tortoishell
Active Member
How can you determine if your tortoise is bred in captivity or wild caught?
Wild caught?
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Appearance of shell..
Condition and strength of limbs..formation of jaw muscles..
They are somewhat private but not all..
tortoishell
Active Member
What is the difference between the two? For instance, are captive bred tortoise shells stronger or vice versa?
Generally and traditionally speaking...a wild tort shell will have a perfection to it...shape, texture, stability, strength that most captive bred and raised just don't match up to..just a wild perfect shell..allowed to be what it is designed to be..something that has hugely vast micro climates at their disposal...wet, damp, dry, cool, warm, hot...variety of soil and such..
Do you have a pic of the tort in question?
If you are buying a Russian from a US pet store, it will be wild caught regardless of what the staff say. It will almost certainly need worming.
In the UK you cannot buy a wild caught tortoise of any species.
Wild caught tortoises will have scuffed shells. There'll be the chips and knocks of living the life outdoors.
In the UK you cannot buy a wild caught tortoise of any species.
Wild caught tortoises will have scuffed shells. There'll be the chips and knocks of living the life outdoors.
your not legally suppose to be able to buy wild caughts in the states either
I am surprised by this. The big chains are selling them!
Only some species, no?
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I think he means wild caught native species.
Torts wild caught as adults are easy to tell, they look virtually flawless.
Many if not most torts are wild caught while they're hatchlings or otherwise very young, so it can be impossible to tell later in their life. Most pet store torts are wild caught, but you would never be able to tell because the tort lived and grew in captivity for some time and developed shell imperfections because of it.
Many if not most torts are wild caught while they're hatchlings or otherwise very young, so it can be impossible to tell later in their life. Most pet store torts are wild caught, but you would never be able to tell because the tort lived and grew in captivity for some time and developed shell imperfections because of it.
I disagree. It wouldn't be economic to catch a wild caught and spend time and money growing it on.
Wild caughts once caught will be sold on as quickly as possible. They're in the condition they're in because they've grown slowly in the wild.
Also any tort kept in captivity for any length of time would be wormed. Most of these wild caughts come with a gut load of parasites.
Wild caughts do have smooth shells, but they don't have the shininess of a captive bred.
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In no way shape or form is this true in "General Tortoise" discussion. Many species have some regulations associated with them in many countries, however there is a leagl means to import wild caught animals into all CITES signatory countries. The only species specific comment is from Joe'sMum regarding "russian's" which the OP has not suggested is the species of interest. Even in the USA when you offer a "adoption" fee - even for native animals, you are in fact exchanging money for goods and services (buying) the tortoise.
Back to the OP's question, and ascott's answer, ascott is spot on correct. However I have seen many captive bred tortoises then have been raised well enough they are essentially the wild phenotype for the species. On the contrary I have not seen wild tortoises that look like they were captive bred.
@JoesMum That may actually be the case. I read a lengthy discussion about wild caught reptiles being sold in pet stores and the typical course of action for pet stores is to get their WC animals from a middle man (not buying them directly from the folks that actually catch the animals, possibly because their methods aren't entirely legal) and figured this meant young torts would spend a while in captivity before ending up in stores.
I've never purchased a "fresh" tort from a pet store, but I know mine was WC because I am positive his first owners bought him from a chain pet store and not a breeder. Don't know how long they had him but by looking at him you'd never even be able to imagine he's WC.
I've never purchased a "fresh" tort from a pet store, but I know mine was WC because I am positive his first owners bought him from a chain pet store and not a breeder. Don't know how long they had him but by looking at him you'd never even be able to imagine he's WC.
The easiest way to tell a wild caught from a captive bred tortoise is to buy a tortoise from a breeder. If I buy one of Will's baby leopards, or one of Tom's baby sulcatas, or one of Gary's baby Bulgarian ibera, or one of Chris' (insert any number of tortoise species names here), you will know that what you have is captive bred. The best way to get a wild caught tortoise is to purchase a wild caught Russian or Hermanns from PetCo or PetSmart. Big chain stores tend not to sell captive bred animals for a number of reasons, but that's outside the topic.
Ascott and Will are both correct, though, in that you can usually tell a wild caught from a captive bred animal according to the appearance of their shell. Captive bred animals tend to have either a relatively scuff free shell from a relatively cushy life in captivity, or they tend to be pyramided to some degree, a result of inadequate humidity and/or hydration. As tortoises get older, however, it becomes more difficult to differentiate. Older tortoises are like older people. They tend to have experienced things, they have scuffs and scratches from a life spent in the dirt. But most folks aren't willing to part with a tortoise with whom they've spent the better part of three decades, and hopefully, in that situation, the person from whom you are buying the animal will be able to tell you a little of it's history. But yes, by following the guidelines set out here, you can fairly reliably determine which animals are wild caught vs which animals are captive bred.
T.G.
Ascott and Will are both correct, though, in that you can usually tell a wild caught from a captive bred animal according to the appearance of their shell. Captive bred animals tend to have either a relatively scuff free shell from a relatively cushy life in captivity, or they tend to be pyramided to some degree, a result of inadequate humidity and/or hydration. As tortoises get older, however, it becomes more difficult to differentiate. Older tortoises are like older people. They tend to have experienced things, they have scuffs and scratches from a life spent in the dirt. But most folks aren't willing to part with a tortoise with whom they've spent the better part of three decades, and hopefully, in that situation, the person from whom you are buying the animal will be able to tell you a little of it's history. But yes, by following the guidelines set out here, you can fairly reliably determine which animals are wild caught vs which animals are captive bred.
T.G.
