Saw some hearbreaking tortoises at the pet shop today...

[Tortus]

First of all, this is the first time I've been to a pet shop in about 2 years. I do not support them because I've yet to see one that cares about their animals. I just went in for emergency marine aquarium supplies.

Anyway, after I got my supplies I walked through the reptile section. I immediately saw a small exhibit with 1 tiny baby leopard (they wanted $250.00 for it) and 1 sulcata baby (about twice the size) together. There were three fixtures above the enclosure, but only 1 very small basking bulb that wasn't even turned on. I'm not sure if they had an alternate heat source or what.

The leopard seemed to be about the same size as mine, around 2", but its shell was really dull and almost chalky looking. The colors didn't look right. The scutes on the bottom were sort of ragged. Its eyes were shut and swollen, and it was banging its head against the glass. The sulcata wasn't even moving. I assume it was alive.

In another enclosure was a large bearded dragon along with a larger sulcata, maybe 8". The substrate was a very thin layer of mulch and there was no sort of hide. The tort was sitting in the back with its head in a corner, not moving.

I just felt so bad for them, but what can I do? Pet stores get away with mistreating animals and it appears to be legal. They support puppy mills and keep the puppies in small cages behind glass.

It really bothered me on the way home. It just feels hopeless.

 

[l0velesly]

I've felt that way so many times and leaving feeling hopeless. The best suggestion is to inform the owner about the mistreatment of the tortoises. It's sad how all that pet stores want is to sell them and not care about how they're treated.

 

[Tortus]

I didn't see the owner this morning. Just a bunch of teens/20 somethings he has working there and I didn't feel like wasting my breath.

I have spoken up at pet stores more than once. No one seems to care. One time I saw two snakes killing each other and I told a woman working there. Her reply was, "Good. I hate those things."

No joke. It's a horrible industry.

 

[shellysmom]

I feel your pain. I avoid pet stores as much as possible for that very reason.

 

[mattgrizzlybear]

i just hate pet shops. but not all are bad.

 

[Tortus]

I've decided that I'm going back in a few days and hopefully see the owner. We go way back actually, from when he had a smaller store in another part of town. Never liked him much.

He may not know a thing about tortoise husbandry. I've learned so much over the past month that I'm probably an expert compared to him. I feel like I have to do something to stop what I saw today.

 

[shellysmom]

I've decided that I'm going back in a few days and hopefully see the owner. We go way back actually, from when he had a smaller store in another part of town. Never liked him much.

He may not know a thing about tortoise husbandry. I've learned so much over the past month that I'm probably an expert compared to him. I feel like I have to do something to stop what I saw today.

That sounds perfect! Let us know what happens!!

 

[Tortus]

I sent you a PM shellysmom but it says "not sent" for some reason.

I'll report on what happens. That baby leopard anyway needs to be rescued, not sold for 250 bucks. It's dying.

 

[shellysmom]

I sent you a PM shellysmom but it says "not sent" for some reason.

I'll report on what happens. That baby leopard anyway needs to be rescued, not sold for 250 bucks. It's dying.

I did get the PM, thanks. Hope you can help these torts.

 

[Tortus]

I'm sort of surprised that more people here don't have any advice or seem to care about this issue.

Someone needs to take a stand for pet shop animals. There needs to be regulations. Someone to come in periodically and say "This isn't right." They shouldn't be above any other animal owner when it comes to the care of their pets.

It makes me depressed. But we need to speak up. After what I saw today I'm more than glad to take a stand.

Are you? Or will you just choose to ignore it as you did with this thread? Someone needs to get on their asses about this sort of thing. If not people like us, then no one will.

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

Not all pet shops are bad, and they shouldn't ALL be punished because of the occasional idiot. The best way to get those people out of business it to not GIVE them your business. Don't even walk in to the store, tell all of your friends to do the same, and tell them why. News will spread and if enough people stop going, they won't be open for long. Locally owned pet stores like that rely very heavily on the good word of others.

