Red flags from a Tortoise Seller

[Anoktear]

I contacted a seller to acquire a tortoise.

He told me that the best ones would be Sulcatas and it had to be a pair because if it was one tortoise it would die of loneliness because they are very social.

Next he said that I must also buy from him the following items:

1. 1 heat lamp - I asked about the CHE ones and he said that those were crap, the one he had was better.
2. 1 UVB 10.0 lamp - It was a coil bulb, I told him that from what I read on the internet those are bad for tortoises eyes, once again he said that's crap, he has tons of tortoises and all are fine.
3. 1 night heating cable - He just said it was necessary to put under the plastic box? I found that strange, so I said why not put below the substrate, he said that it would burn the tortoises.

The I asked about thermometers and if other equipment was needed, he said: No, all you need is a plastic box.

I wanted to build a cool home for them so I asked if he could wait for a week.
He said sure, just send me the money upfront.

For the cherry on top, I asked what if the tortoises get sick, he said if its breathing problems a warm bath will suffice.
If it's something else, then they might just die and no vet can help with that...

After all this, I decided to cancel the deal, something told me that I was about to be ripped off.

 

[stojanovski92113]

WHOA!! What a farse, yup that's some seriously bad information!! If you are looking to buy a tortoise there are very reputable breeders on the forum. As many of us can assure you of that. However, good call on canceling that order, the seller gave you some seriously bad advice. Sorry you had to deal with such a nimrod .

 

[stojanovski92113]

WHOA!! What a farse, yup that's some seriously bad information!! If you are looking to buy a tortoise there are very reputable breeders on the forum. As many of us can assure you of that. However, good call on canceling that order, the seller gave you some seriously bad advice. Sorry you had to deal with such a nimrod .

Not sure where nimrod came from lol, typo! I meant sorry you had to deal with the situation

 

[tortdad]

That all seems light to me

not!!

Good job not sending that yahoo any cash. You may not have been ripped off but you would have gotten some bad tortoises for sure.

What seller is this so we can warm others when they come looking to see if any of us have had dealing with them?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Nice catch.
was it a retail store or a private individual?

 

[phebe121]

Yes if it seams fishy it most of the time is, most of all there expensive so you would sent alot of money to get ripped off.good thing you cought it

 

[Tom]

There really are people out there who believe the stuff he was telling you. I mean really, any person can believe and promote anything they want. Even two people experiencing the same thing together at the same time will have different recollections and perceptions of what they just witnessed.

Its up to the new person to decide who to believe and why, and this is not always an easy task. Look for results, proof and a reasonable explanation. When one person says coil bulbs are fine and another says they are not, ask for an explanation. This will help you decide which source is more credible and why.

This seller is obviously not of the same opinion as me on most elements of sulcata hatchling care. You also never told us how he/she starts the hatchlings. If its the old dry method I am not surprised that his/her babies die for no apparent reason and no vet can help. I call that "Breeder Failure Syndrome" and it is due to organ failure due to chronic dehydration. None of my babies die like that because I don't keep them in dry desiccating conditions with o water for a week at a time. I house them in a simulation of the African rainy season which they would hatch into in the wild.

Anyhow, good call on taking a pass. There are many good sellers and breeders right here on the forum.

 

[Tom]

Read this to better understand which questions to ask of your next potential seller:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[mike taylor]

Whats this persons name?

 

[Anoktear]

What seller is this so we can warm others when they come looking to see if any of us have had dealing with them?

Nice catch.
was it a retail store or a private individual?

Whats this persons name?

I tried to look for a breeder near my location (Portugal) and got to his Facebook page, he sent me some pictures and we spoke on the phone, he seems to be a private individual.
I haven't found no one else in the region and so I am trying to contact some breeders in neighborhood Spain.

 

[Anoktear]

Anyhow, good call on taking a pass. There are many good sellers and breeders right here on the forum.

If you are looking to buy a tortoise there are very reputable breeders on the forum. As many of us can assure you of that.

Thank you, I will take your advice and post in the forum Marketplace to see if anyone will send to my location in a safe and viable way.

 

[stojanovski92113]

Thank you, I will take your advice and post in the forum Marketplace to see if anyone will send to my location in a safe and viable way.

It's sad because years ago I would of believed any breeder or someone who has/kept tortoises because I would image they have much experience & would want to spread their knowledge to the buyer. But many times it's all about the money and not caring about the animal.