My new pets, Redfoot Tortoises

born 2 days ago
cool liltle guys

That is awesome!!! What a brilliant little guy! If you were to buy one from a pet store ghow much would that set you back???!!!??? And did you breed it yourself? if so well done!;P

Oh it's so cute! My local Petco has one that I have been drooling over for the past 4 months. They want $129 for it, but I don't know if that is a reasonable price for it or not. But it sure is the cutest thing...

yea herman tortosies and egipian ones are very expensive aswell. I once was some other them for up to £250!!!

exkrhla said:

Oh it's so cute! My local Petco has one that I have been drooling over for the past 4 months. They want $129 for it, but I don't know if that is a reasonable price for it or not. But it sure is the cutest thing...

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Oh god, DON'T BUY AN ANIMAL FROM PETCO. DON'T DO IT. They're overpriced, poorly cared for, almost universally in terrible health, and your life will become a nightmare of vet bills. Plus store employees generally don't know squat about caring for exotics, though they'll be happy to pretend/insist they do, which is even worse.

Go to faunaclassifieds, go check their private breeder/dealer reviews, and you're sure to find a place to get a HEALTHY animal from--and the cost + shipping will probably be equal to or less than what you'd pay at petco. That's how it went for my ball python, anyway.

OP, those are some cute little guys. What are you feeding them? And what's that in the second pic, I can't tell if it's lettuce or fried egg. If it's lettuce, you should stop feeding it, as it's about as nutritious as cardboard. According to the internet, they need a pretty big variety of foods, even more so than other turtles/tortoises:

"In the wild, red footed tortoises are omnivores and eat a wider range of foods than many other tortoises. Do not overfeed animal protein, though; one serving of low fat cat or dog food a week is plenty. Lean meat can also be fed. They also seem to do well on Mazuri tortoise food. A variety of fresh leafy greens, vegetables, and fruits should also be fed (they also tolerate fruit better than many other species). A calcium and vitamin D3 supplement should be used."

Keep us updated, I love our little shelled friends.

my neighbour has 1 adult male and 2 adult females, they live freely in his large backyard that looks like a litle jungle lol, and they breed there, he knew I wanted some so he called me yestarday, and there they were, walking in the grass lol, very cute, so he gave me two

they breed very easy, just give them some free natural space, planty of food and water

I was walking ins his backyard looking for litle ones, it was really cool!

and that is not lettuce, I dont know how its called in english, but it not lettuce I know lettuce is not good

Oh my goodness, <obligatory baby comments> I wanna pick them up and kiss them on the wittle shell! I always wanted a pet turtle, but you can't get them in NJ...I suppose I could find some way...but I have enough pets... I'll just admire yours!

Mushroom Spore said:

Oh god, DON'T BUY AN ANIMAL FROM PETCO. DON'T DO IT. They're overpriced, poorly cared for, almost universally in terrible health, and your life will become a nightmare of vet bills. Plus store employees generally don't know squat about caring for exotics, though they'll be happy to pretend/insist they do, which is even worse.

Go to faunaclassifieds, go check their private breeder/dealer reviews, and you're sure to find a place to get a HEALTHY animal from--and the cost + shipping will probably be equal to or less than what you'd pay at petco. That's how it went for my ball python, anyway.

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I don't plan on ever buying an animal from Petco. Well, I do buy crickets there sometimes. I was just giving what I have seen as a price and remarking on how cute it is. I am nearly in love with the little guy/girl. If I decide to buy one, I will go to faunaclassifieds, thanks for the advice.

those are so damn cute, lol
Only ever seen tthem in pictures though
i have 2 2004born hermanns which cost me £150 each. i saw a few for sale in a city petshop near me *Bath* that had them for £295!

I actually dont understand the pricing, apprently it because they are cites listed.
Ok so why? they are captive bred, i have documents, so like my Brachypelma smithi, that too is cites listed, but i only pay £6 for a sling of these and no documents.
lol:wall: :wall:
Some of my firends in their 40s remember them for sale for only a couple of pounds.

I concur with the blatherings of cuteness!! I love how tortoises look so determined when they're eating.

I was doing some research on redfoot tortoises the other day and found this to be a great site http://www.redfoots.com/main.htm

Mushroom Spore said:

Oh god, DON'T BUY AN ANIMAL FROM PETCO. DON'T DO IT. They're overpriced, poorly cared for, almost universally in terrible health, and your life will become a nightmare of vet bills. Plus store employees generally don't know squat about caring for exotics, though they'll be happy to pretend/insist they do, which is even worse.

Go to faunaclassifieds, go check their private breeder/dealer reviews, and you're sure to find a place to get a HEALTHY animal from--and the cost + shipping will probably be equal to or less than what you'd pay at petco. That's how it went for my ball python, anyway.

OP, those are some cute little guys. What are you feeding them? And what's that in the second pic, I can't tell if it's lettuce or fried egg. If it's lettuce, you should stop feeding it, as it's about as nutritious as cardboard. According to the internet, they need a pretty big variety of foods, even more so than other turtles/tortoises:

"In the wild, red footed tortoises are omnivores and eat a wider range of foods than many other tortoises. Do not overfeed animal protein, though; one serving of low fat cat or dog food a week is plenty. Lean meat can also be fed. They also seem to do well on Mazuri tortoise food. A variety of fresh leafy greens, vegetables, and fruits should also be fed (they also tolerate fruit better than many other species). A calcium and vitamin D3 supplement should be used."

