Store bought Russian looks WAY older than they claim it to be

[jeneliza]

And with that being said, because I own one alot of times I am asked questions, about there care, I am always honest with what they need, and the cost, and how big they will get, and about them not being babies, I don't sugar coat it for PetSmart to make a dollar, I am more about the care , and it's not a cheap or care free pet, as alot of times I am told happens, I feel if you don't want to make the investment in them, this animal is not for you, so not all PetSmart employees will say what ever to make the sale, I also tell people they should visit a vet soon after they take there shell baby home, to make sure there healthy, FYI pet smart with pay the vet bill, if you choose to keep it if it's not healthy,they don't like to but will , they don't like returns on them ,

 

[ZEROPILOT]

The OP has other issues that we can also help with. From the photos, it seems that your lighting and housing need to be addressed.

 

[marginata_paul]

Adult, and wild caught

 

[Kcd]

Your tortoise is indeed much older than just a few months old. I can't tell you weather or not he is wild caught, but I do know that when it comes to turtles and tortoises, Petsmart pretty much sells them as adults. One thing you'll hear a lot on this forum is that you shouldn't really trust what the pet store employees tell you because most of the time they honestly don't know.

This is true for many petstores I was a assist manager at a petstore and I had to resear h all my pets I took are of. To get them as close to the natural environment and food as I could do. all the pet stores give you to work with is a pet care sheet they don't even make you go over it. I was astonished and disbelief when I heard some people talk about a red-eared slider can be dry land only and it doesn't need much water which of course is false, or that hermit crabs don't need fresh water as well as salt to survive which they do they need both salt to take a bath then and fresh to drink because the ones that the pet store sells come from the jungle in Ecuador usually.

 

[ArmadilloPup]

I worked in the pet industry and both Petco and Petsmart had the same vendors in my area. The Russians are 100% wild caught. Don't believe the birth certificate. Don't blame the managers of your store, vendors are very much a district and corporate decision. Same for employees, many of them are overworked/underpaid and don‘t get the time or proper training to learn about all species.

 

[Nurstradamus]

It takes many years for a tortoise to get to the size of yours, and it is unlikely a tortoise raised in captivity would have a smooth shell like that. Most tortoises raised in captivity have "bumpy" shells. Only wild-caught animals are that smooth and worn. Another creature taken from its home which it will never see again, living in a box (of course, a very nice box) for the rest of its life. And it may outlive you. We love them, but at what cost to them?

 

[Julesoregon]

He's definitely NOT a baby! Most likely he is wild-caught as well. However...

Besides being a cutie, he's far better off w/ u than at the store where the care is so wrong it makes me want to cry. Plus, having already bought him, the damage is done--i worked at a pet store, and once "inventory" (ie: tortie) was purchased, another one was ordered. If you bring him back, likely there will just be two sitting in crappy conditions.

Note: Russian torts are very rarely CB. Unless bought from a reputable breeder, assume they are WC....especially at a pet store.

Hey there,
I’m brand new to this forum and would really appreciate some guidance on my recent purchase. I made the mistake of believing the PetSmart employees that their Russian tortoises were a few months old. Because of the corona virus they weren’t letting people hold the animals (which is understandable) so I didn’t get a very good look at him before I got him home. I wanted to know if anyone could help me estimate age? And also, if he’s much older than expected, if I should go back to PetSmart and try to find out if he was in fact wild caught? I would really not want to support that. He’s very active and was very excited to eat some organic kale, dandelions from the yard and collards.
I already really like the dude, but am just feeling really guilty for potentially supporting a scam. Has anyone else purchases a tortoise form Petsmart which ended up being much older than they claimed?

This is the setup we made for our new little guy. Obviously not yet landscaped, but it will make a nice big area for him to bask in the sun, eat weeds, and get fresh air about 5-6 months out of the year
I purchased a tortoise weed mix seed packet I’ll be planting in the enclosure and making a bunch of fun areas for him to hide and crawl and soak!