Can't decide whether to get captive bred or wild caught, and adult or hatchling

[Blademr2]

Didn't mean to sound like i think wc is evil or smthng. I have caught and temporarily kept things since i was a very young child. I had a newt that only had 3 legs for over 10 years.. afaik there are almost no venomous snakes that are cb, but if you can keep one responsibly go for it! I also know nothing about russians, it just seemed like she had available choices when i first read her post. Im just sayin i feel slightly less bad for a cb tort that ends up in the hands of a bad owner than a wc that was doing fine. Not that anyone here is a bad owner, we are here for a reason on the other hand wc animals in a good owners hands just got an all inclusive retirement. My beef is with the commercial pet industry and its lack of education and responsibility... I'll shut up now

 

[JoesMum]

Global declines of turtles/tortoises can be partly attributed to the pet trade. Whenever you can, I'd opt for captive bred animals.

I couldn't agree more. Leave the wild ones in the wild and buy captive bred every time.

 

[Penny525]

@Blademr2- That makes total sense.
@JoesMum- Thanks, I guess the right choice now.

 

[dmmj]

CB is almost always are a better choice, it reduce collecting on wild populations,and the animals are generally healthier. The problem is you can't really guarantee if a adult is CB or WC, usually most adults sold are WC, and all babies are CB. As for personalities, I have 3 WC adults (all rescues) and they are simply great, outgoing and loves people.

 

[lynnedit]

CB is almost always are a better choice, it reduce collecting on wild populations,and the animals are generally healthier. The problem is you can't really guarantee if a adult is CB or WC, usually most adults sold are WC, and all babies are CB. As for personalities, I have 3 WC adults (all rescues) and they are simply great, outgoing and loves people.

I guess that's the option I meant (other than my one weak moment). If you see them on Craigslist or your local Reptile rescue organization has torts to rehome, that is a great option for an adult. They may be WC or CB, but they need a home, hopefully a better one!
Penny, I do think it would be very satisfying to raise a CB tort for all the reasons mentioned, but if you do want to start with an adult, rescue or unwanted WC Russians can be very enjoyable to own.

 

[Yvonne G]

I really doubt you're going to find an adult cb russian tortoise. There are a few babies, but not many adults.

 

[Jacqui]

I currently have CB Russians that I hatched and one I bought from a friend, plus several WC adults.My two cents worth is I myself prefer adults over hatchlings. I like knowing what it is I am getting (male or female, what it will end up looking like). Yes hatchlings are cute, but they are also more sensitive. Adults are a bit "tougher", cheaper in cost, and I have never gotten a sick one yet. I also happen to adore older animals, I mean the real old timers. I don't hide the fact that I will buy WC from a pet store. I see no point in making that animal become a victim for a cause and allowing it to perhaps suffer and die.

 

[lynnedit]

I really doubt you're going to find an adult cb russian tortoise. There are a few babies, but not many adults.

Good point. Russians are somewhat hard to breed successfully in captivity.

I currently have CB Russians that I hatched and one I bought from a friend, plus several WC adults.My two cents worth is I myself prefer adults over hatchlings. I like knowing what it is I am getting (male or female, what it will end up looking like). Yes hatchlings are cute, but they are also more sensitive. Adults are a bit "tougher", cheaper in cost, and I have never gotten a sick one yet. I also happen to adore older animals, I mean the real old timers. I don't hide the fact that I will buy WC from a pet store. I see no point in making that animal become a victim for a cause and allowing it to perhaps suffer and die.

Another good point. If you have enough room, and ever want more than one (and it is addicting, lol), it would be unfortunate to end up with 2 males, for example.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Okay, I'm not quite sure why, but my dad is insisting I get a captive bred RT. Now, I will be a first time tortoise owner, so I kind of want an adult. Is it possible to get an adult captive bred tortoise? If it is an adult and they still have it, is it probable that there is a reason why it has not been sold? I think he's afraid if we get a wild caught adult we won't know it's age, it might have parasites, and he thinks it will be unfriendly. Is all of this true? I'm not sure where to go from here. What do you guys think I should do?

Capturing animals for the pet trade is bad because it depletes wild populations and makes it more likely that those animals will become endangered or even extinct. It is definitely preferable to buy captive born and bred (CBB), or at least long-term captive (LTC), instead of wild-caught (WC) animals.

Full-disclosure: The redfoot tortoise I had was CBB, but both of the Russian tortoises I have now are WC, as were all of the box turtles I had growing up. For all these WC animals, I was either too young to know about this issue, or once I knew, I had not yet learned how to tell the difference. Now I know better.

It's tough, because there are plenty of cute, healthy wild-caught tortoises sitting in pet stores right now, just waiting for a good home. On the other hand, if you buy them, you are only encouraging the capture of more. So what's the right thing to do? Not buy them, so that demand for wild animals dries up? Or buy them and give them a good home? I think the best thing to do is set policy so that wild tortoises and turtles won't be caught in the first place.

 

[Jacqui]

It's tough, because there are plenty of cute, healthy wild-caught tortoises sitting in pet stores right now, just waiting for a good home. On the other hand, if you buy them, you are only encouraging the capture of more. So what's the right thing to do? Not buy them, so that demand for wild animals dries up? Or buy them and give them a good home? I think the best thing to do is set policy so that wild tortoises and turtles won't be caught in the first place.

Another thing to also think about is, if this animal is not sold into the pet trade will it in up in the stew pot trade? Is there even a sustainable habitat left for them to try to stay in the wild at this time? Or could it be in the species best interest to have some of the remaining animals put into captivity to keep the species alive and perhaps some day to be used to restore them back into the wild IF a habitat is ever there again for them to actually live in. It's a very complex multi answer problem with so many variables involved and no "right" way.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

CB is almost always are a better choice, it reduce collecting on wild populations,and the animals are generally healthier. The problem is you can't really guarantee if a adult is CB or WC, usually most adults sold are WC, and all babies are CB. As for personalities, I have 3 WC adults (all rescues) and they are simply great, outgoing and loves people.

 

[Penny525]

Wow, everyone here has a good point! Thanks for the opinions and advice, you were all super helpful.

 

[lynnedit]

Well, you can't say we aren't opinionated, eh?
Good luck with your decision.