Too many sulcata in NY

[terryo]

I sent Jullie Maguire an e-mail about the ad on Chraigslist and this is her reply....anyone interested can e-mail her or fill out an adpotion form.

OK...I just got a response from Jullie Maguire (Turtle Rescue of Long Island)
I asked her if she saw this ad and she replied:

No, didn't see it. I really don't go on there. Breaks my heart to see them listed up here. I've got 14 here now, another coming in next Saturday and no more room after that. Maxed out for space until I can get some placed. Too hot to ship. Have a waiting list for some to come in as well. :-((( I can't even write to that person and say I'll take it now. They would have to wait.

Julie Maguire ~ http://www.turtlerescues.org ~ NYS Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator

 

[Yvonne G]

Yeah...its usually the folks who don't actually operate a Rescue who say there aren't that many sulcatas out there looking for homes. There are too many here in Central Calif, Southern Calif and now I see, in New York!

 

[Kristina]

To bad we couldn't organize some sort of transportation train. It would certainly help during the hotter months, when shipping is more difficult. A lot of dog and cat rescues do this, horse rescues too. If each person could drive X amount of miles, and hand off to the next, until the tortoise reached the adopter... that sort of thing.

 

[Tom]

14? In the entire state of NY? Even if her waiting list is 3 times that, I'm not ready to call it a crisis just yet. Its unfortunate that ANY end up this way, but I vote we keep a little perspective here.

The biggest problem I see, is getting the people who want to unload them in touch with the people who want them. Any ideas to solve that problem? I've still got room for a couple of females.

 

[terryo]

No, I don't think it's a crisis either, so maybe I worded that wrong. But...they are over run at the Turtle Rescue of Long Island and I'm sure that there are other's needing homes in other rescues too. I know that Sean Casey is over run with them too, besides other breeds, but he is selling them to help his rescue.
Tom, maybe you could get in touch with Julie and tell her you are looking for females.

 

[Tom]

I'll give her a try. Usually the rescues don't want them to go to people who will allow them to breed, but it can't hurt to ask. I've said before that I can always feed out unwanted or surplus eggs to my monitors or just leave them in the ground where they would surely not make it through the winter. I'm in the process of making a second giant enclosure for Bert, so that I can "un-divide" my current 6000 sq. ft. one and let Delores and Scooter have the run of it again. Right now they are cramped into a mere 4000 sq. ft.

Do you guys know Julie very well. If you tell her I'm legit, will she consider shipping them my way? Would it help my case if someone who knows her "warns" her ahead of time that I'm going to contact her?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I'll give her a try. Usually the rescues don't want them to go to people who will allow them to breed, but it can't hurt to ask. I've said before that I can always feed out unwanted or surplus eggs to my monitors or just leave them in the ground where they would surely not make it through the winter. I'm in the process of making a second giant enclosure for Bert, so that I can "un-divide" my current 6000 sq. ft. one and let Delores and Scooter have the run of it again. Right now they are cramped into a mere 4000 sq. ft.

Do you guys know Julie very well. If you tell her I'm legit, will she consider shipping them my way? Would it help my case if someone who knows her "warns" her ahead of time that I'm going to contact her?

I'll call her tomorrow and tell her you're legit. But she's way against breeding even if the eggs are chopped it's unhealthy for the female to be hounded by the male and go thru the egg making/laying process. But I'll put in a good word for you...

 

[Ickisrulz]

I'll give her a try. Usually the rescues don't want them to go to people who will allow them to breed, but it can't hurt to ask. I've said before that I can always feed out unwanted or surplus eggs to my monitors or just leave them in the ground where they would surely not make it through the winter. I'm in the process of making a second giant enclosure for Bert, so that I can "un-divide" my current 6000 sq. ft. one and let Delores and Scooter have the run of it again. Right now they are cramped into a mere 4000 sq. ft.

Do you guys know Julie very well. If you tell her I'm legit, will she consider shipping them my way? Would it help my case if someone who knows her "warns" her ahead of time that I'm going to contact her?

I'll call her tomorrow and tell her you're legit. But she's way against breeding even if the eggs are chopped it's unhealthy for the female to be hounded by the male and go thru the egg making/laying process. But I'll put in a good word for you...

I'm not trying to take this off topic...but how do we know being hounded by a male and laying eggs is unhealthy? It seems it's the natural thing.

 

[terryo]

I'll give her a try. Usually the rescues don't want them to go to people who will allow them to breed, but it can't hurt to ask. I've said before that I can always feed out unwanted or surplus eggs to my monitors or just leave them in the ground where they would surely not make it through the winter. I'm in the process of making a second giant enclosure for Bert, so that I can "un-divide" my current 6000 sq. ft. one and let Delores and Scooter have the run of it again. Right now they are cramped into a mere 4000 sq. ft.

Do you guys know Julie very well. If you tell her I'm legit, will she consider shipping them my way? Would it help my case if someone who knows her "warns" her ahead of time that I'm going to contact her?

I'll call her tomorrow and tell her you're legit. But she's way against breeding even if the eggs are chopped it's unhealthy for the female to be hounded by the male and go thru the egg making/laying process. But I'll put in a good word for you...

