| The Tortoise Trade |
The Perils Of Obtaining A Healthy Genuine UK Captive-Bred Star Tortoise
(or 'the street-wise guide to the
workings of the tortoise trade') |
There are two very good reasons to make sure that you only buy a genuine captive-bred tortoise (of any species) rather than an
imported tortoise or one of dubious origin -
i) depletion of wild populations
and
ii) the high risk of acquisition of viral, bacterial and parasite infections during importation, which will affect the health of
your 'new' tortoise and may even kill it.
1. It is a sad fact that even in this day and age some species of tortoises are still being collected from the wild and offered for
sale - perfectly legally - in shops and on the internet.
The Tortoise Trust recently posted an article titled CAPTIVE BRED OR ILLEGAL IMPORT? - UK TORTOISE BUYERS NEED TO BEWARE can be
accessed via the following link ( http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/imports.html ).
It is important for the survival of many tortoise species therefore to ensure that you buy only genuine captive-bred tortoises and
that you check carefully and ask for documentary evidence from the seller to verify that this really is true before you buy -
anyone can say a tortoise is captive-bred, and write it on a receipt - it is much harder to prove it!
2. The second and very important reason to buy a genuine captive-bred tortoise rather than an imported or wild-caught tortoise is
health and life expectancy.
Captive-bred and reared, and correctly cared for Indian Star Tortoises, such as mine are 100% healthy and do not have intestinal
worms or carry pathogenic bacteria or viruses
However under the less than ideal conditions that imported tortoises have to endure during transportation and importation, shipments
of tortoises may become dehydrated, chilled and stressed which enables bacterial and viral infections to take a hold.
These parasites and pathogens may be acquired from other tortoises (often from completely different and incompatible species) or
from other reptiles such as lizards, snakes and even amphibians in the same shipment or warehouse, or even housed in the same holding
pen.
Such cross-infections can adversely affect not only their own health but can also be a threat to the health of any other tortoises
you already own (an example here is the inevitably fatal Herpes virus which can wipe out every tortoise you own).
For these reasons it is essential that different tortoise species should be housed separately - if you ever see Indian Star Tortoises
on display in the same housing as other tropical tortoises (such as Redfoot, Leopard or Sulcata) or even with Hermanns, Spur-thighed
or Horsfield's Tortoises my advice is do not buy under any circumstances - even if they are captive-bred there is a high risk that
viral or bacterial cross-infection has already occurred, and the likelihood of subsequent development of serious illness in Indian
Stars in this situation is extremely high.
Be warned if you do decide to take one home - your next outing could be an expensive and possibly futile trip to the vet's!
Even in a shop environment, if Indian Stars are housed in a display unit that was previously used for a different species of tortoise,
it is possible for them to become infected with pathogens from the previous species if the display unit has not been scrupulously
disinfected.
Whilst an imported or cross-infected Indian Star Tortoise may appear healthy at the time of purchase it is often not until some
months later that serious health problems develop by which time you will have no comeback on the seller.
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| What Is A Tortoise Trader? |
It is a fact that the vast majority of people offering tortoises (of many different species) for sale in shops and on the internet
are 'traders' (and in some cases private individuals) who buy tortoises as cheaply as possible and then 'sell them
on' to members of the public at a profit as quickly as they can.
There are many traders who have bought and sold tortoises for many years and who care for their tortoises properly and operate in
a wholly ethical manner. These people should be applauded and congratulated for their dedication and their years of experience is
invaluable.
Unfortunately there are also many unscrupulous traders/dealers who put little effort into caring for the animals they deal in and
who see tortoises purely as a commodity that can provide them with a quick profit.
It is therefore important to find out something about the person you intend to buy a tortoise, of any species, from, in addition
to finding out as much as you possibly can about the requirements for proper care of the type of tortoise you are interested in
before you buy.
This is why I provide a free comprehensive care-sheet for the Indian Star Tortoise - just e-mail me for a copy. This gives you all
the information you need to decide if an Indian Star Tortoise is the right type of tortoise for you.
Your first option should be to buy direct from a genuine breeder (such as myself) and your second-best option to buy from one of
the ethical traders/dealers.
There are tortoise-related forums on the web where you can find out something about who you can safely buy a tortoise from, but
this is inevitably anecdotal and there is no definitive list of who you can be confident about buying a tortoise from.
Whilst you will only get a snapshot of who has had a recent bad experience after buying a tortoise from a particular trader, you
will gain some insight into whether a certain individual has a bad reputation for selling tortoises that subsequently become sick.
There are few guarantees when buying from a trader - the rule of Caveat emptor applies (or in English "let
the buyer beware").
