I have never bought from petsmart before but I have heard some sketchy things. I'm looking to buy my first tortoise soon and have been researching and getting suggestions for online tortoise shopping since the only place around me is Petsmart. But I took a chance and I called petsmart and they said they have 2 greek tortoises, they believe they're both male. They said they don't know the exact age but they said they are young because they are not full grown yet. And they are usually 109.99 but they're on sale for 84.96. I don't know what to do or say in the ways of where to go to buy a tortoise. But I'm looking to buy one soon
Opinions on PetsMart?
- Thread starter anm1221
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anm1221 said:
I would never buy a tort from petsmart, you could start a thread saying your looking for a greek or whatever your looking for. They can ship to you
I have bought 3 greeks from Petsmart now, Myrtle was full of worms and was dewormed by my vet, Elvis was taken back for lack of eating and on the advise of my vet 
Petsmart did pay my vet bills but no guarentee they would do that again (there is a thread about Greeks from Petsmart in the Greek section. Charlie my replacememt for Elvis is doing great, a thrumbs up from the vet no probs and is eating great...SO I guess it is the luck of the draw with Petsmart would I do it again with Petsmart NO
Petsmart did pay my vet bills but no guarentee they would do that again (there is a thread about Greeks from Petsmart in the Greek section. Charlie my replacememt for Elvis is doing great, a thrumbs up from the vet no probs and is eating great...SO I guess it is the luck of the draw with Petsmart would I do it again with Petsmart NObigred said:
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My ornate wood turtle came from petsmart.
Puck1 ended up dying within a week. Wouldnt eat, always hid I thought it was just acclimating but nope. So the replacement Puck2 I got and she wouldnt eat either. Got her dewormed still wouldnt eat. Put her in with my tortoise when I was cleaning cages and voila she ate.
She was the only one out of their entire shipment that lived according to the sales rep. Apparently they got lots of returned dead turtles. Now petsmart doesnt sell wood turtles...
I know my local petsmart is doing much better about caring for their tortoises and getting them dewormed. You can always ask if the tortoises have seen a vet.
But personally I would either get your toroitse from a reptile show or order online either through this forum or some other breeders.
Puck1 ended up dying within a week. Wouldnt eat, always hid I thought it was just acclimating but nope. So the replacement Puck2 I got and she wouldnt eat either. Got her dewormed still wouldnt eat. Put her in with my tortoise when I was cleaning cages and voila she ate.
She was the only one out of their entire shipment that lived according to the sales rep. Apparently they got lots of returned dead turtles. Now petsmart doesnt sell wood turtles...
I know my local petsmart is doing much better about caring for their tortoises and getting them dewormed. You can always ask if the tortoises have seen a vet.
But personally I would either get your toroitse from a reptile show or order online either through this forum or some other breeders.
Not the best place to buy. Buy from a breeder who knows the adults, incubated the eggs and started the babies with the best care possible. They will be able to tell you every detail about what they are selling from the day it hatched. Actually no. Probably from the day it was conceived, the egg laid, and how it was incubated.
I don't have anything against someone buying from PetsMart, even though I wont shop there for anything (long story) But I would suggest you buy from a reputable dealer or breeder, whether you get a youngster or a long time captive. My reason for thinking this way is, because you are new to the tortoise world of care and may not notice a problem if one should arise as soon as someone that has been keeping tortoises for a while. If you buy a tortoise with some history you can expect to have a healthy and happy tortoise for many years. By the way, I bought 3 of my 4 Russians from Petco and all are healthy and doing great.
Thanks for all the adviice that's why I was sketchy about buying from them I've heard so many horror stories and I don't want to spend my money and come up with the terror of a dead little guy. As soon as I make the decision on what species I am planning to go with I'll be sure to post on here and see what comes up. Find some breeders and all. Good trusted people.
There's a section on this forum that lists members who breed and sell torts. That might be a good starting point. I got my tort from a professional breeder who is a member of this forum (Tortoise Supply) and have been VERY happy with my tort and with the support I get from the breeder. Good luck and happy hunting!
If you go to the forum section on "Breeding" you'll see a header at the very top directing you to the list of forum breeders.
If you go to the forum section on "Breeding" you'll see a header at the very top directing you to the list of forum breeders.
While you'll often pay a bit more from a member who bred it, when you factor in the cost of veternary care, in the long run it can be a real bargain!
Also, you can often buy a young male quite cheaply, as these will often be "females" who were incubated to be such, but weren't, or extra "studs" from breeding endeavors...watch our "For Sale" section foir bargans, and figure about $45 -$55 for overnight shipping.
Also, you can often buy a young male quite cheaply, as these will often be "females" who were incubated to be such, but weren't, or extra "studs" from breeding endeavors...watch our "For Sale" section foir bargans, and figure about $45 -$55 for overnight shipping.
This thread is exactly why I joined the forum! I was in Pet Supplies Plus the other day where I was given an information and care sheet on Grassland Tortoises. Under Wild History, the paper states, "Most of these tortoises are wild caught, and usually suffer some stress from being caught and from traveling. Because of this, they generally suffer from a heavy bacterial and protozoan load, which can result in infestions. Be sure to see your exotic pet veterinarian soon after purchasing your new tortoise. He or she will perform a complete physical exam and then de-worm your new pet."
