Help me please

[Brijuana19]

Hello everyone! I’m new here and I need your help. I’m looking for a male Russian Tortoise. I already named him Max lol. I have everything for him and I have been researching like crazy. The only problem I have is that I can’t find him anywhere. Everywhere I have looked is sold out or my gut feeling doesn’t trust the seller. My only option is to wait it out or my local PetsMart or Petco. Can anyone help point me in the right direction? Also any good advice I will gladly appreciate it!

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

I was in the same boat a month ago. While I was researching, the classifieds were FULL of torts. When I was finally ready to buy, no one had any. Even the pet stores were low on stock. One store had a greek with a huge indented scar across it's back. Finally found a pet store that had a few selections. Two were nuzzling in the corner, and one was stomping around, indignant of his living conditions. I chose him. Feisty is better, imho.

Wildcaught isn't my first choice from a politics standpoint, but from a personal standpoint, I saved the little guy from a diet of lceberg lettuce and colorful kibble. Girl at the petstore admitted she knew nothing about tortoises, which was actually refreshingly honest.

There are breeders here who can probably help you as well. I don't know who or how much, but that's always an option if you want a cute little baby and all the stress that goes with babies. If you want an adult, it's almost guaranteed a wild caught from a petstore or a rescue. Usually people who take the time to source a breeder and raise a tortoise to adulthood aren't going to part with it.

 

[Brijuana19]

I was in the same boat a month ago. While I was researching, the classifieds were FULL of torts. When I was finally ready to buy, no one had any. Even the pet stores were low on stock. One store had a greek with a huge indented scar across it's back. Finally found a pet store that had a few selections. Two were nuzzling in the corner, and one was stomping around, indignant of his living conditions. I chose him. Feisty is better, imho.

Wildcaught isn't my first choice from a politics standpoint, but from a personal standpoint, I saved the little guy from a diet of lceberg lettuce and colorful kibble. Girl at the petstore admitted she knew nothing about tortoises, which was actually refreshingly honest.

There are breeders here who can probably help you as well. I don't know who or how much, but that's always an option if you want a cute little baby and all the stress that goes with babies. If you want an adult, it's almost guaranteed a wild caught from a petstore or a rescue. Usually people who take the time to source a breeder and raise a tortoise to adulthood aren't going to part with it.

Thank you! I don’t think I really want a baby because I’m scared of heart break. So I’m leaning towards adult or at least young age. I figured that as well.

 

[Jon c]

Hello everyone! I’m new here and I need your help. I’m looking for a male Russian Tortoise. I already named him Max lol. I have everything for him and I have been researching like crazy. The only problem I have is that I can’t find him anywhere. Everywhere I have looked is sold out or my gut feeling doesn’t trust the seller. My only option is to wait it out or my local PetsMart or Petco. Can anyone help point me in the right direction? Also any good advice I will gladly appreciate it!

I'm on the same adult hunt as well. It's. Very difficult to find a CAPTIVE bred adult Russian, with patients it will happen. I can tell you 100% do not buy one from any of the big names they are wild caught, full of disease and anywhere from 5-95 years old. You never know what you're getting and people with success stories are very few and lucky. It seems the absolute safest thing to do is to get a hatchlong from one of the recommended breeders on this forum. I lobe the Russians from @Carol S. I know she is currently taking reservations for eggs she will hatching soon that will be available around August, they go quick!

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

I can tell you 100% do not buy one from any of the big names they are wild caught, full of disease and anywhere from 5-95 years old. You never know what you're getting and people with success stories are very few and lucky. It seems the absolute safest thing to do is to get a hatchlong from one of the recommended breeders on this forum.

Wow. You should be hired by the breeders here to do talk radio commercials.
The big names are wild caught, yes, but not all are "full of disease". Mine came back from his vet check with a clean bill of health. As for few success stories, the reason you read few stories is because statistically, people with no problems don't go online to brag. It's like when you look at Yelp, you generally see more negatives than positives (with most positives being friends or family). People LOVE to complain, they don't like to say nice things, especially online. I've had mixed results from the big stores. I've had reptiles that lived for years, and I've had ones that lasted 6 months. I've seen animals that were "perfectly healthy" arrive DOA from the stress of shipping. With exotic animals of any kind, there is a certain level of gambling WHEREEVER the source.

