Possible tortoise rescue???

[knolan16]

I am new to the tortoise community. I have my baby boy I bought back in July and he is a Russian tortoise. I go to this local swap meet all the time here in indiana and its pretty big, people come from other states for it. The problem is that it's unregulated. You can sell anything as long as its not a firearm, or illegal. There is a group there that sell reptiles, tons of reptiles. They set out several huge rubber horse water bins with them in it. I feel so bad though because unlike other sellers they have not just tortoises but bearded dragons and other lizards in the bins filled so full that its just stack on top of stack of reptiles. The tortoises are always heart breaking because they always flip each other over and you know its rough on their shells. The swap meet starts up again in May and i was wanting to buy 1 or 2 in hopes of giving them better living conditions but i know they would need seperated based off of what ive read which will make housing them awkward and challenging. The guys will obviously get their money even if i dont buy them and they must have enough money to feed all of these reptiles because they all look well fed and lively, any ideas?

 

[saginawhxc]

I understand your desire to save these animals, but I lean towards never giving people like this any money.

Do you know what kind of tortoises they sell?

 

[Beasty_Artemis]

Oh so sad. I've been there!
Just yesterday my mom and I were out shopping for substrate for my upgraded tortoise table. I just had to stop at the reptile section and look at the sad little Russians that are always housed incorrectly. Poor little babies! I'm always seeing Russians treated badly....
In the future (tomorrow mabey?) I want to rescue the poor babies myself.

 

[saginawhxc]

Our local petsmart occasionally will have a Russian for sale. They keep it in this tiny little tank about as long as 3 times his length and maybe 2 times his length wide.

I always feel bad for them, but I avoid supporting an industry that treats animals like that.

 

[knolan16]

I understand your desire to save these animals, but I lean towards never giving people like this any money.

Do you know what kind of tortoises they sell?

they are russian tortoises

 

[dmmj]

If you buy one or two from them they will just replace them & sell again. Tough choice

 

[Yvonne G]

Just try to think about how they are cared for at home. It would be impossible for a vendor to bring the tortoise's (or the lizard's) real homes to keep them in at the swap meet. They have to bring them in containers small enough to be able to handle. Tortoises and lizards living in those conditions all the time would surely die. So they must have a nice habitat when they're not on sale at the swap meet.

I raise leopard tortoises. If I had a venue to take them out for sale, I would have to pack them into a tub small enough to fit in my vehicle and easy for me to carry. That means 10 or 12 little baby tortoises would be exhibited in a dish pan. But here at home they have a beautiful 4' long Christmas tree storage bin that had several plants and hiding places, feeder and waterer. They would only be taken to the sale on a temporary basis, but would live most of the time at home.

I have no compunction about buying a healthy-looking animal at a swap meet or pet shop. I would buy the animal because I wanted to add it to my collection, though, not because I wanted to rescue it.

 

[MPRC]

If you buy a poorly treated animal you are encouraging the abuse and showing the seller that there is a market for animals so they will just get more.

If the conditions are truly terrible then you may have a greater impact by speaking to animal control about the issue.

 

[Speedy-1]

I think you need to realize when you see an animal for sale , it is a product to be sold and the display is not the way they necessarily live ! I recently bought a BTL at a reptile show and I felt sorry for the need to temporarily keep animals this way !

I don't like it , to the extent that I always take along a suitable container , so that after inspection and purchase I can make him more comfortable immediately !

I have come to realize that temporary cramped quarters at "point of purchase" are usually needed and not really abuse of an otherwise healthy animal ! But , that's just my idea !

 

[Mr Buster]

I agree that the tortoises for sale in petsmart or petco are just for display. The main problem is that the customer is mislead to believe that is the way you keep them at home.

26 months ago I bought five firebelly toads and at petsmart they have them in an aquarium that emulates a creek with filters and pumps etc. etc. At petco they have them with the reptiles in substrate with a dish of water in the middle where they hang out. After buying an aquarium, then a larger aquarium, pump, heater filters pebbles, etc- after a few months I went the petco way. They are less stressed, have plenty of hiding space, can come out of the water and pile on each other like firewood if it gets too cold, and most important the crickets do not drown in the water. But on the way petsmart had them displayed, I blew about $500.

 

[Speedy-1]

I agree that the tortoises for sale in petsmart or petco are just for display. The main problem is that the customer is mislead to believe that is the way you keep them at home.

26 months ago I bought five firebelly toads and at petsmart they have them in an aquarium that emulates a creek with filters and pumps etc. etc. At petco they have them with the reptiles in substrate with a dish of water in the middle where they hang out. After buying an aquarium, then a larger aquarium, pump, heater filters pebbles, etc- after a few months I went the petco way. They are less stressed, have plenty of hiding space, can come out of the water and pile on each other like firewood if it gets too cold, and most important the crickets do not drown in the water. But on the way petsmart had them displayed, I blew about $500.

I am sorry you had a bad experience because of petsmart . I hope this doesn't sound sarcastic because I don't mean it to be ! At what time does it become the buyers responsibility to do the research needed to give the animal the best life they can provide ? I think that it should be previous to purchase , but that's just my opinion !

 

[Mr Buster]

Regardless of the research you are going to get at least half a dozen different pieces of "expert advice" on the way to habitat an amphibian or reptile. One thing I will say about my firebelly toads, after more than two years they are all five healthy and thriving. Life expectancy can be up to 20 years.

 

[Speedy-1]

One thing I will say about my firebelly toads, after more than two years they are all five healthy and thriving. Life expectancy can be up to 20 years.

Glad to hear that !