The trader may own a few adult tortoises (perhaps for show) but does not maintain a permanent breeding group (and certainly the vast
majority of the tortoises they sell will not be their own offspring).
Many have no adult breeding tortoises to care for long-term (that would be extra work of course) and are just as likely to be selling
the next 'exotic' pet that comes along that can be bought and sold for a profit in the near future.
They will put the minimum effort possible into caring for the animals they have bought to sell on for profit as time for them is
money.
Contrast this with breeders such as myself who are enthusiasts, experts in their field with years of experience in tortoise
husbandry, and whose commitment to their animals is total and ongoing.
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| Can You Prove That Tortoise Is Captive-Bred! |
Bearing in mind that I am the only person in the UK breeding Indian Star tortoises in any numbers, it follows logically that the
vast majority of Indian Stars offered for sale in the UK will have been imported from Europe and be offered for sale by traders.
Some of these Star Tortoises will have been captive-bred by European breeders but some will also have been trafficked through
Europe having been smuggled directly from the wild.
Because they have been 'sourced' from traders within Europe by the time they reach the UK they have acquired a 'credibility' that
everyone in 'the trade' chain of supply is comfortable with, but which really cannot be justified and their health and long-term
prospects are likely to be poor.
It is important therefore that you ask questions as to the origin of the Star Tortoise you are thinking of buying and asking to be
shown documentary evidence to prove that it is genuinely bred in captivity.
It is very easy for someone to say that an animal is captive-bred and equally easy to write it on a receipt, it is much harder for
them to prove!
If documentary evidence is 'not available' or the adult parents are not available to be viewed (in the case of someone claiming to
have bred it themselves) you should think very carefully about the risks - and ethics - of buying a tortoise of 'dubious' or
'unsubstantiated' origin.
Ask your local reptile shop where their tortoises originated, then ask them if they can show you proof of where they have come from
- you will be surprised by how few will be selling UK-bred tortoises of any species.
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| How To Spot Rogue Traders And Some Of Their Sharp Practices |
Unscrupulous traders will buy their 'stock' from the cheapest source and most will make little effort to check whether tortoises they
buy have been taken from the wild, been imported from abroad or are captive-bred.
If it helps to sell an animal some unscrupulous traders will tell you that a tortoise is definitely 'captive-bred' even if they
know it has been imported and they cannot prove where it originally came from.
They are happy for you to take their word for it and prefer you not to challenge them to show evidence.
Documentary evidence (such as a receipt) is unlikely to be forthcoming as you will find out what they paid for it in the first place
(and how much money they are making by selling it to you!).
Example : I was informed of a case where a person told the buyer that a Star Tortoise had been captive-bred by themselves but that
the adults were 'housed elsewhere' and could not be viewed.
This is highly suspicious and would suggest not only that there were no adults but also that the tortoise they were being offered
had not been bred by that person and may in fact have been 'bought in' (particularly if payment had been demanded in advance) and
may not even be captive-bred.
Also be suspicious if a person arranges to meet you in a lay-by or public car park and refuses to meet you at their house - again
this would suggest that they have no adult tortoises for you to see and that they have not bred the one they are trying to sell you!
Occasionally you will see baby Indian Stars offered for sale for a very cheap price - these will be very sick, very small,
undoubtedly imported/wild caught and their prospects of survival will be virtually nil. The trader concerned will be trying to
recoup some of their money before the sick tortoises concerned die and they lose all of their 'investment'.
Golden rule here is never buy any animal because you feel sorry for it, particularly if it's the last one in the shop and especially
if it appears unwell.
It is far better for a few mistreated animals to perish as this will cause the trader concerned to lose money and will put them off
selling animals that they are not prepared to look after properly. If you buy a sick tortoise because you feel sorry for it, it will
encourage that person to buy in more tortoises to sell and more tortoises will suffer as a result.
My advice here is - leave well alone.
At the end of the day your decision to buy a specific animal may depend on whether you feel you can believe the information the
vendor is giving you. What they tell you can appear very credible and very convincing (bear in mind their main motive is money) and
you have to be 100% sure of the credibility of what they tell you before buying from them.
I would also advise you to be very careful about paying in full for a tortoise (or any animal for that matter) in advance, particularly
if you have not seen and examined the tortoise you are being offered.
It makes it very hard to back out of a deal if, when you get to examine the tortoise you have paid for, you find it is sick and the
vendor refuses to give you your money back.
My advice is to pay a maximum of 10% of the total asking price in advance - you are then in a position to walk away from the deal
and write that money off.
It is much better to do this than to end up with a sick tortoise that may well die, leaving you with nothing, because the 'trader'
refused to give you a refund or a guarantee.
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