Selling Hatchlings?...

[-ryan-]

My Russian tortoise breeding group is producing eggs on a regular basis (throughout the year), and I am finally able to hatch them successfully. I hatched about a dozen this past year (and threw out about the same amount, due to my ineptitude), and foresee more in the year to come. I have been selling them mostly to a local reptile store, but have grown concerned that I may not want to depend just on them because they may not always have a need for more Russian hatchlings.

In general, how do you go about selling your hatchling torts? Should I comb the neighboring cities for reptile stores and try spreading out in that way, or should I try selling them outright (and what do I need to watch out for if I do)?

Any information from some of our seasoned professionals would be great

Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

As you will soon find out, the local market will become glutted very quickly. I had trouble selling my leopard hatchlings locally.

You go through your local turtle club first. Then when you can no longer find buyers there, you advertise in the classified section of the newspaper. Pet stores are good too. When you run out of local buyers, you go online. Craigslist.com, Kijiji.com, kingsnake.com ...all of those. Of course, you must think of us here on the forum FIRST!!

In the mean time, find a really good care sheet for Russian tortoise hatchlings, copy it, and include a care sheet with each baby you sell.

You can't be too choosy as to who you sell to, all you can do is be sure you provide them with enough information to keep the baby alive and doing well. Take your time while talking to them and be sure they are understanding what you are telling them.

Good luck! I'm so glad to see that someone is having luck with their babies. There are too many wild caught Russian tortoise in the market place. It will be nice to cut down on that supply.

 

[-ryan-]

Okay, great ideas! Where can I find a good resource on shipping reptiles/tortoises? I am assuming the best time to do so is in spring or fall? Right now we have about a foot and a half of snow on the ground, so I figure shipping in these conditions is out. I imagine I could put a posting here and on Kingsnake to see if there would be anyone interested. Right now I am still hoping to find more avenues in my vicinity, but I imagine it would be smart to branch out and offer them nationwide. I am hoping to get about three dozen hatchlings this next year, now that I am starting to get things dialed in (mostly the incubator).

Thanks for the help!

 

[Shelly]

There are too many wild caught Russian tortoise in the market place. It will be nice to cut down on that supply.

Absolutely!

 

[Yvonne G]

Here's a good tutorial on how to package up a tortoise for shipping:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Safely-Ship-A-Tortoise-Or-Turtle

I don't know it its mentioned in that thread, but UPS is a good way to go now-a-days. And you need to do a weather search for conditions between your house and the receiver's house, taking into consideration that the package usually goes to a hub first, that may be pretty far away from either you or the destination.

 

[moswen]

TOTALLY DITTO yvonne and shelly!! and i also agree with including the care sheet. and you BETTER ALWAYS post them on here!!! when i move i plan on having a russian tortoise outdoor enclosure and i will also be contributing to the decrease of wild-caughts on the market. maybe i'll hit you up in a few months when it gets warmer!

you can't think you will always sell to the perfect person who will 100% care for your babies until forever... but you can make sure you're doing your best to inform the buyers of PROPER care techniques and what to expect in life expectancy, housing, and etc!

 

[Tom]

Nice job Ryan. This is good for everybody, except maybe your competitors...

I'm very happy to hear about your success.

Try finding a reptile wholesaler or dealer near you. They ship tons of animals in all weather all year round with no problems. For a fee they should be happy to let you in on it. We worked out a deal here where we would bring the tortoise to them, they would pack it properly and ship it anywhere in the US overnight for $40. We had zero problems with it and have shipped dozens of babies with them now. We drop off by 4pm and the babies would arrive by 11am, at the latest, the next day. They use heat packs for winter and cold packs for summer whenever needed.

Good luck with them.