y'all need to talk me out of it...

[Q'sTortie]

How much trouble can you get in? grounded maybe? Extra chores? Im sure you will survive the punishment and come out with a new awesome buddy! As Terry Allan Hall said "I've always found it's easier the ask forgiveness than permission... ". The best part about being a kid So get it already and post us some pics!!

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

I'm technically not a kid, almost 19... I also owe my mom some money......... EEEEK

 

[wellington]

Really, what's the worst she can do. She can't really kill you. You can tell her the store won't take it back. So she tells you to sell it. Well, a vague, oops forgot the contact info, ad on Craigslist and omg, no takers. You have to keep it

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One more thing. How often does she pay attention to the one you have? Would she really notice another one?

 

[leonardo the tmnt]

Get it!

 

[Q'sTortie]

19 is still young Just tell your mom "My frontal lobe is not full developed, I couldn't help it!"

 

[Edna]

My biggest problem: My mom is in the Bahamas right now and if she came home to a new tortoise... I would be murdered...

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Let me introduce you to a little thing called "compensation". It works like this: Mom goes to the Bahamas for a whole week, leaving her poor working student daughter behind. Mom feels guilty. Poor working student daughter gets a new Russian tort while mom's away. She gets Bahamas, you get the Russian. You've actually done her a favor by relieving her guilt somewhat

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

My biggest problem: My mom is in the Bahamas right now and if she came home to a new tortoise... I would be murdered...

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Let me introduce you to a little thing called "compensation". It works like this: Mom goes to the Bahamas for a whole week, leaving her poor working student daughter behind. Mom feels guilty. Poor working student daughter gets a new Russian tort while mom's away. She gets Bahamas, you get the Russian. You've actually done her a favor by relieving her guilt somewhat

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I like your thinking...

 

[lovelyrosepetal]

Do it, or don't do it. You need to do what is best for you and your family. If you get it, you will need to take care of it. Will mom be truly mad or just a bit upset? How much do you care? If you are fine with the answers you have, then by all means, get it but if you can't do that to her then find someone, a friend (?), who will get it and take good care of it. If you can't handle another tortoise right now, then don't do it. Also, why are we pressuring futureleopardtortoise to get it if mom said no? I know that if my son or daughter did something they were not supposed to, I would be very upset. There are some things I would not care so much about but it is up to futureleopardtortoise to do the right thing and if that means not getting the tortoise then that is what futureleopardtortoise needs to do.

 

[Jacqui]

In this case, I had said to get it based on coming to know Courtney in here, her age, PLUS the fact her Mom is also an animal lover. I think she would understand Courtney feeling the need to get it and I feel Courtney is knowledgeable enough to care for it properly. As a rule, I would tell most young folks to only do it with the parents blessing. This case is an exception to the rule. Now as for the above poster thinking we are "pressuring", I thought we were only answering the question she asked us honestly.

 

[Masin]

Hmmm... Let me try. I'm pretty good at raining on parades. Do you happen to know about what percent of Petco's Russians are wild-caught versus captive-bred? If most of Petco's Russians are wild-caught, perhaps you should reconsider. Why take home a tortoise from the store if it's just going to be replaced by one that was plucked out of the wild? Whatever wonderful wild ecosystem they are coming from kind of needs them there, don't you think? If a tortoise species can be bred successfully in captivity for the pet trade, why purchase one from a business that supports removing wild ones from their natural range? It doesn't really make sense to me. If you want an unbelievably adorable baby Russian tortoise, you should get one, but from someone who sells only captive-bred. Otherwise, you are just supporting the decline of a beautiful wild animal population. Do you really want to be part of that?

Did that help?

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I totally just rained on the happy parade, didn't I. Sorry. If this individual tortoise is sooooooo special that it would make you completely happy to have it, then you should not feel bad about getting it. I'm all for happiness. BUT, maybe as a compromise, you can encourage Petco to source only captive-bred Russians from here on out.

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I LOVE that you accepted the challenge and proceeded to be a cold shower. Haha.

