Clueless Tortoise
Active Member
When I was 10, I wanted a tortoise so bad. I did tons of research and my parents finally let me get one. So we went to Petco and were told that the little guy that I picked out was almost 1 and that he was captive bred. Clearly I didn't do enough research because they lied and I was a sucker. 5 years later ( he is supposed to be 6 now ) I found out the truth. I found out that he is at least 10 -15 years old, and was wild caught. My heart is in shatters to know that I bought an animal from those awful people. He has always had a dry shell, no matter how many baths he gets, and has chips and scuffs from the day that I got him. My 10 / 11 year old brain had no idea that someone was capable of doing something like that and it breaks my heart. I wanted this thread to be place for others to talk about these pet stores because I know I am not the only one who has been lied too. After crying my eyes out, I realize that I can't change the past, but that I can do the best I can to take care of my little guy and give him the best life he can possibly have. It doesn't matter to me how old he is, all that matters is how much I love I'm and how I am willing to give him everything I can to make him happy and keep him healthy. Now that I know this, I want to help educate people about the truth that happens in these stores, and how we can all help. As far as right now, I would like to know what others think about this, and how to cope with knowing the fact that they went through these horrible situations. Its always better to know the truth than to be ignorant and act like its all fake.