First time here!

Flee

New Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2019
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
Atlanta, GA.
Hey Y'all, I just found this page while researching care for the tortoise I don't have yet. This will be my first reptilian pet. I'm not sure what I'll get but, I really want a Box Turtle. They don't seem to be too easy to find and it looks like some are illegal to have here in GA. But there are so many others to choose from. The Leopards and Red Foots are pretty, Hermanns seem to be easy to care for and I've seen Russians at reptile shows. Which I hear is the last place I should buy my pet. Is that correct? Anyway, I'm learning so much about housing, diet, temperatures and breeders. This forum is great and I'm looking forward to getting to know you guys.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Hello and welcome.

Redfoot or Hermanni would do great in your area with a little help.

Atlanta was my home away from home last year. Spent a lot of time in Peachtree City and Senoia. In Atlanta too.
 

Ray--Opo

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Palm Bay Fl
Welcome to the forum. Spend your time here. Surfing around the internet will just confuse you. There is a lot of old information out there. We have members here that have been raising torts for years. The information here is updated and tried and true.
 

Chasen

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Joined
Jul 15, 2018
Messages
339
Location (City and/or State)
Galveston
I've acquired other reptiles at shows in the past with absolutely no problems. All grew up healthy and happy. I do believe that there are responsible reptile breeders that attend expos. The only time I've purchased a tortoise at a show is the Leo I got in July. I did not get him from a responsible breeder and as a result he didn't thrive. He is now doing fantastic and growing like a weed. So maybe torts are different from other reptiles that are offered up at those shows and responsible breeders won't sell them there.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
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Hi, and welcome!

Well, @Will and I are responsible breeders, and Will sells at shows. It's just a matter of taking a good look at the animal to make sure he looks healthy, and talking to the seller to find out how the tortoise was raised (if it's a baby).
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I've acquired other reptiles at shows in the past with absolutely no problems. All grew up healthy and happy. I do believe that there are responsible reptile breeders that attend expos. The only time I've purchased a tortoise at a show is the Leo I got in July. I did not get him from a responsible breeder and as a result he didn't thrive. He is now doing fantastic and growing like a weed. So maybe torts are different from other reptiles that are offered up at those shows and responsible breeders won't sell them there.
I agree with all your points here. There is definitely a difference in buying a tortoise at a show vs. other baby animals. It all depends on the seller. Tyler from Tortoisesupply.com goes to a lot of shows and he knows what he's doing, but some of the booths just down the row from him are deplorable. If a person bought a tortoise at a show from Tyler, they will report a great experience and have a healthy tortoise. If they buy one down the row from the other outfit, you'll get a different report and someone telling you to never buy from a show.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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I'm the Will, Yvonne G mentioned. I agree that shows are the last place, but also the first place to find a pet tortoise. Many shows have become like brick and mortar pet shops, and the folks selling dry goods lead that appearance, always shop for price for dry goods.

Even buying any pet reptile at a show can be challenging. Take a booth with many of the exotic ball python strains and then you see a tub with crinkle shelled dry looking sulcata there. Those folks may have bred that sulcata, but are not 'tortoise' breeders. Same goes for a few species.

As Yvonne suggests, look at the tortoises themselves. Ask the person if they bred them themselves. For someone starting out, that ball python breeders may pass both those tests, so what to do?

Look for the specialist, like that ball python breeder, but the specialist that focuses on tortoises. Ask them simple questions about what do they feed, how do they house. If you get simple dismissive answers - know you found the person or booth with someone who is not really a specialist.

If you get a slowly developing avalanche of answer(s), that's the seller to consider.

There are many gecko, bearded dragon and ball python specialists, not so many tortoise ones.

Sunland Breeders, Tortoise Supply, and Yvonne and my own Kapidolo Farms are the specialists that can really explain it all to you, at least for shows on the west coast.

I have to imagine there are specialists in the south east that make your local shows. Many high volume specialists in Florida sell wholesale, or might not travel into Georgia.

Many folks who are specialists will ship overnight and then you are not limited to shows, but then it's all about pictures, not seeing the animal live, which for me is hard to beat.

Give yourself time, and realize you might find it all so compelling you get a few species. Ask for references or read reviews here on TFO.

Tortoises are cool pets, fun, interesting blah blah blah.
 

Chasen

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2018
Messages
339
Location (City and/or State)
Galveston
Hi, and welcome!

Well, @Will and I are responsible breeders, and Will sells at shows. It's just a matter of taking a good look at the animal to make sure he looks healthy, and talking to the seller to find out how the tortoise was raised (if it's a baby).
Mine looked healthy, but at that time I had no idea about proper starting in enclosed chambers.
 

Flee

New Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2019
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
Atlanta, GA.
Thanks everyone for flowing with information. I was just in Petco looking at a Hermann that stole my heart. I was so tempted to get him right then, but I fought the temptation. I still need to find a habitat and best substrate for my new buddy. I like the idea of placing two zoo med houses together. Does the cleaning schedule depend on the substrate you have, top soil and sand mixture vs a mulch? How often do clean the habitat? Do you use a bleach mixture or what? I'm learning so much. I'm glad to know it's ok to buy from a breeder at the shows after asking the right questions and getting the right answers. The tortoises were always alert and very active at the shows. I don't think I want to start with a baby, they may be too delicate for this newbie.
 

Lyn W

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Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Hi and welcome.
You are very wise to research first and get your enclosure set up.
There are caresheets available here for most species of torts.
Read those and see which would best suit your climate, and circumstances e.g. look at how much space you have available for an enclosure - the bigger the species grows the bigger the enclosure and space needs to be.
Don't buy anything from a pet store until you have checked with members here first. Pet shops often sell inappropriate or unnecessary things for profit people here can help you make sure you only buy safe, essential equipment and also save you money.
 
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