feel bad for the litle tort, he is happy and eats wel, and has always been friendly, ever since we had him, i got him 4 xmas last year from my partner. Poor thing shud b out in the wild tho! :/
just been informed my tort is more thn likely wild caught or wild farmed :(
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The way I see it, every pet on this planet SHOULD be out in the wild. However, as humans we've taken them away from that - now, you need to provide a great life for your tortoise in a domestic environment. You can offer a level of protection they simply don't get in the wild, and an abundance of food and warmth. Those are the things to strive for. People have done it with dogs and cats for thousands of years, and given the right care any animal can adapt to a happy and comfortable life under human care. 
Enjoy him, and give him the best.
Enjoy him, and give him the best.
i do love him, hes gr8, makes me laugh when hes eatin n stompin round, i try to make sure hes got everything he needs etc n i agree animals shud b in the wild, n nt hurt or neglected
n i agree animals shud b in the wild, n nt hurt or neglected
It is to bad, however ditto to the thread above
shellnnorm said:i do love him, hes gr8, makes me laugh when hes eatin n stompin round, i try to make sure hes got everything he needs etc
Exactly. We all have our own reasons for keeping pets/owning animals (delete as appropriate). For me, it's about companionship. No wild tortoise would seek me out for friendship, but it means a lot to me to have Emrys as my companion. He was captive bred himself, but I imagine not that long ago his relatives were wild. Thankfully, I've now got him as a fantastic companion, and in return he gets to 'stomp' around (I love the idea of them stomping!), eat an abundance of greens and be free from the risks or dangers of predators.
There's something in it for us all!
I took this photograph not all that long ago. It's supposed to make a bit of a statement on animals in captivity:
(patiently awaiting comments about it being a staged or non-natural photograph - sorry if it offends anyone in any way!)
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That's what my RT's do. They want, so bad, be outside again. Only 4 more months of freeze.
I am in complete agreement with Cheryl's statement. No matter where your tortoise came from, a farm, captive bred or wild caught, as long as you are giving it the best care you can then you should be proud to be preserving the species.
I have been slated on another forum, as ALL my tortoises are wild caught/rescued/dumped/delete as you wish. The simple facts are that these animals do not have the easiest life in the wild, become damaged, unwell and die because their 'wild world' is not as safe as it once was.
I will dig out some photos at some point to show you what I mean - my first tortoise, Fluffy has a truly horrific shell injury, caused by a strimmer. In order to prevent forest fires people over here go along the hedgerows and fields and strim down all the grass. Do they think to check for torts first? (or any other creature for that matter) No - so damage and death are caused, unintentionally whilst they are preserving human life and buildings by preventing fires.
She is not the only one, Daisy has a massive trauma to her shell, almost through to her skin underneath, we have no idea how that happened. Oscar was savaged by a dog and brought to me by the dogs owner. The others have similar stories. Dead tortoises are found every day over here in spring when the local residents put poison down in all the fields to prevent snakes eating the crops....
I give them the best care I can, have created as near to a wild habitat that is possible whilst preventing danger, and they have all become part of our family now. WC or CB, these torts capture our hearts so enjoy each moment you have with them.
I have been slated on another forum, as ALL my tortoises are wild caught/rescued/dumped/delete as you wish. The simple facts are that these animals do not have the easiest life in the wild, become damaged, unwell and die because their 'wild world' is not as safe as it once was.
I will dig out some photos at some point to show you what I mean - my first tortoise, Fluffy has a truly horrific shell injury, caused by a strimmer. In order to prevent forest fires people over here go along the hedgerows and fields and strim down all the grass. Do they think to check for torts first? (or any other creature for that matter) No - so damage and death are caused, unintentionally whilst they are preserving human life and buildings by preventing fires.
She is not the only one, Daisy has a massive trauma to her shell, almost through to her skin underneath, we have no idea how that happened. Oscar was savaged by a dog and brought to me by the dogs owner. The others have similar stories. Dead tortoises are found every day over here in spring when the local residents put poison down in all the fields to prevent snakes eating the crops....
I give them the best care I can, have created as near to a wild habitat that is possible whilst preventing danger, and they have all become part of our family now. WC or CB, these torts capture our hearts so enjoy each moment you have with them.
cherylim said:
I agree that every WILD animal should be in the wild. Animals should NEVER be removed from the wild to be sold as a pet. There is no excuse for that.
But for domestic animals, I think the evolutionary process has made their return to the wild unlikely.
That is just too cute!
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As long as your tort is well taken care of, I wouldn't feel guilty. On the bright side your tort now has a life free of worry. Food is easy to come by, not having to endure parasites and disease, and no predators. As long as there is enough room for your tortoise to not feel constrained, I wouldn't project human feelings of imprisonment on him.
Shelly said:cherylim said:
I agree that every WILD animal should be in the wild. Animals should NEVER be removed from the wild to be sold as a pet. There is no excuse for that.
But for domestic animals, I think the evolutionary process has made their return to the wild unlikely.
Haha, yes - of course, I should have clarified that I meant the animals should never have originally been 'captured'. I'm not advocating releasing...that...into the mountains of Timbuktu.
EKLC said:
Well said, all of you! My torts live the Life of Riley especially when they are outside in the warmer months...
thnx 4 makin me feel better hes awesum n i wudnt release him in2 the wild, espesh in england, he wudnt cope with the weather bein so cold, n he wudnt find food tht was gud etc n hes very tame, so wudnt b gud t set him out it wud end up him bein no more bt he seems happy, he eats n has character x
hes awesum n i wudnt release him in2 the wild, espesh in england, he wudnt cope with the weather bein so cold, n he wudnt find food tht was gud etc n hes very tame, so wudnt b gud t set him out it wud end up him bein no more bt he seems happy, he eats n has character xshellnnorm said:thnx 4 makin me feel better
Eye gre wiff watt uo sed toatley
thnx shelly, he jus wudnt survive out ther nw, hes bin in captivity for a year with me, and dunt no how long before we got him, not a chance, n im kinda attached to my norman! lol!
dmmj said:
He wondering if it's going to rain, thus if he'll need his little goloshes...
lol at terry allan!
shellnnorm said:lol at terry allan!
A well-mannered tort ALWAYS wears goloshes when going out in the rain, so as to not track in mud later.
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