babies

[helenab]

Hi everyone. Okay so my boyfriend also joined the group and we are on our way to getting 3 torts. A Leopard (pardalis) and 2 Russian torts. We are reading all we can and making a list. I think we will get a kids swimming pool (not with water, lol) to start out with them as babies. Our yard will be built for them.... when they get older. We are looking into grasses and such to start growing now for them. I do have some questions of course....
I believe we will wait till Sept. to get our new babies at the show. Or are there other breeders here in the Arizona area????? I never went to a reptile show and am worried about getting sick torts...any thoughts???? If any breeders in our area would like to email me privately also I would love that.
Now on them tiny little sweet things...... are the babies hard to raise? I never seen them so small in NH or Mass. Do we do anything different then the adults? I am alittle scared about getting them so small. Is this the breeding season or do they breed year round? I do have so many questions. If I cant find answers here on the forum then I will surely ask. Thanks everyone. You guys rock!

 

[FranklinAndTara]

Hi and welcome! Im Vanessa and Im new on here too. so.... Id like to answer some of your questions but im really not that knowledgable about torts yet

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

OOOPS!

 

[helenab]

Hi Vanessa. well we will learn together lol. This is a great place to start our life with all beautiful torts. I am so very excited. Ooops does not help me with my questions aldabraman, lol.

 

[Angi]

First off welcome to the forum. Read through the past threads. You can learn a ton going through them. Then start asking questions. Learn as much as possible before you start looking at torts. Also you will need to keep your leopard and Russian in seperate enclosuers.

 

[dmmj]

Welcome
In all honesty when I buy a tort, I prefer the shows, you get to see the animal, you can ask questions about them and so on. Tortoises usually do have a breeding season you can artificially induce a breeding but most of the people follow their breeding schedules. There should be one or two breeders in Arizona the names escape me at the moment, but I believe they are forum members, I don't know them so I can't say anything good or bad about them.

 

[helenab]

Thanks for the welcome angi and dmmj. I have been reading this forum for 2 days straight now lol, and taking alot of notes, there is so much useful info. For asking about if the breeders are good or bad well I would never put anyone in a position to answer that, that would be so unfair. I am just so nervous about buying the torts so small. I dont want to breed so would separate the russians when the breeding season comes or get 2 females, that is why I asked about the breeding. We do plan on keeping them separate. I would love to meet the breeders in my area, that would be great.

 

[Jacob]

Hello and Welcome! Leopards Are Great,
Heres A Care Sheet and All The Info You Need, Its For A Sulcata Tort
But They Are Very Similar and Both Raised This Way!
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies#axzz1RlhfS2kI

If You Can Raise Them Like This You Will Be On Your Way, and watch Them Strive!
If You Have Any More Questions Feel freee To Ask

 

[River14]

Remember babies must be four inches to be legaly sold in America????

 

[dmmj]

Remember babies must be four inches to be legaly sold in America????

That law only applies to businesses, private individuals (breeders) are not bound by that law.

 

[River14]

Well they should be or whats the use of that law dmmj Capitan? Loop holes are not in the best interest of animals are they?

If it doent work and has loop holes plug em up I say. The number of hatchlings that just die due to stress and inexperienced owners might be indicative of the necessity of breeders to religiously adhere to this regulation for their own reputation if nothing else?

Nes pa?

A breeder that sells is a business even if they dont bother paying their taxes?

Why should both tortoise baby and new owner suffer for a quick buck for the merchant tortoise mill???

 

[dmmj]

The law was ill conceived in the first place, it was a reactionary response to a couple of kids getting sick from salmonella from a couple of baby red ear sliders. Loop hole or not as long as you are not a business you are not breaking the law, if a particular law angers or make someone upset you work to get it changed. You seem to want to punish everyone for a few someone's mistakes or ignorance, that is something I don't particularly believe in.

 

[coreyc]

Hello and welcome to the forum

 

[River14]

Dmmj I dont at all I want to protect tortoises.

We all know hatchlings are very difficult at the best of times for the inexperienced owner and simply end up dead. Im sure that isnt what you want?

Rather give the bbs a fighting chance from start?

Maybe you or at a push I with much research could get a hatchling to grow into a healthy juvenile, but this is a gross assumption for the averge new owner, who would naturaly assume it will live no matter what they do to it????

I think this law shoud be applicable to everyone. So what if a breeder has to get thier tortoise at a proper age? Who cares?

Only those who truly love tortoises and dont want to see their stock or purchase end up as casulties of the pet trade? or am I seeing this wrong?

---

Believe me I am working through the pitfalls of hatchlings right now. Its exhausting and not for the first time tortoise owner at all!

Yea fine if you have as I do temps of 30- 37 and 90 % humidity summer and 20-25 60 % humidity winter and always full on un-filtered sunshine, but failing this you are going to get deformed sad little beasties who would rather not have been born to a tortoise mill at all.