TORTOISE RESCUE NETWORK

jtrux

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Jesus, ignorance is way underrated. I can't believe someone would think that's ok.
 

waterboy

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Thanks luckysgirl i will pick them up first week of nov. ill give you the day when i know what day we are leaveing to head down their. Pls pm me with condition and size. I might have a home for one already so we can pay back TRN.
 

Ripkabird98

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I live in Blue Springs, Missouri. Close to Kansas City, Missouri. Could drive up to around 200 miles depending. I am IN!
 

shellysmom

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Ripkabird98 said:
I live in Blue Springs, Missouri. Close to Kansas City, Missouri. Could drive up to around 200 miles depending. I am IN!

Ahhhhhh, wonderful. I'm sending you a PM. There's a redfoot in your area that I'm trying to get more info about. I'm waiting to hear back from the seller on some details... I think it's about 30-45 minutes away from you.
 

LuckysGirl007

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shellysmom said:
Ahhhhhh, wonderful. I'm sending you a PM. There's a redfoot in your area that I'm trying to get more info about. I'm waiting to hear back from the seller on some details... I think it's about 30-45 minutes away from you.

Yea! Another rescuer!
 

wellington

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I hope you don't mind me posting this here. I think it's great what you are doing. However, a lot of these torts and turts can be given a better life with just a little friendly education on the proper care. This is what everyone should be trying first. Then if things don't change, step in and rescue it. I just feel more might be able to be rescued if, some of the people were educated a little. It's is my standard statement to anyone seeing a wrong.
Did you contact them and offer some guidance? Ignoring to offer some polite, constructive non-judgmental advice is not helping the tortoise or it's new owner. They (person selling) it will pass on the same poor info they probably were told.
Don't forget, it has only been a few years that the majority of correct info has been available. I mean this in the nicest way, but to complain about someones care without offering some friendly advice does nothing and is pretty much just as bad. Email them some friendly info. Tell them about TFO. Even ask if they would pass on the sites and/or advice you have given them to the new owners. Wish them luck and say good bye. Now you have done something to help that tortoise. Whether s/he takes it or not, is not on you. Doing nothing, is on you.
I just feel more education on proper care that is passed on, the more tortoises and turtles will be better taken care of.
I have done this many times to Craigslist ads. 99% thank me and tell me they didn't know. They were just doing what they were told. Just a thought. It might help ease the load of having to rescue.
 

ShadowRancher

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Just found this thread...great idea! I'm in Columbia SC if I can ever be of any assistance.
 

shellysmom

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wellington said:
I hope you don't mind me posting this here. I think it's great what you are doing. However, a lot of these torts and turts can be given a better life with just a little friendly education on the proper care. This is what everyone should be trying first. Then if things don't change, step in and rescue it. I just feel more might be able to be rescued if, some of the people were educated a little. It's is my standard statement to anyone seeing a wrong.
Did you contact them and offer some guidance? Ignoring to offer some polite, constructive non-judgmental advice is not helping the tortoise or it's new owner. They (person selling) it will pass on the same poor info they probably were told.
Don't forget, it has only been a few years that the majority of correct info has been available. I mean this in the nicest way, but to complain about someones care without offering some friendly advice does nothing and is pretty much just as bad. Email them some friendly info. Tell them about TFO. Even ask if they would pass on the sites and/or advice you have given them to the new owners. Wish them luck and say good bye. Now you have done something to help that tortoise. Whether s/he takes it or not, is not on you. Doing nothing, is on you.
I just feel more education on proper care that is passed on, the more tortoises and turtles will be better taken care of.
I have done this many times to Craigslist ads. 99% thank me and tell me they didn't know. They were just doing what they were told. Just a thought. It might help ease the load of having to rescue.

I don't mind that you post this here. :) I've seen a LOT of borderline care on CL, and in those cases my only action has been to contact the seller encouraging them to pass better info along to the buyer. However, in all of my attempts to educate, I have NEVER received a return email, so there is no way for me to tell if they even got the message, or if they intend to pass the advice on to the buyer, etc.

I'm all for education first, especially for people who want to KEEP the animals, but in cases where the animal is being sold to someone new, and we have no idea who that is, there is no way to educate the new owner directly. TRN always give first priority to tortoises that are unhealthy and/or are kept in dismal conditions, since it's more likely in those cases that bad advice will be passed on from seller to buyer, if the buyer knows nothing about about how to care for the animal. For example, my adult redfoot, Daisy, came from CL. The ONLY thing the seller was interested in was getting $$, and getting rid of her fast. He didn't ask if I knew anything about tortoises, and he didn't offer any information about her history. I think a lot of people do that, and it scares me. I can usually tell by the tone of an ad if the seller cares that their tort ends up in a good home, and I don't worry about those at all. I worry about the ads with pics of large, deformed sulcatas living in a tiny fish tank with a pile of iceberg lettuce in front of them, where the seller says only something like, "African desert turtles, easy to keep, $100 for both, includes their tank." AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

So, again, we only intervene when we feel like a tortoise is actively suffering from poor health and/or dismal conditions, and is likely to go to a home where such substandard care will continue. You're right, though, we can't rescue our way out of the problem of suffering torts, as there will never be enough money, or foster homes, or loving forever homes, to save them all. Especially giant sullies, and the rate at which hatchlings are being produced is just shocking, really. Rescues are already overwhelmed with these guys, yet they continue to be sold as cute babies for $30 a pop to people who either don't know, or don't care, that they are going to get way too big for the average person to house. Somewhere along the line, there has to be a large-scale education component, which IDEALLY would include breeders and pet stores, so the burden doesn't fall completely on caring people like you...

But, I guess in the end, we all just do whatever we can do to help. :)
 

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