I'll put in a good word for you too Tom. I just got two little EBT's from her a few weeks ago.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm not trying to take this off topic...but how do we know being hounded by a male and laying eggs is unhealthy? It seems it's the natural thing.

But in nature, the land area they live in is so very large that the female isn't "hounded" by the male. They don't see each other that often. We keep them in small habitats where the female has no choice but to be hounded.

 

[Livingstone]

Just got done reading this thread. I think this is very interesting. It seems as though there is a disparity between the breeders and the rescuers. Since the breeders think there are a plethora of "good" people out there who know how to take care of these animals, and the rescuers are clearly indicating otherwise.

I guess its a good thing Tom is here to clear this up, and/or take in a couple homeless sully's.

 

[TylerStewart]

Once again, I volunteer to take them all if there is no expense in me getting them (I'm not going to pay shipping on them, and no, it's not too hot, I ship baby tortoises out of Vegas every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday).

I know of at least 2 people in So Cal looking to adopt male sulcatas, so if there are in fact any out there available, someone let me know at [email protected].

I have an idea - Why don't the people that think there's an overpopulation problem that want to at the same time save the world, start putting together a fund raiser that will pay for the shipping of these poor, unwanted, neglected tortoises to get them to one of the many people that are looking for them.

 

[terryo]

The Turtle Rescue of Long Island has fund raisers all the time to help pay for the food and vet bills and up keep of all the animals that they take in. They don't ask for a donation when you adopt one of their animals as do some rescue's. The least people could do to help them, is to pay for the shipping of any animal they get.

Tyler, why are you being so defensive? All I'm trying to do is help someone place some torts that she has taken in. Neither myself or Julie M. is trying to save the world.....just looking for homes for some unwanted Sulcata...that's all.

 

[TylerStewart]

I'm not being defensive, I think it just came across that way. I wasn't referring to you in my post. I just am curious where these rescues are trying to find homes for them all. We already debunked the guy in AZ who wanted $5 per pound for them, or whatever it was. I keep hearing about them in CA being piled on top of each other because nobody wants them. I've always said I'll take them to anyone that has ever asked, and I've never seen a single one. I can pick them up from most parts of CA, AZ, UT, NV at my cost. I have people ask me all the time if I know of any available for adoption, but I never do. Hopefully she finds homes for the 14. If not, I'm more than willing to take them.

Give me about 6 months, and I'll kickstart my own sulcata rescue. It won't be a non-profit (because who wants to invite the govt over), but it will accomplish all the same things with a high level of efficiency.

 

[chadk]

Most tort rescues just arenn't set up for holding that many torts. Considering what a large sullie needs as far as space, there are just not a lot of places that can handle any kind of volume. Compare the tort situation to dogs and cats and you'll see they don't even scale...
Also, it should be no suprise that in a massive state like NY (population wise) that there area abused and neglected torts. With only a few rescues, clearly there will be periods of time where they will have to turn away animals.

Here in the PNW, there are only a few well known tort rescues and because they tend to hold on to many of their torts, they run out of room quickly for new additions.

The most popular one, interestingly enough, also breeds and sells torts (not sullies, but still torts).

I'm starting to look like a tort rescue with my 4 sullies who were all given way by owners who could no longer meet their needs. I have yet to turn down a free sullie, and only have 4 to show for it. So clearly here in the PNW, we are not over flowing with them.

 

[terryo]

Well, if any one is interested please fill out an adoption form. They can't take any more in until they adopt out some of the one's they have, and there are some on a waiting list that they can't accept. I just got an e-mail from her telling me that if anyone is interested and can provide a good home with enough space, please fill out a form.
http://turtlerescues.com/turtle_tortoise_adoptions.htm

 

[Kristina]

I filled one out - not for Sulcatas, obviously, but I can take in just about anything else.

 

[Deaf Paul]

Filling out a form.

Been looking for a larger sulcata for a while now anyways. Hope it works out. Worried about the shipping part to Hawaii though.

-Paul

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

Most tort rescues just arenn't set up for holding that many torts. Considering what a large sullie needs as far as space, there are just not a lot of places that can handle any kind of volume. Compare the tort situation to dogs and cats and you'll see they don't even scale...
Also, it should be no suprise that in a massive state like NY (population wise) that there area abused and neglected torts. With only a few rescues, clearly there will be periods of time where they will have to turn away animals.

Here in the PNW, there are only a few well known tort rescues and because they tend to hold on to many of their torts, they run out of room quickly for new additions.

The most popular one, interestingly enough, also breeds and sells torts (not sullies, but still torts).

I'm starting to look like a tort rescue with my 4 sullies who were all given way by owners who could no longer meet their needs. I have yet to turn down a free sullie, and only have 4 to show for it. So clearly here in the PNW, we are not over flowing with them.

What rescue here in the NW breeds too? Just curious, I don't really know of any rescues of the top of my head

 

[Yvonne G]

The only one I know of is Tom Silverfield. Does he breed?

I'm in Central Calif, and I breed, but not the rescues. Us rescues are allowed to have our own collections, aren't we?