One Adult Russian Wanted

[wd1882]

Looking to get a Russian Tortoise. Male or female. Preferably male if possible.

I was going to buy from LLLReptiles, but it appears their's are not captive bred which has deterred me from them.
(Can anyone comment on TortoiseSupply? Are there's captive bred or wild caught?)

If you have one and would be willing to sell it for a reasonable price, let me know!

 

[leigti]

Male Russian tortoises are easy to come by. Check out craigslist, rescues, even animal shelters. And there are often ones listed here on the forum. Most of them are wild caught but they are still great tortoises.

 

[wd1882]

I live in Central Alabama, no shelters have them here.

I know, but they're harder to keep healthy and take care of from what I understand, and quite frankly I don't support taking them out of the wild to be sold as pets.
I'll keep an eye on the forums though.

 

[leigti]

I don't think they are hard. You just need to get them checked for parasites but I would do that with any tortoise I got. Especially if they have come from a good home which most of them listed on the floor I'm here have, you shouldn't have anymore problems than with any other tortoise. Russian tortoises are very hardy. I understand that you don't want to support them being taken out of the wild. So don't buy from a pet store or a website that sells wild caught ones. But if one is already here and needs a good home then I don't think there's anything wrong with that. And if price is of a concern to you getting a captive bred one is going to be more expensive probably. Maybe not but I think it could be. Check out the for sale section and see what's listed there.

 

[wd1882]

Price is no problem here.

I have no problem taking in one in need of a home, I just don't want a pet store one coming straight out of the wild.

 

[wd1882]

I went to PetSmart today, and I know I said I didn't want a pet store one, but after seeing it at and the conditions it's in? I feel bad for it.

They want like $100 or so for it, which is no problem. It's enclosure was probably 12" in width, maybe 24" in length, and probably 8-10" in height. Very cramped. Maybe an 8" radius worth of room to move in. It hardly moved while I was looking at it.

Any recommendations on what I could do here?

 

[leigti]

Was there more than one in there? My Petco usually keeps for in a space that big, one time there was six. I quit looking after that. I cannot tell you to not buy from a pet store, I bought from a pet store. I had heard terrible things about Petco and Petsmart etc. so I thought I would do the "right thing" and have my locally owned pet store order me one. I didn't trust websites or mail order myself. I asked for a captive bred young male. I got a wild caught older female. And she had issues. She had been crushed or stepped on, Hershell healed but the scars are still there. I wouldn't give her up for anything.
First, I would see if it is male or female. You want a mail and that is good because most people are looking for females so I applaud that you were getting a male. Don't trust the store, look in the Russian tortoise section and at the top there is a thread that tells you how to tell the difference. Basically males have long tails and females have short stubby tail's. Is its eyes clear, not sunken. When you pick it up does it seem at least a little active? Does it feel heavy like a rock or very light? You want a bright eyed tortoise with no discharge from the eyes or nose, one that wiggles when you pick it up, and one that feels heavy.
If you do decide to get the tortoise then don't listen to anything the pet store tells you. Get all your information from the form here. Pet stores will sell you a bunch of expensive things you don't need.
It is all up to you. You will be supported here no matter what you decide to do. People have varying views on pet store purchases but everybody will help you.

 

[wd1882]

As far as I can tell? Only one was in the enclosure. If there was a second? No way it's going to be alive much longer. It would've had to be stuck under the half log in there.

I did not get to handle it. Whenever I go back, what is somethings I should look for before buying? I know you just mentioned some, but could I get a little shortlist of things to check for?

 

[wd1882]

Based on size and appearance, I would guess it's a male.

The shell looked nice. Didn't appear to have any scars or any marks on it.

 

[leigti]

Sometimes it's hard to tell if it's male or female other times it's very obvious. Like I said big long tail mail short stubby tail female. Make sure the tortoise has no discharge coming from the eyes or nose. Bright eyes not sunken. Appears alert, wiggles when you pick it up. The tortoise might be scared and pull into the shelf and make a hissing sound, this is totally normal. Give it a couple minutes to see if it will come out and look around and wiggle. The tortoise should feel relatively heavy, like a rock not light.

 

[leigti]

Other people might have some ideas I'm sure more will come along soon. It's slow here this weekend probably because of the holiday. @Yvonne G do a search here on the site and see if there are other threads asking the same question.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

The nares (nostrils) should be clear. The animal should walk well, not dragging its shell or unable to support its weight. Eyes bright, not puffy or closed.

 

[sumone24]

Looking to get a Russian Tortoise. Male or female. Preferably male if possible.

I was going to buy from LLLReptiles, but it appears their's are not captive bred which has deterred me from them.
(Can anyone comment on TortoiseSupply? Are there's captive bred or wild caught?)

If you have one and would be willing to sell it for a reasonable price, let me know!

Hello,
I have one adult male tortoise for sale if your still interested? Where do you live?

 

[wd1882]

I'm still interested! I live in Alabama.