- Joined
- Nov 14, 2013
- Messages
- 25
I just discovered this section of the site (I'm new here), and thought this would be the perfect place to share my bad experiences with ordering turtles/tortoises offline.
A little over a year ago, in the autumn of 2012 (I'd have to get the papers out to get the right date), I bought a male juvenile western painted turtle from the Turtle Shack. I have since named him Scar, for reasons that will be explained later.
It took about a week before they shipped him out. I was very excited, as he was going to be my second turtle, and I anxiously waited his arrival. He came in the morning, and I opened up the package, and noticed he was in a bag filled with purple carefresh. I thought this was odd, but was too excited to pay much attention. Then I took him out. He was beautiful, although obviously older than I had been told, and he was injured, I suppose you could say. I still don't know how this happened, but he had a chip on the edge of his shell, and a very large chunk, I'd say equivalent to 8% of his plastron, missing on the same side. It looked like an old wound that had healed.
I won't go into any more detail, but just know that they lied about the turtle's size and age, wouldn't respond to concerned emails and calls, and mos importantly, sent out an animal that had been injured. Luckily he's happy and healthy today, and spends most of his day basking with his buddy and tank mate Hawk, a female midland painted turtle.
Then, a few months ago, in mid August, I ordered a pair of 12 to 14 week old redfooted tortoises from the Turtle Source. I had previously tried to email/call them with questions multiple times, but received no answers. They were quicker with shipping, and I received my two little guys, Redmond Barry and Barry Lyndon, within a few days (note: all of the turtles/tortoises I've bought have been shipped overnight, I'm talking about how long it took for them to ship them out).
From the beginning, it was clear poor little Bary Lyndon was small and weak. He was pale, hardly moved, and had the softest shell I'd ever seen. I took him to the vet, and my fears were confirmed: he had metabolic bone disease. I spent hundreds in vet bills and care, trying to get him healthy, but he just continued to get worse, even under the best care. He passed away on December 3.
Let me make it clear, he arrived with a case of metabolic bone disease so advanced that nothing we did could have helped save him, despite trying as hard as possible. The Turtle Source sent me a very sick tortoise, caused me 4 months of heartache, and only responded to my calls/emails recently, days before his untimely death. They never even responded when I told them he had died.
I will never order from them again. Redmond Barry may be healthy, but that does not change the fact that they gave me a tortoise who was obviously neglected his entire life and never given proper care, and who died young because of it.
Please, if you're looking to buy a turtle or tortoise, avoid these two sellers. Buy from actual breeders like Vicki Hale, who have pictures of each individual tortoise and can at least can give you their hatch date.
A little over a year ago, in the autumn of 2012 (I'd have to get the papers out to get the right date), I bought a male juvenile western painted turtle from the Turtle Shack. I have since named him Scar, for reasons that will be explained later.
It took about a week before they shipped him out. I was very excited, as he was going to be my second turtle, and I anxiously waited his arrival. He came in the morning, and I opened up the package, and noticed he was in a bag filled with purple carefresh. I thought this was odd, but was too excited to pay much attention. Then I took him out. He was beautiful, although obviously older than I had been told, and he was injured, I suppose you could say. I still don't know how this happened, but he had a chip on the edge of his shell, and a very large chunk, I'd say equivalent to 8% of his plastron, missing on the same side. It looked like an old wound that had healed.
I won't go into any more detail, but just know that they lied about the turtle's size and age, wouldn't respond to concerned emails and calls, and mos importantly, sent out an animal that had been injured. Luckily he's happy and healthy today, and spends most of his day basking with his buddy and tank mate Hawk, a female midland painted turtle.
Then, a few months ago, in mid August, I ordered a pair of 12 to 14 week old redfooted tortoises from the Turtle Source. I had previously tried to email/call them with questions multiple times, but received no answers. They were quicker with shipping, and I received my two little guys, Redmond Barry and Barry Lyndon, within a few days (note: all of the turtles/tortoises I've bought have been shipped overnight, I'm talking about how long it took for them to ship them out).
From the beginning, it was clear poor little Bary Lyndon was small and weak. He was pale, hardly moved, and had the softest shell I'd ever seen. I took him to the vet, and my fears were confirmed: he had metabolic bone disease. I spent hundreds in vet bills and care, trying to get him healthy, but he just continued to get worse, even under the best care. He passed away on December 3.
Let me make it clear, he arrived with a case of metabolic bone disease so advanced that nothing we did could have helped save him, despite trying as hard as possible. The Turtle Source sent me a very sick tortoise, caused me 4 months of heartache, and only responded to my calls/emails recently, days before his untimely death. They never even responded when I told them he had died.
I will never order from them again. Redmond Barry may be healthy, but that does not change the fact that they gave me a tortoise who was obviously neglected his entire life and never given proper care, and who died young because of it.
Please, if you're looking to buy a turtle or tortoise, avoid these two sellers. Buy from actual breeders like Vicki Hale, who have pictures of each individual tortoise and can at least can give you their hatch date.