Keep us updated, I love our little shelled friends.

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im tired of people saying that petcos bad! its not the petco itself, its the people working there. not all petcos take bad care of animals like you say. the one im going to is great. sure, you come across a store that should be close down once in awhile, but thats natural. if you went to the petco i go to you'd realize that. the people tell you what they know or what they've been told, most of them dont pretend. i've never bought an animal thats been in bad health, and i buy most of my animals from petco. i will agree on the overpriced idea though.

K-TRAIN said:

im tired of people saying that petcos bad! its not the petco itself, its the people working there. not all petcos take bad care of animals like you say. the one im going to is great. sure, you come across a store that should be close down once in awhile, but thats natural. if you went to the petco i go to you'd realize that. the people tell you what they know or what they've been told, most of them dont pretend. i've never bought an animal thats been in bad health, and i buy most of my animals from petco. i will agree on the overpriced idea though.

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I am also a getting a little tired of it. I work in a Petco that does take care of our animals and we have an amazing reptile specialist not to mention I'm there to educate people about the tarantulas and scorps. You also have to remember that it's not even Petco that raises the animals and if an animal is in poor health, it is taken to the vet. Sometimes animals come in to the store in poor health it is usually the vendor's fault because they breed in mass quantities.

Hello from a fellow tort owner! Welcome to the joys of shells!! ;P

Mushroom Spore said:

Oh god, DON'T BUY AN ANIMAL FROM PETCO. DON'T DO IT. They're overpriced, poorly cared for, almost universally in terrible health, and your life will become a nightmare of vet bills. Plus store employees generally don't know squat about caring for exotics, though they'll be happy to pretend/insist they do, which is even worse.

Go to faunaclassifieds, go check their private breeder/dealer reviews, and you're sure to find a place to get a HEALTHY animal from--and the cost + shipping will probably be equal to or less than what you'd pay at petco. That's how it went for my ball python, anyway.

OP, those are some cute little guys. What are you feeding them? And what's that in the second pic, I can't tell if it's lettuce or fried egg. If it's lettuce, you should stop feeding it, as it's about as nutritious as cardboard. According to the internet, they need a pretty big variety of foods, even more so than other turtles/tortoises:

"In the wild, red footed tortoises are omnivores and eat a wider range of foods than many other tortoises. Do not overfeed animal protein, though; one serving of low fat cat or dog food a week is plenty. Lean meat can also be fed. They also seem to do well on Mazuri tortoise food. A variety of fresh leafy greens, vegetables, and fruits should also be fed (they also tolerate fruit better than many other species). A calcium and vitamin D3 supplement should be used."

Keep us updated, I love our little shelled friends.

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You do a great job of generalizing all of the Petco's across America Mushroom. Keep in mind, that not ALL of them are terrible. Have you ever worked in a retail setting? It's nearly impossible to devote 100% attention to any animal in a pet store while you're working there, because your manager/team lead asks you to do other things, while at the same time waiting on customers or ringing people out.

If YOU know so much about caring for animals, why not work at at Petco/Petsmart and share your knowledge with everyone so that they know how to take care of animals "the way they should be"?

Sorry, but I work at my local Petco, and this thread is getting me really defensive. Not all of the employees who work at Petstores are idiots that are just there for the paycheck. Some of us actually care about the well-being of the animals there.

Les

Sometimes animals come in to the store in poor health it is usually the vendor's fault because they breed in mass quantities.

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...and this is all the more reason not to support the vendors. There are reputable breeders out there... most are small scale and can properly care for their animals.


And please don't take my reply to this post as another blow to large chain pet stores... I shop at them, too. I don't usually get animals from them, but am often asked by their management to take "so and so" or "such and such" home with me because they can't help the critter any more. I have quite a few of "those" cases here with me now and they will always remain with me.

For example, the local Petco has one particularly knowledgeable employee during the morning hours. He is great! What happens after he leaves... well, I don't shop there for even "dry goods" once he's gone for the day.

As for Petsmart... I have a couple "rescues" from them, as well. The closest store to me has some real "winners" for employees, including management... NOT!! And the one that is a good 30 minute drive without traffic, that one is worlds different. It's amazing!

I don't think anyone should knock the "chain stores" too hard. They're mostly retail, as someone pointed out, and a few of them do have knowledgeable folks employed there......... but! they also fall into the trap of purchasing and supporting poor animal husbandry by dealing with the "bad vendors".

The best thing to do is, help where you can.. shop smart.. and do your research on your own BEFORE purchasing from anyone, store or otherwise. I mean, it's the least you can do for your new additions.



**jumps off soapbox now

quick update

my two littles fellas growing and enjoyng our yard


Shot at 2007-11-25

Shot at 2007-11-25

Aww so cute....
Here's mine, just about 2 months old now. ~ Rex

Nice little one KingRex!

update