Chook Me!

Why would you think buying a leopard tortoise is a good idea and why do shops sell them?

Approx 2 years ago my daughter drove me mad for a tortoise, we saw one in the express and star local paper and went to see it, we were told it was a boy henmans tortoise and would grow no bigger we were told to feed it on baby corn and not to give water, after some research we discovered it was a leopard tortoise and would grow as heavy as my large dog, it did need water and different food different bedding and would eventually need housing as big as a large shed with special heating, it is the 4th largest tortoise in the world and they are being imported into this country in a terrible state, most die, these are hatched from eggs stolen from wild moms. It also turns out we have no vets round here to be able to treat him that is now actually a she not male as we were told initially, my nearest vet who can treat her properly is over an hours drive away! Now I hear a major pet store pets at home is planning on selling these (WHY!!!) and are already for sale in some pet stores, they come in cute little incubators and are cute and small but grow massive in no time and will outlive us! Why is this being allowed?? Its cruel and nast the tortoise trade is vile and why is the goverment and the RSPCA allowing it, and by the way when a lleopard tortoise I was given was sick I called the RSPCA and they told me they couldn't help me!!!!! I cant understand why a trade so vile is being allowed to continue, is anything being done at all?? Also following some research, tesco abroad sells live turtles for eating! And will kill onsite if you wish!! Why would they do this dont they have some code of conduct?? Or is all this just about the MONEY!!!??? I didn't mean noone is doing anything, I have to add the tortoise protection group is fighting hard and are helping me find a new experienced home for my baby, and also shelled warriors is fighting but they are not widely known enough and more people need to fight because nooone is listening. In my own personal experience, I would say if you dont research dont buy. We were wrong just buying a tortoise and not knowing about the care, where is the nearest vets? What is the correct bedding? What is the correct food? What is the correct temp? What is the correct heat lamp/lighting? How long do they live? How big do they grow? To me its a far bigger thing than having a dog or cat, myu mate recently had simlar probs with an african grey parrot exotic pets are stunning but are you really prepared for the day things go wrong? I'm not saying leopards should not be kept, I know there are people out there more than capable of keeping them correctly but there are far more who cant, I am saying people should not just be able to walk into a pet store and walk out with one not knowing much about them, like correct feeding and size potential, correct care and how far their nearest tort vet is.

