WC vs CB

Tom

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I know post hibernation slump sounds dumb and I'm still sceptical about such a thing, but for the most part he was just dehydrated.

If Russians are notorious at hiding things, does that mean the ones that don't show symptoms can still be sick, and will it harm him in the long run? Is there anything that can help find these bugs whilst he's alive? I just want what's best for him, esspecially since I didn't know the WC dangers when I got him. I just want to make this clear that I don't intend on having Franklin live with any group or any other individual. I got him with that as a fact.


Its not that russians are the only ones. Its that since there are so many WC russians still coming in, that we see all sorts of things with them. They can be totally asymptomatic for many of these things and live for decades while shedding the disease organisms. Each species has their own "bugs" that they have evolved to deal with. The problem is that a tortoise from Central Africa might not have the evolutionary means to fight off a "bug" from a tortoise from Afghanistan, while the Afghanie tortoise is totally fine with it because they have evolved with it.

Its just a fact that I wish more people realized. If your tortoise is eating and fine, there is no need for worry. I just want people to be aware that our tortoises can be little disease carrying vessels, even when they seem fine, and common vet tests, like fecal exams, will not find some of these things.
 

smarch

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Its not that russians are the only ones. Its that since there are so many WC russians still coming in, that we see all sorts of things with them. They can be totally asymptomatic for many of these things and live for decades while shedding the disease organisms. Each species has their own "bugs" that they have evolved to deal with. The problem is that a tortoise from Central Africa might not have the evolutionary means to fight off a "bug" from a tortoise from Afghanistan, while the Afghanie tortoise is totally fine with it because they have evolved with it.

Its just a fact that I wish more people realized. If your tortoise is eating and fine, there is no need for worry. I just want people to be aware that our tortoises can be little disease carrying vessels, even when they seem fine, and common vet tests, like fecal exams, will not find some of these things.
Oh thanks! Its basically the concept of why we don't mix species explained at the microscopic level? I knkw we never mix species because one can be immune to their own diseases but another species may have never seen that disease and it would be detrimental. So basically it's all due to these bugs? Learning something new everyday!
If I'd found this forum earlier I'd never have ended up with a WC, but I also wouldn't have my Franklin and I live his personality. I'm just happy he never had any severe problems, but since I committed to him I am also willing to do what it takes to keep him and any future tortoises safe. (But like said no more Russians for me since Franklin will always live alone, I pretty much plan to only ever keep tortoises to their own enclosures, and plan on having different species so it works out.)
 

Tom

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There is nothing wrong with wild caught tortoises. No one should feel bad or like they did something wrong by buying one from Petco or Petsmart. Without them we could never have CB tortoises. Many of them adapt and stay healthy for decades. I just want people to know they ought to be careful with other tortoises around them is all. I'm trying to point out that a WC has a greater chance of carrying bad stuff than a CB, and that taking it to the vet to have it checked accomplishes very little as far as disease organisms are concerned.
 

bouaboua

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Good information also very educational.
 

smarch

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There is nothing wrong with wild caught tortoises. No one should feel bad or like they did something wrong by buying one from Petco or Petsmart. Without them we could never have CB tortoises. Many of them adapt and stay healthy for decades. I just want people to know they ought to be careful with other tortoises around them is all. I'm trying to point out that a WC has a greater chance of carrying bad stuff than a CB, and that taking it to the vet to have it checked accomplishes very little as far as disease organisms are concerned.
I know what you mean, and there's people like me who thought the vet said he's good so he's bug free and now I know what I pretty much should have known but somehow didn't. So I mean you definitely expanded my knowledge there, so for me and others like me it was very nice to inform, thank you.
And its not that I feel bad about buying him, since if I didn't someone who didn't do research and end up here constantly learning may have got him, it's just that it was somewhat risky, especially since at the time I didn't even know reptiles went to vets! There are so many things that could have gone wrong, I guess Russians really are hardy to people learning!
 

leigti

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I got my Russian tortoise from a local pet store, not a chain store. I thought I was doing good avoiding Petco and going with the local store. Come to find out I was wrong. I did not know how it worked to ship the Tortoise so I was afraid to do it so I asked the local pet store to "order me one". They said they could so I asked for a captive bred young male. Long story short I got a wild caught older female. When I took her to the vet I found out that she had had some serious injuries in the past, including a crushing injury that broke Hershell halfway around. And possible burns on the top of the shell. But there is no beating her personality and I would not give her up for the world. It took a couple rounds of medicine to get rid of parasites but now she is fine she is very outgoing and not afraid of anything. I have a feeling she may have been owned by somebody else before I got her. The local pet store would tell me nothing about where they got her. I found out later that the local Petco has their animals treated by a veterinarian here in town. That's more than I can say for the local store. I try not to look at the tortoises at
The pet stores because I just want another one and I know that two Russians are not a good idea. I consider my Tortoise a rescue even though she came from a pet store. I know somebody that went to a reptile show in Portland and got exactly what I thought I wanted, a young male captive bred Tortoise. And he has absolutely no personality at all :-(some of this may be how they care for him however. so sometimes personality has no basis in where they were born.
 

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