I have kept box turtles in my garden in the summer then released them in the fall so that they can hibernate. I am wondering if a tortoise would better suit me since I am not eager to put my turtle into a hibernation. I also live in Ohio where keeping box turtles are illegal. But I would prefer to buy an animal that was bred and raised in captivity rather than taken from the wild for a number of reasons.
laurpuls
I have kept box turtles in my garden in the summer then released them in the fall so that they can hibernate. I am wondering if a tortoise would better suit me since I am not eager to put my turtle into a hibernation. I also live in Ohio where keeping box turtles are illegal. But I would prefer to buy an animal that was bred and raised in captivity rather than taken from the wild for a number of reasons.
laurpuls
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I got my red foot from Petsmart. He had been there for 3 months : ( I had no intention of buying a tortoise, but felt so bad for the little guy. He has been totally healthy, though has some pyramiding. I wouldn't recommend Petsmart simply because they gave me such terrible husbandry advice- I actually believed them when they said a 40 gallon tank was adequate. I think it is a miracle he is still around, and am thankful for this forum for helping me improve his life!
Their Greek torts have been "on sale" at that price for a long time. I just rescued one from Petco myself. They swore it was a female between 6mos to a year. They were far from correct. Its a boy between 6-8yrs old, which I'm ok with, but I can see how that could upset some. If you are looking for a young tort, go through a breeder.
I have two PetSmart Greek tortoises that I have had for a year. Yep, impulse buy. Could not resist them when I saw them. It took them a while to adjust, for sure. I had to boost up temps, soak them every day, sometimes twice a day because they were not pooping, or eating at first, for many, many days. Thankfully, the baby food soaks helped keep them hydrated and with some kind of nutrition going in. What a great suggestion that is. I read as much as I could about them and realized wow, what a trip they had been in. Found pics of Greeks in the back of a truck, hundreds of them, confiscated in Jordan. I realized that their journey must have been so stressful, no wonder they were shell shocked, if you will. I stuck it out with them. I gave them their space and did not bug them and kept their living conditions as optimal as I could (thanks to the wealth of info on this forum). When they started to eat, I gave them lots of variety and sprinkled ground up pumpkin seeds hoping that would flush out parasites, and I did see them come out. My point is, as long as you know going in what you have to deal with, and are willing to stick out, they are a great buy. They are older, yes, and that could be good, to get them through the hump of going from "there" to "here" and to acclimate in your care. I love my Wabi and Sabi. No regrets.
Thats a great story, thanks for your input
Its good to hae pets that you can stick it out with. Jut because an animal is sick doesnt mean give up with it. I love your story and will take it into consideration when going to buy mine
Its good to hae pets that you can stick it out with. Jut because an animal is sick doesnt mean give up with it. I love your story and will take it into consideration when going to buy mine
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We got our first Greek torti at Petsmart at the end of Jan. He, literally, JUST ARRIVED and I picked him out of the packaging box! lol So he wasn't there but a few hours. lol He's been GREAT. He eats like a pig, stomps around his tank, and is very personable and entertaining. I think we got very lucky because I know about the stories. It's a gamble I think.....................
I think that is so key. If the little tortoises can get to an optimal living situation right away, you eliminate some of the drama of going from their home in some desert, perhaps a scary part of the world where they might eat them or just hurt them for fun, into someone's truck, to the broker, across the world to us, to the store, into a very small aquarium, possibly mixing species (no!), then our homes where they are not going to be all happy-go-lucky right away. Mine took time, like weeks. They were both quite shy. One had a peachy tone to its skin, which in researching on the forum, a testudo expert said it means stress. Well duh!
They are awesome tortoises, I must say. Their journey to us makes it that much more awesome to me. They are very worthy of our care. It just might take a little extra effort to acclimate them. Mine are no longer shy. They seem me coming and they are all, yeah, here comes the food goddess! I am queen.
Here is a picture I found on the net. There were 586 confiscated at the Jordanian border and then released by the Princess Alia Foundation. Look at them. Some will say that by buying them we are helping this but I chose to see it as they are here and I want to do right by them, rescue if you will, and keep them happy and healthy as best as I possibly can. Which is why I so love this forum.
Then again, they might be farm grown in Slovenkia. We do not know. But again, they are worthy of good ole fashion good American care. : )
They are awesome tortoises, I must say. Their journey to us makes it that much more awesome to me. They are very worthy of our care. It just might take a little extra effort to acclimate them. Mine are no longer shy. They seem me coming and they are all, yeah, here comes the food goddess! I am queen.
Here is a picture I found on the net. There were 586 confiscated at the Jordanian border and then released by the Princess Alia Foundation. Look at them. Some will say that by buying them we are helping this but I chose to see it as they are here and I want to do right by them, rescue if you will, and keep them happy and healthy as best as I possibly can. Which is why I so love this forum.
Then again, they might be farm grown in Slovenkia. We do not know. But again, they are worthy of good ole fashion good American care. : )
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I bought from petsmart and my tort is healthy but I will not purchase from their again!! their lack of knowledge is unforgivable!!! Also unknown to me before I bought Eloise they are usually wild caught which means that they've been tortnapped from their home!! not fair to the torts. I wouldn't trade her now but if I'd known better then I would have bought a captive bred tort.
PS I just wanted to say that all the above is my thinking from my - guilty - impulsive buy at PetSmart, maybe to justify my actions after the fact and to learn quick so that I do not blow it by killing my new pets somehow. Again, so grateful to this forum. I had never even seen a Greek tortoise prior to my plunge. I was a true blue CDT fan. On this forum are some excellent caring breeders with some darling babies that you should also consider. The whole drama of being shuffled around, will of course, not be there. And perhaps less finger nail biting than what I went through. Just wanted to clarify.
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