Is it bad to shop at and take advice from Petco?

[Len B]

I have 13 wild caught young adult Russian tortoises, 7 of them came from Petco the other 6 are imports that were either given to me or are from a dealer.I have never had a health problem with any of them. Petco has a nice guarantee with a free vet visit if needed, I have never used this so have no idea how it works. Another thing I found out is Petco has that price match thing. I have used this and saved over $90 on 3 seresto collars..

 

[Rue]

Price match would be from a competitor's store (advertised price) though...not a private breeder.

 

[Sara G.]

Personally I'd like to see a guarantee that Petco's torts aren't wild caught.
I'd definitely try to see who their breeder is.
Having worked at a pet store, I know that it can sometimes be common practice for employees to not be told if an animal is CB or WC, by who orders the animals.
Or it can be equally common for employees to state that all their animals are CB and they refuse to buy WC animals, even if that might not be true. Not that I did this latter part, I always answered honestly about the animals we had.
But I don't work there anymore. And I'm much better off mentally!

 

[tglazie]

Don't buy tortoises from Petco or Petsmart. Anyone who tells you the animals sold there are captive bred is either lying or conveying false information after having been the recipient of lies. Breeding tortoises isn't easy and takes years to accomplish, and no professional seller would sell you a captive raised, five inch adult tortoise for anything less than two hundred dollars, especially a Russian. Heck, captive bred Russians are nowhere near as common as captive bred sulcatas, leopards, Hermanns, or redfoots, and the reason for that is that Russians have a relatively low reproductive rate. I imagine that when their international trade is restricted, there will be a significant decline in the popularity of the species as a pet. Here in San Antonio, I've seen Petsmarts and Petcos selling wild caught adult Russians and Hermanns for a hundred bucks. Back in the nineties, I remember seeing Russians for sale for as low as $36. Compare this to captive bred and captive raised animals in the mom and pop shops and at the expos that cost two to five times that. The fact of the matter is that selling a wild animal is far cheaper than actually raising one yourself. I'd compare it to the difference between harvesting a tree from the forest for lumber as opposed to planting a tree, seeing to it's needs, then harvesting it after years of tending. Honestly, how were the producers of these animals making a profit unless they were simply picking from wild populations?

I've been dealing with tortoises for decades, and you can spot the difference between a wild caught animal and a captive bred one. Captive raised animals are generally cleaner in appearance, often moderately pyramided, generally missing the battle scars acquired on the shells of their wild caught counterparts who have lived a life of regular combat and narrow escapes. Wild caught animals tend to suffer from internal parasites, which can come in the form of worms, protozoans, or flagellate organisms, many of which are too small to see without a powerful microscope. Many of these go unnoticed by many new keepers who are lucky enough to purchase a tortoise that hasn't begun suffering the advanced stages of a parasitic infestation.

Now, I'm not saying that you're guaranteed to have a bad experience after purchasing a wild caught Russian. I've met plenty of folks who have had good experiences. All of the breeders I know started off with the wild ones, obviously. All I'm saying is that when you have the option to get a captive bred animal, that is always the right choice. You're simply taking fewer chances. And if you're hesitant to get a baby, try seeking out a breeder who has a hold back animal. A juvenile with a year on it will be easier to manage for a person who is just beginning.

Also, the advice on their caresheets is pretty lousy, and in all likelihood, the advice given by Petsmart and Petco staff is likely to be pretty awful. I mean, the shops in my area don't even refer to Russians as Russians. They refer to them as Testudo tortoises. Now, setting aside the redundancy of referring to a tortoise as a Testudo tortoise (or, translated, a Tortoise tortoise), this shows that they don't even prioritize classifying the type of tortoise they are selling. I assume they call them "Testudo tortoises" given that at any given moment, they may have a Russian, a Greek, or a Hermanns tortoise in the tank. But educating staff on the differences isn't difficult. I mean, they can differentiate the damned parakeets from the love birds, yes? I wouldn't imagine there's confusion between the neon tetras and the black tetras. Not to be a jerk, but I just don't understand this.

As a more experienced keeper, I find it irritating that these shops would mislead folks about the source of their animals. I wonder what they would say if someone asked them if their green tree frogs were captive bred, or their green anoles?

