To buy or to adopt from rescue?

[Blessed3x]

I've always loved tortoises and decided one day I was ready
to buy one. After having done my research and making sure
I was really ready, it made sense to me to try to adopt one needing
to be rehomed rather than buying one from a pet shop.

Curious, have most of you bought? Or adopted?

CJ

 

[Isa]

I bought mine at a pet shop (trust me, It was like a rescue because poor Hermy was not living in good conditions ). I would have bought one tortoise from a rescue but where I live (QC, Canada) there are not tortoise rescues since tortoises and turtles are very rare.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

I adopted Taco from my own daughter (long story) who was not caring for her properly. My family was operating under the false notion that tortoises were low maintenance pets.

 

[Nay]

CJ, I think it depends on the type you are wanting, and how long your willing to wait. I was at a pet store and fell in love with an adult old(I think) WC russian. He died one month later and I didn't get another untill I knew more about them. I did get 2 more Russians from someone who had them, pretty well taken care of. Then I went to a reptile show and found an adult RF, my son convinced me I needed him and we got JAck. Then craigslist ads came out and the problem became how many do you want?? They have different requirements, so sometimes sticking with one type makes it easier. (Easier to have more than one!!) Pet stores do it to make money, sometimes at the expense of the tort, then again some pet store employees are like one of us and take a real interest in their well being. I would rather get one that needs a new home,like one little RF I got on craigs list that was a dehydrated prune,eating dried rose pedals, but sometimes the pet store one should really 'need' a new home also.It's hard to know. Keep looking, you'll get hooked up with the first one. What kind tickles your fancy??
Na

 

[Greg T]

One thing you have to decide is what kind you want. You will find some like sulcatas more available than other species. Then you need to decide how old - hatchling, young, older. You won't find many hatchlings for adoption, but you can find more young and odler ones that people have given up on once they get bigger. There is no right or wrong answer as to adopt or buy - you have to go with what feels right at the time. Pet shops have a small choice of usually russians, on-line breeders can get you about anything you want, and if you check around, you can find some great torts available through rescues and humane societies. Decide on what you want and how big, then go from there.

 

[terracolson]

I bought my box turtles from a lady that wasn't caring for them properly. She had hundreds of animals n a residential area, including chickens that roam freely, and ferrets that had not had there cages cleaned in weeks...

The "girls" are doing great now

The others i got for free from Craigslist adds or from the local rescue

The local rescue, I work with, only sells the tortoise or turtles if they have to pay to get them.

Example,: some one was not able to care for there baby redfoot, so I bought it for 70 dollars and went to the rescue to donate it. The rescue paid me back (wow, thank you) and then sold it for 70 dollars the next week, to one of there members.


So to answer your question:

Its up to you, If you buy from a pet store, you enable them to get more, yet you also rescue the one they have..