Buy Tortoises
What to Look for and where to Buy Tortoises?
Choosing which species when you want to buy tortoises these days is much easier than it used to be. There are many breeders who are breeding lots of varying species including those that are endangered. How to choose which type to tortoise to buy is a matter of personal preference taking into account how large it will grow and how much room you will need to set aside or have for it to live in.
When you decide to buy tortoises that are captivity bred you are not taking from the wild habitat or preventing a wild creature from breeding in the wild. By choosing to buy a domestically bred tortoise you will be helping many breeders to keep those endangered species from becoming extinct. The captive-bred tortoise will be adapted to their captive environment and will therefore not be overly stressed when moved to a new environment which fulfils their needs. The captive bred tortoise is also easier to look after and care for they are less likely to suffer from ill health and stress as an animal caught in the wild and kept in an enclosure. Therefore choosing to buy a captive bred tortoise has many advantages over buying a wild caught one.
Finding and deciding to buy tortoises can be difficult. Try to search local papers or the web for appropriate breeders/suppliers.
Here are a number of questions to ask before deciding to buy tortoises, such as:
• How long the breeder has been breeding tortoises?
• How are the parents?
• How is their health?
• Can you view the parents as well as the offspring?
• Have they suffered from any diseases that could be passed on to their offspring?
• What sort of enclosure are they kept in?
Many times you will be able to find a suitable tortoise in a local pet shop but you will rarely be able to find out the answer to these questions as the breeders supplying the pet shops may not have given this information to the shop owner.
If you find a tortoise you wish to purchase check to see there are no obvious problems such as dehydration or parasites, check it is eating well and if necessary leave for a few days and go back to the shop to view the tortoise again.
Look out for:
• The tortoise is alert and bright. They should be aware of their environment.
• The eyes should be bright and clear. There may be fluid in the eye, this is normal. There should not be any crusty materiel there though. If the tortoise does not open their eyes do not buy it. This may be a sign of other health trouble.
• The nose should be clear of discharge and clean. Check the tortoise is breathing through its nose not just it’s mouth, this can indicate some respiratory distress.
• Look to see if there is any obvious sign of injury to the legs. Gently pull on the back leg, the tortoise should pull back.. if it doesn’t avoid.
• Look to see if there is any obvious sign of diarrhoea or parasitic infection.
• Look to see if the shell is hard, no signs of bleeding or cracked or severely damaged shells.
• Pick up the tortoise, it should feel heavy.
You may get a guarantee from the breeder or pet shop owner but this will only cover a short period of time. However, once you receive your tortoise if possible take it to a specialist vet who can have a proper look over it to check for injury or disease and you will be able to take the tortoise back to the breeder or shop owner for a refund. When looking to buy tortoises you have a number of different factors to take into account especially if you want to look after a tortoise successfully. You can find more information on this subject in my new book “Top Experts Secrets to keeping and Caring for your Tortoise”
