tortoises

Deliverance

My ideal pet is a tortoise, I thought that they were a protected species therefore I have not pursued the idea for that reason. Recently I have noticed that a pet shop in my area is selling them.
I want to buy one and need some advice on how to provide an adequate environment for such a pet. I feel that I should get two, male and female. Problem is that at the moment as much as I want them as my ideal pets I feel that I have to provide them with a good environment.
I have the space and I really want them.
How much should I pay and what kind of environment should I give them? Any advice appreciated.
Ps I know they hibernate, how would that work? I think I would give the little critters a better home than the petshop which has them. Any advice appreciated.

Our man in Havana

what species are the torties?? Ideally they need a tortoise table that can be placed outside in the few days of good warm weather you get. They need heat & UV light 10.0 is best or a 5.0 if the 10.0 is not available.

It is legal for torties to be sold but if they come under cites they MUST have a certificate.

Check out tortoisetrusts.org (I think thats the correct link) this site has loads of info etc.

tallus

They Need a uv lamp from the UVB part of the spectrum. The totoises might be Horsfields/ russians, which as far as I know dont need a cities cert. If they are Hermanns they definetly need a cert as they are an appendix II species which is highly endangered. How old are the tortoises for sale in the shop ? and be aware that not all species of tortoises hibernate, tunisian torts dont.
As Bond already said go to http://www.tortoisetrust.org/ it's the best tortoise resource on the www. also try this site: http://www.tlady.clara.net/id16.htm it's an excellent site, and has downloadable pictures of the correct dietary items for mediterranean tortoises. She also has some good photos of her table top setups, which will point you in the right direction.
Any more questions just ask.

Demonique

Deliverance wrote:

I have noticed that a pet shop in my area is selling them.

Is it a pet shop selling different kinds of animals or a reptile shop which just sells reptiles?

To be honest, its best to get reptiles from a specialist reptile shop as a lot of pet shops have just jumped on the reptile band wagon to make more money and some of them don't have a clue how to care reptiles.

What's the name of the pet shop? If its on Parnell Street in Dublin then steer clear.


Under no circumtance buy reptiles from a Garden Centre, they're the worst of the lot to buy reptiles from

The only reptile shops I have any experience with are Reptile Haven on Fishamble Street and Boardwalk Pets (a general petstore, but Thomas, the guy who runs the reptile section knows his stuff) on the Quays, both are in Dublin

Deliverance

Thanks for the advice, I will ask these questions of the pet shop with regards to the care of them. I really want one, but want to provide an adequate environment with the right amount of care. One of the one's that I was looking at had a large crack on his/ her shell. I don't like pet shops as a rule.
I would like to take a tortoise out of this environment and provide it with one that would be more appropriate.

The hibernation part is an issue, maybe I could put the little fellow in a cupboard at a certain time?

Sigma Force

Hibernating animals can be complicated you have to be very careful and make sure they are fit for hibernation and that you can gurantee a place for them to hibernate that won't fluctuate in temperature. Best to get some tort books so you have them to hand. Also ensure you put them in your will, if you don't have anyone that will take them over when you are gone don't get them..not saying your old lol but they do live a long time. Same if you got a long lived bird.

cowzerp

Deliverance wrote:

I don't like pet shops as a rule.
I would like to take a tortoise out of this environment and provide it with one that would be more appropriate.

That does not make sense-you are going to support them by paying for the tortoise to get it out of that enviroment-they will just buy more as they know they will sell to people like you, if you dont like pet shops go to a reptile shop and support the real carers of these animals, personally i dont mind pet shops, its your logic that does not make sense!

Demonique

Deliverance wrote:

The hibernation part is an issue, maybe I could put the little fellow in a cupboard at a certain time?

Get a tropical species of tortoise that comes from a climate where it doesn't hibernate in its natural environment.

Red-footed tortoises don't hibernate

Deliverance

Thanks for the advice all. I don't think I will be buying a tort from a pet shop, I will look for reputable breeders and dealers, before buying one. Thanks for the links and the advice.

Demonique

I'm not sure if there's any tortoise breeders in Ireland

tallus

There are a few, but they are very selective about who they will sell to.
http://homepage.eircom.net/~090316/
Before I bought mine a few years back one of the guys from that site tried to talk me out of it, even though i had been keeping herps for years and had done my research.
I bought my pair from Ben in Reptile Haven.

Schlemm

Mediterranean tortoises hibernate, but you can prevent it with artificial light and heat. At the Autumn equinox, you can either allow them to hibernate, or you can use heat and a 12hr/12hr light cycle to prevent it.

If you chose to let the tortoise hibernate, you need to do plenty of planning in advance. You can't let them eat for about 4-6 weeks before hibernation, or else the food will rot in their gut. They should also be in a good body condition and note their weight before and after hibernation. You should check the Jackson ratio, which is the body weight vs. carapace (upper shell) length. Provide a shallow bath for drinking before hibernating and make sure it's had plenty to drink. Avoid extremes of temperature while it's hibernating and check its weight regularly. The hibernation should not exceed 20 weeks and bright light and heat will wake it up. However, if the tortoise urinates during hibernation you should wake it up or else it could become dehydrated.