Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,
I have been lurking around this forum for a few weeks, learning about turtles and deciding on which ones were right for me. Tonight I need to vent and thought the Box Turtle Forum was the place to go.

I had decided on Ornates (childhood memories). I have spent the last two weeks building their enclosure and generally preparing for them. I found an ad for exactly what I was looking for - a healthy, perfect condition, adult breeding pair, of long term captive Ornate Boxies. I talked extensively with the seller. I even saw a picture of two of his Ornates. I felt comfortable with him. On Sunday I agreed to buy the pair, paid via Paypal and requested over night shipping on Tuesday - I would be home on Wednesday to accept the shipment. All was going well. When I requested a tracking number on Tuesday I was told "I shipped out so many turtles today, I forgot yours." I suddenly didn't feel so comfortable.

Turtles were finally shipped out on Wednesday. I received them today and they were packaged in what I would consider an inhumane manner. Wrapped tightly in newspaper and placed inside a small box, then inside a larger box. They could bounce around inside the small box. They were sent regular mail, not Fed-Ex overnight.

And that's not the worst of it. The only thing this yahoo got right was the fact I bought two turtles. They are not a breeding pair of Ornates.... they are two male Three Toed. The larger male is nice, but the smaller male has a very lopsided shell.

Questions:
How do you humanely ship a turtle?
What would cause a turtles shell to be lopsided? I see no obvious scars.

Thanks for letting me vent.
Blessings,
Shari

Humanely, this sounds odd, but in a sock. Yeah, in a sock in a small box with newspaper. Thats how I send them!

And irregular shell? Maybe too much protien as an infant, couldn't tell you for sure though.

In this hobby, one has to consider that there are not very many universal standards as to how a turtle should be treated. Your shipping packaging doesn't sound that bad--the double boxes and newspaper probably provided enough cushioning.

You probably received turtles from someone who either catches wild lots or buys them wholesale. He is probably only slightly familiar as to how to identify turtles properly by sub-species or sex. This is someone who saw a financial opportunity as a turtle middle-man and went for it. He is probably not a bad guy, but he is also probably not very concerned about the issues we all hold dear.

In the wild, deformities are not uncommon, but it is not inconceivable that your deformed specimen was raised for some time in a turtle pen, feeding on too much protein and perhaps lodged in tight spots with dozens if not hundreds of other turtles. Turtles are sometimes kept in these pens until they are big enough to sell to retail stores.

Lesson learned: you can't just trust a nice guy over the phone to be a turtle lover. As much as we'd like to think the best of people, a lot of individuals are not very thoughtful about anything but the most superficial issues.

Find small breeding hobbyists who will vouch for a turtle's parentage. Get in contact with rescue societies that help one adopt neglected animals. Most true turtle lovers will find solace in these places.

Thank you for your replies.
I was so frustrated when I sent the original message.
The seller has agreed to ship me the turtles I originally purchased free of charge. I am feeling better about the deal now.

Supposedly, these are pet turtles. He had dozens of them and a friend had several as well. Not sure if I believe the part about pets. I think they probably were from a turtle growing lot.

The shipping - my biggest concern was the fact that the small box they were in was too large. The turtles were tossed around inside. It had two 5" turtles inside and measured about 10"x6"x6". The turtles were wrapped in a sigle sheet of newspaper and then placed in this box. That box was then placed inside the larger box. Between the two boxes was well padded, but not the turtles.
I have requested better packaging on the second shippment.

Thanks,
Shari

Granny's Hillside farms in Gore OK raises and sells boxers. I got 3 from him over the last 4 years and they are the best looking and healthiest boxers I have ever seen. Reasonably priced too. Search on google for his website. As far as the shipping goes the double box method seems OK. I always use Airborne overnite to ship and have them shipped on monday or tuesday at the latest. 2 years ago mine got delayed because of a storm AND THEY were fine 2 days later. He also sells great boxer food which he makes himself, check it out.
It seems a lot of people sell wild caught turtles that you cant be sure of, his are all farm raised.PS I get nothing out of this plug, I just do not agree with keeping wild caught turtles.
Peace

Banjo,
Thank you for the referal to Granny's. I called this afternoon and placed an order for a pair of Ornates.
You were right he sounds like a very nice gentleman and his turtles sound healthy. Can't wait to get them.
Thanks again,
Shari

Good deal, try his food too. Mine boxers love it and are thriving.

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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care