Feel sorry for the tortoises in my local pet store :(
Hey,
I own a horfield tortoise and have done for a couple of years, so i know the basic requirements at least.
After going into the local pet store in town for the first time in ages, i guess i was at first pleasantly surprised that they now had horsfield tortoises, but on closer inspection i feel really sorry for them
There were two being kept in a too small enclosure (i don't have measurements but i know it was way too small). All i saw in there was a light overhead (not sure if it even had UVB in) and a plate of rather unhealthy looking food.
I have been in there twice and both times they have just been sat there looking quite bored and i feel really sorry for them. They had no water, nothing to climb/play on. Poor things
Re: Feel sorry for the tortoises in my local pet store :(
I have a horsefields tortoise too and a hermans tortoise.
Buying them wouldn't help, it would just enable the petshop to buy more. Better to write to your local council/animal welfare group and ask them to check the store out.
Re: Feel sorry for the tortoises in my local pet store :(
Originally Posted by Katie-Victoria
I have a horsefields tortoise too and a hermans tortoise.
Buying them wouldn't help, it would just enable the petshop to buy more. Better to write to your local council/animal welfare group and ask them to check the store out.
Otherwise, not a lot you can do
This poster probably knows more than I do if she's hoping to become a zoologist (), but I'm pretty sure that a tortoise is an exotic pet. Maybe look into whether pet shops need an additional licence to sell exotic pets, and if this is the case, raise your concerns with the council and see about getting them inspected.
Re: Feel sorry for the tortoises in my local pet store :(
Originally Posted by Muppety_Kid
This poster probably knows more than I do if she's hoping to become a zoologist (), but I'm pretty sure that a tortoise is an exotic pet. Maybe look into whether pet shops need an additional licence to sell exotic pets, and if this is the case, raise your concerns with the council and see about getting them inspected.
That would be good if i coule sorta catch them out. They do have lots of other reptiles including gheckos and snakes.
Re: Feel sorry for the tortoises in my local pet store :(
Originally Posted by mike2niner4
Hey,
I own a horfield tortoise and have done for a couple of years, so i know the basic requirements at least.
After going into the local pet store in town for the first time in ages, i guess i was at first pleasantly surprised that they now had horsfield tortoises, but on closer inspection i feel really sorry for them
There were two being kept in a too small enclosure (i don't have measurements but i know it was way too small). All i saw in there was a light overhead (not sure if it even had UVB in) and a plate of rather unhealthy looking food.
I have been in there twice and both times they have just been sat there looking quite bored and i feel really sorry for them. They had no water, nothing to climb/play on. Poor things
What can i do about this?
They are only going to be there for a short while surely, until someone buys them? You just have to hope the owners take better care of them than the shop.
Re: Feel sorry for the tortoises in my local pet store :(
Katie-Victoria's right, if you feel something needs doing it'd be best to inform a higher-authority. The problem with tortoises is that all breeds have different requirements, and a lot of people think that if they can successfully keep one type they can keep another in the same way, which might be the problem with this pet shop. Ours is at least 70 years old and I have no idea what breed it is but I would never assume I could keep any other tortoise without some professional advice.
Pet Shop Licences
A person keeping a pet shop must be licensed by the Council. The conditions of the licence relate to the standards of accommodation and the welfare of the animals.
The shop has to apply for a licence each year and specify which animals it'll be keeping. I don't know whether they can "amend" their application if midway through the year...although that doesn't help you if you don't know when they started selling tortoises (and when the licence started).
However, there's something more interesting in the next part from them.
Conditions are monitored by routine inspection and response for requests for service such as complaints.
Simply put, if you make a complaint to your council, they can investigate under the Pet Animals Act 1951 to check that the terms of the licence are being complied with, and if they're not happy (a vet can do the inspection), the licence could be revoked and the shop owner could be fined.
Re: Feel sorry for the tortoises in my local pet store :(
Print and give them some caresheets? Even if it is just temporary accomodation until they are bought, the pet shop owners are most likely going to give out bad advice to prospective buyers, thus ruining the tortoise's chance of a good start to life! My tortoise is my avatar thingy
Re: Feel sorry for the tortoises in my local pet store :(
Originally Posted by Muppety_Kid
Hmmm...
Gateshead Council's site says this:
The shop has to apply for a licence each year and specify which animals it'll be keeping. I don't know whether they can "amend" their application if midway through the year...although that doesn't help you if you don't know when they started selling tortoises (and when the licence started).
However, there's something more interesting in the next part from them.
Simply put, if you make a complaint to your council, they can investigate under the Pet Animals Act 1951 to check that the terms of the licence are being complied with, and if they're not happy (a vet can do the inspection), the licence could be revoked and the shop owner could be fined.
Anyway, hope this helps.
Thanks I've written and sent an email to my council about it just to do something whether it'll make any difference i don't know.
Ahhh i feel so sorry for them just sat there bored everyday and thats all they think of life
Re: Feel sorry for the tortoises in my local pet store :(
Originally Posted by Alphabea
Print and give them some caresheets? Even if it is just temporary accomodation until they are bought, the pet shop owners are most likely going to give out bad advice to prospective buyers, thus ruining the tortoise's chance of a good start to life! My tortoise is my avatar thingy
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Feel sorry for the tortoises in my local pet store :(
and a hermans tortoise.
), but I'm pretty sure that a tortoise is an exotic pet. Maybe look into whether pet shops need an additional licence to sell exotic pets, and if this is the case, raise your concerns with the council and see about getting them inspected.
