# Can you still buy tortoises?



## Lottiecat (Sep 28, 2010)

This might sound a silly question, but can you still buy tortoises? My husband's family had one when he was a kid which he loved, but is under the impression you can't buy them any longer in this country. If they are still available to purchase, do they all hibernate in the winter? This wouldn't be a problem either way!

I was thinking of looking for a breeder so will be sure to ask about a certificate if we go ahead.


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## Louise Marsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Hiya, I dont know alot about tortoises but I know my local pet shop still sells them. They are normally around £250. Try searching for different places, i'm sure you'll find one 

Also found this place

http://www.tortoisecentre.co.uk/?gclid=CMXa-vjquagCFYINfAodYxt_Aw


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## Shrap (Nov 22, 2010)

I think you can buy captive bred ones but you're not allowed to import wild caught or anything like that. I could be completely wrong though lmao!

Type in (whatever breed you're interested in) tortoise care sheet into google and it'll come up with loads of info. Or if you don't know about the breeds then google tortoise breeds.


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## Guest (Apr 26, 2011)

Hi,i keep tortoises and yes you can by them in this country...there are certain breeds that you can only purchase by law with a DEFRA article 10 certificate which states they have to be micro chipped once their plastron length reaches 100mm.
It is an offence to buy or sell without these certificates.
There are breeds such as the horsefield that do not require these and do not need to be chipped either...most reptile shops will sell tortoises nowadays and some garden centres too,if buying babies they will normally cost around £80-£100 for horsefields and £120-£150 for hermanns...both these species hibernate but there are many that don't.
If you intend to buy one please make sure you study them first as it isnt just a case of shoving them out in the garden these days,there is a lot of care that goes into raising healthy happy tortoises now...any questions,feel free to ask


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## Lottiecat (Sep 28, 2010)

Thanks for your replies. It's just something we are thinking about at the moment. Although an exciting prospect, we won't be rushing into it though as we would want a well kept healthy pet who we're sure we can look after. Also, want to check if our local vet (or another nearby) has any experience of them. No good having a sick animal and no one to help!


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## FionaS (Jul 2, 2011)

I always wanted a tortoise as a child and had done all the research in my teens but there were never any about. Then my local pet shop had some so I got a horsefield for £150, the pet shop were useless with knowledge about her care so it is a good job I knew what I was doing. :/ They even spelled 'tortoise' wrong! My local vet who I take the furry animals too has two himself so he is really good to have nearby but we've had her about 4 years now and she is doing awesome.


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## nutmeg (Sep 13, 2009)

Be careful when buying from a petshop though as the tort may have worms, imo you are better off buying from a breeder.

Good luck x


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Lottiecat said:


> This might sound a silly question, but can you still buy tortoises? My husband's family had one when he was a kid which he loved, but is under the impression you can't buy them any longer in this country. If they are still available to purchase, do they all hibernate in the winter? This wouldn't be a problem either way!
> 
> I was thinking of looking for a breeder so will be sure to ask about a certificate if we go ahead.


You can still buy them but the only ones that you can buy now are captive bred. Importing them as they did years ago packed stacked on top of each other in boxes, collected in most cases from the wild in their native countries is now illegal. If you do purchase one (and most are very expensive) you should be given proper papers and certification along with them that they are captive bred.

The illegal trade still goes on though, was watching a programme on it not so long ago, where they were being sold illegally from imported wild ones with
false papers. So only buy from reliable trusted sources if you do decide to get one.

Because of the importation from the wild for years, some species of tortoise are now protected too apparently because of the decline in numbers for this reason an the illegal trade that still goes on.


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