Recommended breeders or rescues

Joined
Nov 12, 2019
Messages
1
Location (City and/or State)
Thurmont Maryland
So my family is strongly considering getting another red-footed tortoise- however, I want to find a really highly recommended breeder or rescue, because we have already lost 2 tortoises and honestly, I don't want to put my family through that again.
Long story kinda short- when we first decided to get a tortoise, we were gonna go with a Russian due to their smaller size. So I had done all my homework on husbandry and was looking for breeders when I unfortunately went into Petco and was lured into buying one from them with their 30 day health guarantee vs the 7 day thru many breeders that offer shipping. So needless to say he was in horrible shape and passed away at 45 days- come to find out he was a much older tortoise who had been imported into the country in horrible conditions.

So after doing a ton more research- we opted to get a redfoot and I thought starting young as a hatchling would have less issues, so we got a hatchling from a breeder. It started out great and slowly went down hill, with multiple vet visits then an emergency exotic vet visit. And we ended with him being diagnosed with hatchling failure syndrome and he passed away despite vitamin injections, injectable antibiotics, and supportive fluids. The exotic specialist could clearly see it had been an issue at the breeders and felt our husbandry was on point.

So- any recommended breeders or rescues?
 

Toddrickfl1

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Messages
7,103
Location (City and/or State)
Ga
So my family is strongly considering getting another red-footed tortoise- however, I want to find a really highly recommended breeder or rescue, because we have already lost 2 tortoises and honestly, I don't want to put my family through that again.
Long story kinda short- when we first decided to get a tortoise, we were gonna go with a Russian due to their smaller size. So I had done all my homework on husbandry and was looking for breeders when I unfortunately went into Petco and was lured into buying one from them with their 30 day health guarantee vs the 7 day thru many breeders that offer shipping. So needless to say he was in horrible shape and passed away at 45 days- come to find out he was a much older tortoise who had been imported into the country in horrible conditions.

So after doing a ton more research- we opted to get a redfoot and I thought starting young as a hatchling would have less issues, so we got a hatchling from a breeder. It started out great and slowly went down hill, with multiple vet visits then an emergency exotic vet visit. And we ended with him being diagnosed with hatchling failure syndrome and he passed away despite vitamin injections, injectable antibiotics, and supportive fluids. The exotic specialist could clearly see it had been an issue at the breeders and felt our husbandry was on point.

So- any recommended breeders or rescues?
I highly recommend Tortstork. His prices aren't the cheapest but his animals and service are exceptional. I'm not sure if he has any available at the moment but definitely check him out.
 
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