Regulations won't work because the government isn't going to give a hoot about the animals until enough of the people do, and I hate to say it but are there really enough people in the world that know anything about tortoises to take a stand against the government? Probably not, especially since they haven't even shut down puppy mills yet.

 

[Tortus]

I agree, FLT. Completely. When it comes to reptiles, most people don't know enough to even give a damn.

But I am seriously considering challenging that. As well as taking on puppy mills. I know pets are for our enjoyment, but it shouldn't be at the expense of their health. That comes down to animal cruelty. And that's what I witnessed yesterday. It should not be allowed.

I don't mean to step on anyone's toes here, but I am very pissed off right now. Something has to be done.

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

I have to agree, but there was a petshop around here that was similar. They had a cockatiel with a broken wing in the same cage for 3 months and it got worse and worse until I assume that it finally died. People notice these things, and they also notice the ridiculous prices... The store was closed down probably two or three months after the 'tiel disappeared.

 

[shellysmom]

I have some ideas that might or might not be helpful to you, but things to ponder, maybe...

Although pet shops are exempt from things like the animal welfare act, there are several states that have laws regulating the treatment of animals in pet stores, including the requirement to take sick animals to the vet. This type of info might help when you go talk to the owner. Here's a link for more info to see if your state has such laws:

http://www.bornfreeusa.org/b4a1_petshoplaws_currentstate.php

If you don't live in a state that has good laws regulating pet stores, and you really think the leopard tortoise is so sick it's about to die, perhaps it you could ask the owner if he would let you have it so you could take it to the vet, and nurse it back to health, or whatever. You could take some time to find a good home for it, and sell it for a price that would recoup your care costs. If it's really sick and you take it to the vet, it would be great to have the vet's documentation of the illness, so that if the pet store continues to sell sick pets, you have some paperwork to prove it.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

To the OP, this may be of some use: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-52898.html#axzz28FT5xKZF

 

[Spn785]

When I was younger I wanted a pet turtle, so I went to a exotic pet store and bought what I was a box turtle, and I knew very little of turtles, so I did what I was told by the pet store and got a set up with a gravel substrate and just a few inches of water. The turtle did not do well, and I ended up giving it to someone I knew who was good with turtles, and had several different types. It turned out to be a red-eared slider! Since then I have never bought anything from a pet store. I did report the pet shop for animal abuse because the RES had very little water in its cage at the pet store. No one ever did anything, and 15 years later the pet store is still in business. It really infuriates me what alot of these pet stores do. Anything I can do to help Tortus, let me know. Unfortunately I don't really have any ideas.

 

[RosieRedfoot]

I went into my local pet store, the only one that sells mazuri tortoise food, and saw they had a sulcata and a redfoot in the same ten gallon tank on sand with basking lights. The water bowl was too small to soak in. They didn't even know there were different species of tortoises and just label them all as sulcatas for $150... I worry so much about the future for that redfoot but there's no way I can bring home another tort or support them by buying it. I'm thinking of going back and bringing them info on sulcatas vs redfoots vs russians so they can at least ID them so future owners give them the right care conditions (in an ideal world...)

 

[Tortus]

Thanks for the links. I will look into them further when I get off work.

I'm not exactly a tortoise expert, learning more every day, but that leopard has to be sick. I wish I had something with me to take a video. It looked so bad. And there was no UVB bulb. Just that little basking lamp that wasn't even on. One dish with water. No food. No hide...just a plastic tree.

Honestly I would be worried about bringing it home in case it's diseased. I wouldn't want my tort catching anything.

 

[Tortus]

Well I got back not long ago, and the leopard wasn't there. The small basking light was on this time and the sulcata was awake. I asked a girl working there about it and she said she didn't know anything since it was her first day of work this week. Again I didn't see the owner.

I would like to talk to him though. Maybe I'll call back. With my schedule working 12 hour shifts it's hard to keep driving 30 minutes away during their business hours.