years ago from a breeder that we would help out from time to time, though we no longer have contact with him unfortunately, which leads me to my question or advise for help.

We've been wanting to get a few companions for our lovely Dee, but for obvious reasons, we've been having a difficult time trying to get Dee a few buddies. What with us being in TN and the whole restrictions on Radiated Tortoises and having to have a CBW if we were to buy any across state lines.
Any advise on how to obtain a few Radiated within TN??

Hello and welcome!

There is no one more qualified to help you in the entire world than Mr. Zovick, and he has already chimed in. I hope you realize how fortunate we all are to have The Godfather here on this forum and actively posting.

I wish you good luck, but I also want to caution you. A large percentage of the Radiata population in this country is asymptomatically carrying or afflicted with TINC. This is a terrible tortoise disease and can wipe out an entire collection. Just be aware that adding anything from any source is a risk. Definitely observe a long quarantine with lots of vet testing BEFORE ever allowing any contact with your beloved current tortoise and the incommoding new ones. Be careful and observe some strict bio-security measures to keep your current baby safe. If there is a choice, it is generally better to buy from a source that has fewer tortoises and fewer species around.

And feel free to talk Ts or any other spider or reptile species with us all in the "Other Pets" section. I have several Brachypelma species, and a few other odds and ends. I bred GBBs a few years ago. That was fun. I'm receiving a Phiddipus regious egg case from a friend today. Should hatch in 3-4 weeks. Want some babies?

 

[NZealo]

Oh my, so many replies, where to start!?

Our biggest interest in wanting more Radiated Tortoises was more towards the breeding aspect, not for profit of course, but for lineage, helping with their numbers, and a bit of also wanting to eventually have a large outdoor, fully enclosed area for our Dee and maybe a few others were they can enjoy their lives and us be happy in taking care of them.

I have recently visited TN Aquarium, and can definitely say that they've been having great success in breeding Radiata, though I haven't inquired about them. An on Dee's breeder or original owner, I'd have to ask the old man about that, its honestly been way to long for me to remember, but he might. Another note, I only recently learned about how bad TINC has been affecting the Radiata population and was quite surprised by this, which has left me talking to the old man about getting Dee tested incase they are a possible carrier. We've never had any issues health wise for Dee, but if this was the case we would obviously have to cancel on any thoughts on getting more, and just be content with Dee having the place all to themselves.

An I'd have to pass on the babies, Tom XD though the offer is appreciated. I'll admit that I currently have my hands full with 10 baby Heteroscodra maculata, and a few Monocentropus balfouri. I generally prefer to keep Arboreal species, or Old world, though I do have a few New world species. Odd as it is, I actual started into the hobby with P. irminia and I've been hooked on Arboreals since. I wouldn't mind getting a OBT, but unfortunately the old man has Banned them from my list, he's so against them that I find it hilarious.