Very few people have true 100% pure Travancore Tortoises. The only person I know in the US who has any 100% pure, DNA tested, I. travancorica is in FL. He has occasionally been breeding them with I. elongata to keep their fertility up.There seems to be a lot of these hybrids out there, it's almost easier to find them online than actual pure Elongateds for whatever reason.
I absolutely agree with everything said by Tom here.Please enjoy those tortoises and care for them well, but house them alone and never let them breed. Hybrids should never happen and species should never be mixed. Why would somebody let this happen? Both of those species are so rare and precious...
Thanks for the info. The fellow in FL who has the adults is a wholesaler (Reptile Industries) so I am guessing that Big Apple bought them from him. RI also moves some of its surplus specimens to Turtle Source which also in FL.I got them from Big Apple Herp which was a huge mistake
There are several breeders of pure Elongated tortoises here in Florida. These are small breeders and don't advertise, but found at local reptile shows or through word of mouth. I wish you the best in raising your tortoises, but do agree with Tom. Species should never be housed together or mixed.There seems to be a lot of these hybrids out there, it's almost easier to find them online than actual pure Elongateds for whatever reason.