To all pros,
Please help me out with your opinion. I was asked by an Asian friend that if he should trade 6 top-grade radiated for 1 pair of galapagos. I am not sure, so can any pros out there give me some suggestions, please.
Thank you.
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6 perfect radiated for a pair of galapagos - Is that a good deal?
onlinepets
Jun 23, 2003 04:46 PM
Replies (2)
pfan151
Jun 23, 2003 07:19 PM
Depends on size of the animals. I personally have 5 galapagos and wouldn't be willing to trade 1 of them for all 6 radiated. All of my torts are about 40 lbs. If they are large Galapagos your talking about(200 Lbs), they are worth far more then the radiateds. If they are smaller and not adults its not that great of a deal, and there is absolutly no way to prove smaller Galapagos are a male and female pair. If the seller says he can tell he is trying to rip you off. Galapagos will also cost ALOT more to feed than your radiated. I feed my group 1 case of romaine or endive a day, as well as a gallon of mazuri and as amany cactus pads as I can get. They would eat twice that if I let them.
As a reference a hatchling Galapagos will cost you ~$2000
An adult will be around $20,000-$30,000
JHMG
Jun 23, 2003 11:18 PM
I agree- and many things factor into it. For one, radiated supply is on the up and galops are nearly impossible to come by these days because private sector production is down to single digit "public" availability. This is known from various sources who keep mostly subadults but some young adults as well. This is also US stock. Don't know of anywhere else other than US and Galapagos Islands where these animals are successfully bred. So if someone is in Asia and wants a galop baby, legal paperwork or not, I think it would be almost impossible to acquire. Conversely, radiated production in Asia, privately, publicly and in the wild is high if you believe what is said and written. There is a lead on estimated radiata population and neat article in Reptiles magazine July 2003.
Galapagos are the kings of the chelonian world with a personality only matched by the redfoot. However, I also personally feel that no tortoise is as visually striking as the radiated tortoise. Therefore, perhaps it's a win-win for both parties. . .
