WC, or CB. how do you know?

[sara]

I have often wonderd if bert was wc or cb. I have my suspisions(? some days i just cant spell) about Bert. I did not get him from pet co, I got him from an actual reptile place. He was in a pen with a russian and a leapord tort.
My question, how can you tell if not getting one from an actual breeder? They can tell me they did, but Sometimes i just wonder. I have herd so many stories about petco and have seen so many torts i feel so bad for. mostly i see russians, so i would assume they are cb. But when i see red or yellow foots i just cant help but wonder.
I dont want to contribute to the cruelness of capturing wild ones and be a part of that trade.
My next one will deffinately come from a reputable breeder.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

A few clues, although not definate by any means:

CB generally costs more than wild-caught examples, due to the 4" law (breeders can't sell them for pets under 4", so they must hold on to them until they grow sufficiently).

WCs seem to rarely pyramid, although many CBs have minimal pyramidding if from the best breeders...

Buying directly from the breeder is best, I'm thinking...take anything that you're told by PetCo, PetSmart and PetLand with a grain of salt.

 

[egyptiandan]

All Russians at the big chain pet stores are WC. The Redfoot are mostly farmed or WC. Farmed means they were born in captivity in the country of origin.
Actually Alan it's just businesses that can't sell tortoises or turtles under 4 inches. Breeders can sell hatchling under 4 inches no problem.
So more than likely Bert is captive farmed.

Danny

 

[tortoisenerd]

If the pet store got him under 4 inches, definitely CB. I have seem pet stores selling under 4 inches. They just put up a sign and say for educational/scientific purposes only...lol...that doesn't exactly work. WCs tend to have the scuffed up shells and higher parasite loads (I recommend a vet check up and fecal test regardless, as even my CB tort has had coccidia and pinworms!). A pet store claiming CB should have some sort of paperwork to back it up. Petco and such will lie (not directly--just repeating what corporate tells them). How/why do you think Bert is three? Was that just a guess of someone on the forum? If you tell us about the size of the tort when you got him, that is likely a huge clue.

 

[sara]

If the pet store got him under 4 inches, definitely CB. I have seem pet stores selling under 4 inches. They just put up a sign and say for educational/scientific purposes only...lol...that doesn't exactly work. WCs tend to have the scuffed up shells and higher parasite loads (I recommend a vet check up and fecal test regardless, as even my CB tort has had coccidia and pinworms!). A pet store claiming CB should have some sort of paperwork to back it up. Petco and such will lie (not directly--just repeating what corporate tells them). How/why do you think Bert is three? Was that just a guess of someone on the forum? If you tell us about the size of the tort when you got him, that is likely a huge clue.

Bert is 8"s now he was just over 7" when i got him. The guy told me he was around 21/2 -3 years old. He has a little pyrimiding that he had when i got him. Otherwise he is and has been very healthy. I was just wondering if he was w.c.
I am suprised that russians are w.c because they seem to be the ones that are always in the pet stores and others like red foots i dont see that often.
I have sooo much to learn. even though i have to give bert up I will get another somewhere on down the line. But i dont want to be supporting the w.c market. I plan on educateting myself much as i can on the topic.

 

[moswen]

well, when i got tula and dewormed her, she had worms in her bath water that were longer than her, she has a chipped front in her shell, and her shell was completely smooth, and she had a runny nose in the box... and she was part of a "large group of adults that he was letting go" which led me to believe that she was actually wild caught, but the guy literally disappeared after i got her, so he never answered any of my questions.

....however, after about a week she was so friendly, very active, and she'd trump around our whole house like she was laying claim to everything she set her eyes on, and she let me hand feed her... so either she just had an AWESOME personality, or she was a really sadly kept pet. so, the signs are all different, and there's no really 100% way of knowing, bc ppl do lie. but i believe that unless you have a star, if you have a little bit of pyramiding then he's -most likely- cb.

 

[tortoisenerd]

I am sorry you have to give Bert up. A 7 inch redfoot is probably way over 3 years. Danny had some great info there about the farmed captive. Just not enough tort breeding yet to have a market large enough for pet stores, and people would rather have the $50 vs. the $150 tort as an uneducated buyer. Plus the whole 4 inch thing. People keep buying the wild caught ones, so they keep selling them (sorry but I don't think "rescuing" a Petco russian is a good thing in the long run as that just drives up demand).