[split] Buying Russian Tortoises

[montana]

Hi I am a newbie and guess what I`ve decided that because I live at the north pole a Russian pretty much would be my best bet .. Wanting to avoid any immediate vet visit I think a captive bred would be the best choice ..

So now where do I go to get one ??

The good news is there isn`t a pet shop for a hundred miles so I have to have him shipped in anyway ...

The ones on the web [Turtle Source] are plenty spendy ..So whats a girl to do ???

 

[Tom]

RE: Breeders section?

Hi I am a newbie and guess what I`ve decided that because I live at the north pole a Russian pretty much would be my best bet .. Wanting to avoid any immediate vet visit I think a captive bred would be the best choice ..

So now where do I go to get one ??

The good news is there isn`t a pet shop for a hundred miles so I have to have him shipped in anyway ...

The ones on the web [Turtle Source] are plenty spendy ..So whats a girl to do ???

Post an ad in the "Wanted" section of the "Tortoise Marketplace" section here on our forum. You might have to wait until Spring. That's when most of them hatch out. Most people are hibernating older ones right now.

Good luck.

 

[montana]

RE: Breeders section?

Thanks...

 

[tortoisenerd]

RE: Breeders section?

Yes, if you are having one shipped, it needs to be warm enough where it is being shipped from, in route, and at the destination. What are your temps like the warmest part of the year? Even when they use heat packs, I think it still needs to be above freezing. Initial cost for a healthy tort shouldn't be an issue...you will spend many times that on the tort during its lifetime. What would however concern me is that if you get a hatchling and you don't have vet care around you (you say no pet stores, so that makes me think very rural, ie. no exotics vet?), that could be a problem, as they are very fragile. If I were you, I'd spend any money necessary to get a tort at least a year old, and even then, you are risking a lot if you don't have a vet nearby. Even captive bred torts can have health issues like parasites, respiratory infections, etc (my cb hatchling had two parasites his first year...they get them from their mom or shared housing at a breeders).

 

[yagyujubei]

RE: Breeders section?

I think you're right, a russian might be a good choice for you. You know, Montana really isn't the North Pole.

 

[montana]

RE: Breeders section?

You are right this is remote Yaak Montana is the close town ...

When we order chickens [fish from fosters and smith] as often as not they arrive dead ..

Lately We have been getting overnight service if we go to another town to pick them up ...

There are several months in the summer that it gets in the 80 s and 90s tho it cools off pretty good at night 50s 60s ..

I am going to build a large outdoor enclosure for my Argentine tegu a turtle could be fazed in during construction ...

We grow large lush gardens, horses ,goats ,potbelly pigs, chickens .game birds turkeys, ducks geese ,many breeds of rabbits ,and we raise Bluetick hounds ,Walker hounds and rat terriers ..
I have worked for years at the mink farm down the road where we raised up to ten thousand mink ...Long ago I milked cows commercially worked at my grandfathers hatchery and worked with hogs ...

I have acres and acres. Woods creeks ect. once the Ice and snow goes ..

We have a vet [old fishing buddy ] tho I havent used him for any thing but rabies shots in years [we do our own vet work ] ..

Personaly I wouldn`t mind getting a breeder pair or trio [grown ] and incubate the eggs ..

I am not so concerned about the price of the critter as I am where I get one [my guess is the Turtle source dosn`t raise their turtles ] so they are stressed and exposed to wild caught]

I think there is a better deal somewhere else and Russians [A beginners tortoise]shouldn`t be 250 dollars .. When a spur is 60 dollars ...

 

[Tom]

RE: Breeders section?

Your environment probably isn't any worse than most of the range where the russians come from. I'll bet its better in some ways.

The price thing is all about perspective. The wild caught poorly cared for russians go for over $100. So a perfect, healthy little russian that is well adapted to captivity is still a bargain at twice that price. I haven't seen them for $250, but even at that price its cheap. You'll likely encounter $150 in cost just trying to get a w/c up to the same level of health even doing your own vet work. Plus, $150 extra bucks for an animal that will likely live over 100 years isn't all that much. That's one way to justify the price of a parrot that will live several decades too.

As far as prices of other tortoises, well that's supply and demand. Sulcatas can easily produce over 100 babies per year per female where russians only produce a few and occasionally skip years. Price is determined in all species by supply and demand and what the market will bear. I can guarantee that there is not one single person out there getting rich off of breeding russian tortoises. They are probably lucky if they break even and cover their costs. Its a labor of love.

I've got no stake in this. I don't breed russians and I only know a few that do from here on the forum. I'm just sharing my perspective on the matter.

I'd love to see some tegu pics. I've got a b/w and a red. Can't wait to see what you do for an enclosure.

 

[montana]

RE: Breeders section?

If that`s a fair price for one that`s fine ..

It just seemed a little much as from posts on this forum attest [They just drop dead ]..

I just couldn`t keep the bigger breeds..

It does make getting three a more expensive proposition ..[but still do able ]

Do you think the trio would need separate housing when inside ??

 

[tortoisenerd]

Yes I think $250 is a fair price shipped as long as its a reputable breeder with a week guarantee or whatever. Keep in mind even with the cb tort, I would still recommend a vet check up with fecal test for parasites (and at a minimum a repeat fecal test about 2 months later, then yearly if no problems). If no vet able to do a fecal test, it would scare me that in emergencies you don't have help. But, at a minimum, you can read up on tort vet care (how to identify and treat respiratory infections and other common ailments), and buy the microscope and supplies and book on how to do fecal floats for parasites (you should be able to buy the meds online). Only way to get a cb much cheaper than that is to go to a reptile show (you save the shipping and usually the base price is cheaper too), or to find a re-homed one (but then you likely find someone who didn't care for it well, but sometimes you are lucky and its a well cared for animal and the owner is just moving or something).

As for a group of Russians, I read that the males can be very aggressive with the females, although more space helps, and if you can even get the group to happily live together full time, you would really want to up the amount of females to 3 or more per 1 male (or house them separate all the time except breeding). You'd need quite the enclosure indoors to keep a group happy, or the 3-4 separate enclosures would still be a lot. I am happy keeping my Russian full time indoors in a 17 sq ft enclosure, and he's 4.5 inches, expected to be 5-6...although sure people keep them in a much smaller space.

Keep in mind that finding a large group of Russians, adjusted to captivity, of breeding age, and which aren't related, would be tough. I'm personally against wild caught torts, so I wouldn't get one, no matter how much I wanted a certain type/sex/age. I'd start out with one cb Russian one year or older and see how it goes. Although most breeders temp-sex their hatchlings, its not guaranteed. Its a lot to jump into a breeding group right away, especially with the issue of being remote. Just my opinion though.