If you source an animal from a rescue or classifieds, you are almost guaranteed a wild caught specimen that came from a big named store. However, that would be the best way to go for an adult, IMHO, because you are helping out someone who can no longer keep the animal for whatever reason, you aren't contributing to catching another wild animal, and you are helping the animal find a new caring owner.

Just to be clear, I have nothing against the breeders here. It's awesome what you are doing to help the hobby and help lessen the drain on a natural resource.

 

[Jon c]

Wow. You should be hired by the breeders here to do talk radio commercials.
The big names are wild caught, yes, but not all are "full of disease". Mine came back from his vet check with a clean bill of health. As for few success stories, the reason you read few stories is because statistically, people with no problems don't go online to brag. It's like when you look at Yelp, you generally see more negatives than positives (with most positives being friends or family). People LOVE to complain, they don't like to say nice things, especially online. I've had mixed results from the big stores. I've had reptiles that lived for years, and I've had ones that lasted 6 months. I've seen animals that were "perfectly healthy" arrive DOA from the stress of shipping. With exotic animals of any kind, there is a certain level of gambling WHEREEVER the source.

If you source an animal from a rescue or classifieds, you are almost guaranteed a wild caught specimen that came from a big named store. However, that would be the best way to go for an adult, IMHO, because you are helping out someone who can no longer keep the animal for whatever reason, you aren't contributing to catching another wild animal, and you are helping the animal find a new caring owner.

Just to be clear, I have nothing against the breeders here. It's awesome what you are doing to help the hobby and help lessen the drain on a natural resource.

Wow yourself , why are you getting so defensive? you're the one that put a post on here asking for people's opinion, I simply just gave you my opinion. I have no reason to Hype up any of the Breeders on here I've never even actually gotten a Tortue from any of them yet I just happened to know what people say and when people have conversations about good breeders it's all good things to say. When people have conversations about wild captured tortoises from big box stores it's half and half like I said there are few cases but why would you want to support that kind of thing. I'm also a victim of buying from PetSmart without knowing any better and mine only made it three months I took him to the vet right away and he was in fact loaded with worms and parasites as they told me they see in most that come from pet stores . Also you made it sound like you did not want to go the route of adopting from somebody that might not have known where it came from. Obviously adopting is the best way to go and the best way to avoid wild-caught tortoise practice.

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

Wow yourself , why are you getting so defensive? you're the one that put a post on here asking for people's opinion, I simply just gave you my opinion. I have no reason to Hype up any of the Breeders on here I've never even actually gotten a Tortue from any of them yet I just happened to know what people say and when people have conversations about good breeders it's all good things to say. When people have conversations about wild captured tortoises from big box stores it's half and half like I said there are few cases but why would you want to support that kind of thing. I'm also a victim of buying from PetSmart without knowing any better and mine only made it three months I took him to the vet right away and he was in fact loaded with worms and parasites as they told me they see in most that come from pet stores . Also you made it sound like you did not want to go the route of adopting from somebody that might not have known where it came from. Obviously adopting is the best way to go and the best way to avoid wild-caught tortoise practice.

Calm down, kiddo. No one is being defensive. It's alll good. Deep breaths.

 

[Jon c]

Calm down, kiddo. No one is being defensive. It's alll good. Deep breaths.

Calm down, kiddo. No one is being defensive. It's alll good. Deep breaths.

I'm a very calm person, you sure you weren't getting defensive because nobody else on here reacts like that when I give my opinion to something that they ask about. Good luck to you buddy

 

[Jon c]

I'm a very calm person, you sure you weren't getting defensive because nobody else on here reacts like that when I give my opinion to something that they ask about. Good luck to you buddy

@LasTortugasNinja I thought you were the original poster of this thread, witch is why I was scratching my head wondering why you were asking for advise(so I thought) but then firing back. Looking back I didn't realize you were just another person giving you're opinion, no hard feelings.
@Brijuana19 welcome to Tortoise forum lol. I promise there's not usually ever bickering like this and lots of great knowledge. Good luck in you're search!

 

[Crush da Baum]

You can buy them online.

 

[Brijuana19]

You can buy them online.

Do you know any good websites?

 

[Jon c]

Look under the vendor review section here, but I've heard good things about tortstork, hermans haven and Arizona tortoise.