As far as buying supplies at Petsmart or Petco, I don't find that disagreeable. They have good discounts on aquariums that I use for keeping tree frogs. Just the other day, I paid $150 for a 75 gallon aquarium. Totally awesome. And I occasionally buy feeder insects there, to supplement the frogs' dubia roach staple diet.

T.G.

 

[Rue]

.... I mean, the shops in my area don't even refer to Russians as Russians. They refer to them as Testudo tortoises. Now, setting aside the redundancy of referring to a tortoise as a Testudo tortoise (or, translated, a Tortoise tortoise), this shows that they don't even prioritize classifying the type of tortoise they are selling. I assume they call them "Testudo tortoises" given that at any given moment, they may have a Russian, a Greek, or a Hermanns tortoise in the tank...

There is nothing whatsoever redundant about calling them Testudo tortoises.

Testudo is the genus name. It doesn't matter what the Latin translation is in this instance.

There are five species currently placed here:

1. Russian (or Horsfield's) tortoise, Testudo horsfieldii
2. Hermann's tortoise Testudo hermanni (with various subspecies, ex. Testudo hermanni hermanni - the Western Hermann's tortoise, also the nominal)
3. Greek (or Spur-thighed) tortoise, Testudo graeca (also with various subspecies)
4. Egyptian (or Kleinmann's) tortoise, Testudo kleinmanni
5. Marginated tortoise, Testudo marginata

So...if they happen to have a Horsfield's, or Hermann's or Greek...yes, they are all correctly called Testudo . If you want them to list the species name in addition to the genera, send them a letter to that effect. It's always a good idea to provide as much information as possible.

 

[tglazie]

With all due respect, it is absolutely redundant, I am well aware of the classifications within the genus Testudo, and I have contacted the management of these stores about the animals. What's more, the information is useless. It is the rough equivalent of having a bells hingeback tortoise and calling it a Kinixys tortoise. The fact that Testudo translates from Latin as "tortoise" only offers the incompetence of the act bonus points for also being idiotic. We name these animals for a reason, and that is so that they may be as specifically described as possible. The only two species in your list of five that have exactly the same care requirements are Testudo marginata and Testudo hermanni boettgeri. Testudo horsfieldi and the various forms that comprise that species are far less adaptable when it comes to humid conditions (meaning that keepers in Florida will have more challenges maintaining that species than keepers in Arizona; the same can't be said of Testudo hermanni boettgeri nor Testudo marginata, both of whom I've found to thrive in both the more humid, subtropical climate of South Texas where I live, as well as the drier more montane climate of central New Mexico where I once resided). Some of these animals, such as the Hermanns and Marginateds, can brumate through long, cold winters. Others, such as many of the coastal Greeks, are not so capable. These animals are also quite different behaviorally speaking. If someone purchases a "Testudo tortoise" from Petco or Petsmart, then decides, without happening upon the forum (which is, in my view, one of the only good sources of tortoise care information in a vast ocean of misinformation), that they want to get their "Testudo tortoise" a buddy, they could very easily acquire an animal that is an entirely different species, a situation that could result in any number of problems. I honestly don't understand why listing the species name of the animal they're selling would be controversial, but as of yet, I've not been able to get them to change this designation, despite my repeated attempts at politely informing them of my views.

This isn't the only situation, though. There are countless misidentifications I've noticed over the years. They refer to their White's tree frogs, for instance, as "Australian Whites Treefrogs," despite the fact that they are wild caught Indonesian Whites. We know this given that Indonesians lack the distinct teal coloration that is so prominent in the Australians, plus the fact that Australia doesn't export animals. What they are selling match the wild caught Indonesians I've seen everywhere. And then, as I mentioned in my earlier post, you just have to look at the price. Most captive bred Australians sell for at least thirty bucks. PetCo's price of twenty for supposedly captive bred Australians seems suspiciously close to the twenty dollar market value of wild caught Indonesians to me.

In my view, all of this points to a greater problem concerning the care and classification of herps at these stores in general. As I said, they wouldn't incorrectly classify the parakeets as finches or the guppies as oscars. It doesn't make sense that they would so vaguely classify these guys.

T.G.

 

[enchilada]

HOW I SHOP AT PETCO

1. Go to the reptile/fish supply section
2.check out what equipment i need/ compare products
3.open my Amazon.com APP and find the same product
4. Place order on Amazon and glad so much $$ I saved