Recently lost tortoise . Looking for reliable breeders

[JDDV97]

Hello, I recently lost my baby leopard tortoise due to coming from a bad breeder. I posted a thread last week about taking him to a bad vet . And fighting in his final days . Thank you for all those who helped . Wondering if you could recommend me some good breeders I’m either interested in either a cherry head or a red foot or a Babcock leopard or Indian star . I am only buying 1 so I prefer and am willing to pay extra for a high color /morph tortoise .

I have everything ready from food, greenhouse heat humidity etc.

Thank you

 

[JDDV97]

@Littleredfootbigredheart @Tom @wellington @Yvonne G @mark1 @TammyJ @cooky_luvs @The_Four_Toed_Edward @Alex and the Redfoot @Markw84 @Renee_H @Chefdenoel10 @Tortellini0000 @zolasmum @Maggie3fan @Dustin

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello, I recently lost my baby leopard tortoise due to coming from a bad breeder. I posted a thread last week about taking him to a bad vet . And fighting in his final days . Wondering if you could recommend me some good breeders I’m either interested in either a cherry head or a red foot or a Babcock leopard or Indian star . I am willing to pay extra for a high color /morph.

I have everything ready from food, greenhouse heat humidity etc.

I’m so glad you’re willing to give another baby a homehopefully the US folks will be able to recommend some good breeders for, I believe we have some on the forum but I’ll have to double check who does which species, perhaps the others will know, they’ll be along shortly

 

[wellington]

Contact @Tom and @Markw84 to see what they have available. You will get the best started baby from them.
Sorry for the loss.

 

[TacoPete]

Contact @Tom and @Markw84 to see what they have available. You will get the best started baby from them.
Sorry for the loss.

Do u you know if they are California breeders?

 

[wellington]

Do u you know if they are California breeders?

Yes they are.

 

[Markw84]

@Littleredfootbigredheart @Tom @wellington @Yvonne G @mark1 @TammyJ @cooky_luvs @The_Four_Toed_Edward @Alex and the Redfoot @Markw84 @Renee_H @Chefdenoel10 @Tortellini0000 @zolasmum @Maggie3fan @Dustin

I have eggs in the incubator but nothing available now. I believe @Tom is in the same position.

I do believe @Kapidolo Farms (Will) has some radiata and leopards available. @NorCal tortoise guy has some redfoot, sulcata, and sudanese sulcata also available. All well started and great tortoises.

 

[TacoPete]

I have eggs in the incubator but nothing available now. I believe @Tom is in the same position.

I do believe @Kapidolo Farms (Will) has some radiata and leopards available. @NorCal tortoise guy has some redfoot, sulcata, and sudanese sulcata also available. All well started and great tortoises.

Hi @Markw84 and @Tom what do you guys have in the incubator and are you in socal?

 

[Markw84]

Hi @Markw84 and @Tom what do you guys have in the incubator and are you in socal?

Burmese Star eggs for both of us. @Tom is socal. @Kapidolo Farms is also socal with radiata, leopards and ibera greeks now available.

 

[TacoPete]

Burmese Star eggs for both of us. @Tom is socal. @Kapidolo Farms is also socal with radiata, leopards and ibera greeks now available.

Thank you.

 

[Tom]

Hi @Markw84 and @Tom what do you guys have in the incubator and are you in socal?

I'm in SCV, a little more than an hour from Corona. Well... unless you are driving at 5 pm on a week day...

I have four clutches of platynota incubating with more on the way. Had another female dig a test hole two days ago, so expecting eggs from her today. They won't be ready for sale for a few months.

I'm hoping that this will be the year for Radiata, finally... They are winter layers and I'm seeing mating abrasions on the carapaces of the females for the first time ever now.

 

[Tom]

Hello, I recently lost my baby leopard tortoise due to coming from a bad breeder. I posted a thread last week about taking him to a bad vet . And fighting in his final days . Thank you for all those who helped . Wondering if you could recommend me some good breeders I’m either interested in either a cherry head or a red foot or a Babcock leopard or Indian star . I am only buying 1 so I prefer and am willing to pay extra for a high color /morph tortoise .

I have everything ready from food, greenhouse heat humidity etc.

Thank you

After what you just went through, I would not recommend an Indian star. If you like the stars, get a Burmese star. High yellows are available:

Introduction To The Burmese Star Tortoise

I've been wanting to do this thread for a long time... This species has become one of my all time favorites, and for good reasons! The purpose of all of my ramblings that follow are primarily intended to showcase how great this species is and why its a better species for most people than most...

tortoiseforum.org

If you want a leopard in humid Houston, I'd recommend the South African type. They get a little bigger and they are much more outgoing and bold, and also hardier and easier to feed since they are grass eaters and will eat hay as a staple as adults. Go to @Rodriguez Chelonians here on the forum or on FB to get a healthy well started baby. Be careful of sellers out in the world selling mixes as "pure". In many cases they are not pure SA genetics, and as you've already seen, most breeders don't start them correctly.

A CH or a RF might work with your humidity, but you will have to work hard to keep it cooler in summer and warmer in winter. They are very personable, hardy and pretty. You know the questions to ask of any seller now:
1. Where did it go straight out of the incubator? Brooder box set up for 7-10 days.
2. How often was it soaked? First day and every day.
3. How was the baby housed after the brood box stage? Warm humid closed chamber.
4. What was the baby fed after hatching? Everything under the sun. Weeds, leaves, flowers, opuntia pads, a variety of grocery store greens with different amendment added, etc...

Here are the answers to the above questions that would make me look elsewhere:
1. "Into an enclosure.", or into any container with sand or soil, and especially if no food was offered. Some people still mistakenly believe that tortoises don't eat for the first week after hatchling. This is false. They will literally reach their head of of the egg during the hatching process and eat the incubation media. This is why tortoises should NEVER be incubated on perlite or sand mixtures. They eat their first day and every day. By the end of a week in a brooder box, they are eating a lot of food every day.
2. Every baby I've hatched gets removed from the incubator when it leaves its egg, gets rinsed off, and placed in a warm soak. Every single one of them puts its head down and drinks on day one. In the wild many, if not most, babies hatch into a rain storm. There is water and puddles everywhere. If someone says, " I soak weekly.", or "I don't soak them, but I give them a water bowl in their enclosure...", I would not buy from them. I've done it both ways. I know what works and what doesn't work as well.
3. "Outdoors in the warm sunshine", "Or in an open topped enclosure with dry substrate.", or "On any soil sand mixture." are all a no go for me. All of these things can kill a baby. They need warmth, humidity, and hydration when they are tiny hatchlings. Older larger adults may be able to survive just about anything, but there is a reason why most animals in the world have their babies during the mildest and best times of year every year. Babies can't handle the extremes that adults can handle.
4. So many breeders just throw down some lettuce or spring mix and call it good. It's not good. Babies started this way will be exceedingly difficult to get eating the right foods. My babies see a different weed, flower, leaf, or grocery store green every single day for at least two weeks after hatching. My record was 22 days without seeing a repeat. Everyone who buys my babies says they will eat anything they put in front of them. Contrast that with all the people asking how to get their tortoise to eat weeds or any new food here...

All of the breeders mentioned on this thread start their babies correctly and you will get a healthy halting from any of us. The above questions will help you determine if a baby from some other breeder is likely to be healthy, or not. Questions are welcome. Happy hunting!