Public Comments

1. I don't really know which of your many questions to answer first,but here goes Tortoises are protected under law 'the Tortoise Law' Leopard torts do not require certification but other breeds do Like any prospective per owner,it is advisable to do your homework first before buying any pet,and most people know that torts outlive humans Maybe the breeder who sold you the pet is unregistered and is at fault We have a herman tort ,and yes the vet is a long way away, but we knew that before we bought our tort, and accepted that Are you sure your tort is a leopard tort,? and not a Herman's I'm pleased you are affiliated to Shelled Warriors as we have found them very useful in our experience most vets can treat torts for minor complaints,like infections, although it has to be a small reptile vet for other more serious complaints, like shell damage There are many respectable breeders and lovers or torts out there and I'm sorry your experience has not been a good one Like dogs, there are so called dog breeders out there, only for financial gain,and should be reported I don't agree with banning the sale of Torts, but I do agree with all breeders and sellers being licensed. Hope that helps
2. One answer to this is simply people need to stop buying these from petshops and people of dubious background. If there is no demand then they'll be no supply. Once there is no profit to be made then the trade would suffer. It is not just exotic species that suffer. Puppys and kittens from petshops or where people buy them without seeing the mother is a cruel trade. It is really irresponsible. Those animals are usually stocked from puppy farms who cruelly over breed from females for profit. The puppys are usually full of disease and you will be forever taking them to the vet with one problem or another. I used to work in a Veterinary Surgery that specialised in exotics and we used to see some horrible cases. Tortoises seized from customs that had been crammed into boxes with no access to food or water and shipped over here to sell as pets. Half would die on the journey. We also came across people who took them from the wild and brought them home in their suitcase! People need to take more responsibility when deciding where to get their pet from, instead of taking cheap or quick/easy options. If anyone is interested in buying a tortoise they should do lots of research. They are a very complicated species who require carefully controlled temperatures and diet. When things go wrong you may find it hard to find a vet that can treat your tortoise. Get in touch with the organisations like the Tortoise Trust and think about adopting one or find a reputable breeder.
3. Sorry, you're not gonna wanna hear this...but... there are plenty of responsible tortoise owner who dearly love their pets, no matter how bigga house they need or how far they need to travel to the vet...me included! It sounds like the real problem was you..not doing your homework properly. I wouln't get quite so upset about it. Unwanted, irresponsible dog owners is a far bigger problem. When I first wanted a tortoise I tried everywhere to adopt an unwanted one and couldnt!! Could you say that about dogs??
4. unfortunately this is the way the pet trade is, the shops don't always care about the tortoises they are just supplying on demand, there are people out there fighting hard for the sake of tortoises and it is frustrating that people tend to get these reptiles just because they think they are cool, in short tortoises require space (even little ones) indoors and outside, they need special heating and lighting and in short can be hard work, but organisations like the tortoise trust are working hard to get the message out and shelled warriors are doing a good job but some times all you can do is to try and educate people, , people do not do enough research but as i said all you can do is get the information out there and hope people listern, best of luck honey hope all goes well for you and your tortoise edit: if you are looking for a home for your tortoise then feel free to email me we are converting a 60ft space with heated kennels just to adopt a sulctas or leopard, i want a big torotise to have a home with space to move around in, there are too many leopards and sulcatas in need of a home with the correct requirements for their needs, and i have time and space to meet these requirements but i won't buy one as i don't want to line the pockets of tortoise traders, but am looking to adopt through the tortoise trust, so if you are fiding it hard to find someone then email me and i can let you know what i have in preperation for a large tortoise and email you pictures of the housing
5. i think its a good idea because when correctly researched and kept they make great interesting pets, and for people who like torts they are an attarctive large hardy species. i fail to see your points really, your implying that leopard torts shouldnt be kept because people dont know how much space and time they take up and how to keep them and that wild caught torts are a bad idea. there is plently of litarture, websites, careguides, forums and other keepers easily avaiable. it just people are lazy and dont bother to look where common sense dictates u research and animal before u get it. IMHO ignorance is never a vaild excuse. honestly your outrage would be have more substance if u hadnt help perpetuate the cycle in the first place i think its bad importing wild caught animals (btw there are wide scale breeding programs in europe it just cheaper for companies to import WC) but what can the goverment do. the poor conditions start form outside the contry where they have no power and importing exotics is a world wide thing pressure from big businesses means that an legislation will be shot down (its cheaper to take them from the wild) so the goverment are powerless to do anything. also pet shops have no obligation to give out care information, and its up to common sense for people to know about the animals there buying (which is why exotics keeping has a bad name people dont bother to research before hand and there animals suffer for it) torts are seen as a cool pet. big chain pet store will se this as a way to make money out of dupes, the people who make the desisions dont care where the animals come from, as long as they make a profit. u assume humanity has some kind of morality. oh and the RSPCA couldnt give half a hump about reptiles/exotics, there current stance is basically, if they find one "being improperly cared for (and trust me they often leave badly kept reptiles with there owners and take well cared for ones away)" they kill it asap. your talking about a "charity" that while the numbers of animals being put down is up so are there profits. finally the shelled warriors are a great bunch of people and im sure they will find a home for your tort and keep up the good fight trying to get people to understand what keeping a tort is like and getting people to buy CB, they do everything they can but at the end of the day there will always be fools who want a cool pet for cheap money and wont bother to learn how to care for it, u can never stop that
6. they keep your feet warm?
7. Most pet stores do not sell them, most of the time you will see your smaller greeks and russians. Usually independent pet stores or reptile store will be the ones selling larger torts. And usually they have them marked properly. Also, if you choose a reputable pet store, they will have captive bred and born animals, not imports. Also a big part of this problem is on the buyer. A Herman's and a leopard do not look the same. That is why so many people on here adn who are really into reptiles for the right reason, are always saying RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUY. Then you would know what you are getting. Part of research is finding a vet. As long as crappy stores that import and mislabel can find people to sell to, they will. I myself have 6 sulcatas, a leopard, and a aldabra. Aldabras are the second largest. I was not fooled into it. And most people can't and won't just go drop 100 dollars or 200 dollars or 1900 dollars on a tortoise, and that is without the set ups. This could be the ignorance of money and spoiling children...?...hmmm....
8. Well, Here is a list of reasons: * Pet shops want to make money * We do not live in a crystal cute world where people care about how animals are kept before selling them *People should buy leopard tortoises if they are in such terrible pet shop conditions so that they can have a better life. * Some people want to breed tortoises to make, hmm, MONEY. * Buy from a respectable, well known pet establishment, where they usually care about treatment of animals. *Oh, and also, it is not just leopard tortoises who have terrible pet shop existences, most animals do, from your little leopard tortoises to your large dog.....