Went to Hamburg PA Expo

[Macheteslaststep]

So..they didn't have any Greek Tortoises today I was a little bummed. But my fiance had to keep steering me away from the leopard hatchlings lol. They were on 7 different tables! Including the breeder that I got Dozer from 4 years ago

I also saw a couple walking around with a baby Sulcata (they had a lot of them too, $40 a piece ) And I walked up to see the baby, the woman then said she didn't think they got so big. Evidently they saw a young adult at one of the tables...I say young because she was only about 50 pounds. I told them that they can get well over 100 pounds and need a lot of room. They also need to be over wintered indoors (they are from PA). The woman said if she had known all of that they probably wouldn't have bought him. They just thought he was a cute little thing that would stay around the size of a Box Turtle. I did give her the name of this forum - maybe they'll join.

They did have another adult Sulcata there though and he was so smooth!!! Whoever raised him seemed to have done it right

Saranna

 

[Missy]

That is to bad that you didn't get your Greek. That is shocking about the lady that got a Sulcata and had know idea about them. So the breeder did not give out any info? Grrrr that makes me so upset.

 

[dmmj]

well personally I believe it is the buyer's responsibility to find out those things, now if the vendor lied to her that is another story.

 

[GBtortoises]

I go to the Hamburg show about once or twice a year. Usually vendors have whatever the latest WC imports are, Greeks were a couple of years ago. Russians and Redfoots are usually and unfortunately, always a staple. Many vendors at Hamburg sell various captive born tortoises. Very, very few of those vendors are the breeders themselves. Most buy from breeders just before the show to have the animals at the show to sell.

The problem I have with shows like Hamburg and others is that many people walk in with no knowledge about the tortoise (or other animal) that they want to buy. Even more walk into the shows and just to find something "cute" and buy it! Most with absolutely no knowledge of what they just bought. So they attempt to ask care questions to a very busy vendor who just sold them the animal who in reality wants them to move on so that some one else can get in line to buy.
Most breeders that I know either a) won't sell at shows or b) have caresheets available for the animals that they sell available at their table. Most will try to answer a few basic questions that a buyer has. But you have to remember that they can't devote their time to explaining the care of the animals that they sell to each buyer, as much as some would like to.

As dmmj said, it's the buyer's responsibility to educate themselves. Hopefully before they make a purchase!

 

[Macheteslaststep]

Yea, she admitted that they didn't ask the buyer any questions. I think because he had a couple adult Russians on the table, they assumed that that's what they were.

Some of the vendors (a lot of them that I met actually) were very informative and didn't mind answering questions at all. The breeder (yes, he is) that I got Dozer from was great 4 years ago and today. He will answer any question you have, has pictures of adults, and recommends Richard Fife's book to anyone considering a leopard. I will admit though that some were just too busy to deal with questions, but those are the one's I stayed away from.

 

[terryo]

I can't believe that someone would buy any animal without doing some research on it's care.
No pictures of the show?

 

[Macheteslaststep]

It was way too crowded for pics lol. The building isn't that large, no AC, and there were over 100 people in there. YOu have to shove your way through to get to a table

 

[ChiKat]

I can't believe that someone would buy any animal without doing some research on it's care.

I know, this still baffles me to this day. When I was 7-years old and wanted a hamster, I checked out books from the library and did a ton of research before getting the hamster. I was 7 and knew better!!

 

[GBtortoises]

From what I've seen over the years the majority of people that buy pets are impulse buyers, most uninformed about what they are about to take on in terms of care, time, investment and longevity. It doesn't seem to matter if they're buying a dog, a rabbit, a bird, a hamster or a tortoise. If it's "cute" they want it, at least for that moment. More times than not, that admiration wears off in a few weeks or a month once (and if) they realize the commitment that is involved in keeping a live animal healthy and happy. That's why there is no shortage of animals in shelters and on sites like Craigslist.