I'm a sucker for personalities (amazing that our sulcata has none other than mean b-word face all the time!) but have to talk myself out of any new kids. With 2 dogs, 4 cats, the sulcata and fish in our new historic (read: small) house, the kids are more stress on a daily basis than I could ever of predicted!
I love having more time to love and care for the herd we have versus adding another and dividing my time further. Make sense?

 

[lovelyrosepetal]

I did not mean to cause offense. I don't know Courtney. I like to hear about Carl but I do not know her situation. I was also fairly sure that she is competant or I would have told her not to do it. I just said that she needs to do what is best in her situation. As to the "pressuring" I said that somewhat tongue in cheek but if you look over the posts everyone is telling her, except for one, to go out and get it. The post originally stated to talk her out of it, not into it. I think if she really wants it, mom won't really be mad, and she feels like she can handle it, then she should but I was just going off of her post and her hesitancy. I did not mean to cause ripples.

 

[Laurie]

I did not mean to cause offense. I don't know Courtney. I like to hear about Carl but I do not know her situation. I was also fairly sure that she is competant or I would have told her not to do it. I just said that she needs to do what is best in her situation. As to the "pressuring" I said that somewhat tongue in cheek but if you look over the posts everyone is telling her, except for one, to go out and get it. The post originally stated to talk her out of it, not into it. I think if she really wants it, mom won't really be mad, and she feels like she can handle it, then she should but I was just going off of her post and her hesitancy. I did not mean to cause ripples.

Your post wasn't "offensive" at all! I agree with you, there is a bit of peer pressure in this thread. I'm sure Courtney will do what's best for her

 

[TheTortoiseWhisperer]

I can't talk you out of it. You just talked me into it anyway lol. Go for it!

I ABSOLUTELY AGREE!!!! You should get him, it sounds like it's already "LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT" between you and the little guys, so go and ahead and buy him before someone else does <---You'll be sorry if that were to happen.

 

[Jacqui]

No offense really taken. My belief is anybody who comes in here saying "talk me out of..." really is not wanting to be talked out of it. We are a forum of enablers. Court should have gone to Tortoise Anonymous for real help.

 

[lovelyrosepetal]

Glad not to offend. I agree, she probably really does want to be talked into it. From her posts, it sounds like a great tortoise.

 

[TheTortoiseWhisperer]

I work at Petco and we just got two new Russian tortoises a week ago...

I'm so TEMPTED... one of them has so much personality! Usually they aren't very happy little guys and sleep most of the day, but we have one (I don't know if he even falls over the 4 inch rule because he's pretty small) that is just so full of personality. He (or she) is constantly getting into trouble, ramming into the other tortoises... trying to burrow under the giant water bowl and getting stuck... I swear we have to right him at least 3 times a day after he flips himself over trying to climb the half log hide.

He looks different than the other torts in there, his shell is way lighter which I think I remember someone saying that meant he's captive bred...

EITHER WAY, how do I resist the urge!?

I think Youuuuu Shoulddddddddddd (((DRUM ROLL)))

GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tortus]

I just skimmed through the thread, but is it a hatchling and how much are they asking for it?

Russians seems so cool. If I didn't get a leopard I would have gone with that.

 

[DesertGrandma]

You are going to be in so much TROU--BLE

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

*sigh* I decided against it, FOR NOW. I don't have the room or the money for another tortoise enclosure, realistically. I have started talking a friend of mine into it, though. She had a tortoise when she was young and really wants another.

 

[wellington]

Lighten up people. Everyone, that knows the people of this forum, knows coming on here asking that kind of question is going to get those kind of answers. I don't think any of us has a gun pointed at their head. If you lighten up, I think you would get the swing of the posters. Of course the person is going to do what they want, duh. She hasn't gotten it, right? Not taking to many of us seriously. BTW, I am a mother of a fifteen year old. Something like this, i wouldn't care. Now try talking him into drinking, going to a party, doing drugs, or anything else along those lines, well then we would have big problems.