Here at The VR we have a vast amount of experience and knowledge spanning over two decades, and with the risk of blowing our own trumpet, we can guarantee that our advice and husbandry is the very best that you’ll find. We will not try to sell you unnecessary equipment nor will we push you into buying a tortoise which we don’t think is suitable for you to keep. However, we will give you unlimited amounts of advice whenever you should need it, not just before you buy but also for a lifetime thereafter.
We work very closely with our long term USA,UK Breeders, so we can bring you the best of Bred ANIMALS.
The VR and staff genuinely care about the health and welfare of their tortoises and are not simply out to make a quick profit. However, don’t just take our word for it; see for yourself in our Customer Testimonials page.
To give our customers complete peace of mind we;
Only sell Captive Bred tortoises, not wild caught
Give a 2 month guarantee against death from any illness
Supply the correct legal paperwork (where applicable)
Supply a comprehensive care guide
Offer free advice for life, for a tortoise purchased from us
To ensure that our tortoises are in the very best health possible within our control, we;
Keep them in accommodation of the highest standards
Feed them the best possible natural diet
Do not hibernate any tortoise under a year old
To limit the possibilities of disease we;
Never keep different species together
Only keep a small number of tortoises in each pen
Use disposable latex gloves between entering each separate pen
Walk through disinfecting dip trays between pens
Never purchase a tortoise from a person or company who;
Cannot supply you with legal documentation
Certain CITES registered species need licenses. The most common are Hermanns, Marginated and all sub-species of Spur-Thigh
Sells other reptiles
Due to high risk of cross contamination and lumping them under the same care, e.g, saying they can live in vivariums
Sells vivariums or tanks as suitable tortoise enclosures
Vivariums and tanks have been proven to cause ill health for most tortoise species, due to high humidity. This is, of course, unless they originate from a tropical climate, e.g, Red Foot or Yellow Foot
Sells heat mats for tortoises
Most shops that sell heat mats, tell you to place them at the cool side, which removes the tortoise’s freedom to escape the heat, if need be. As mentioned above, this only happens when the uninformed believe tortoises are like other reptiles
Sells tortoise pellet food
Pellets are far too high in protein and are extremely addictive to the tortoise. Pellets are the worst culprits for causing Metabolic Bone Disease
Tells you not to hibernate a tortoise until it is a certain age
Young tortoises can do anything an adult can do, however, we only advise skipping the first hibernation to give you time to get to know your tortoise and ensure it is healthy
Tells you not to put the tortoise outdoors until it is a certain age
Again, young tortoises can do anything an adult can, but their size requires you to be extra vigilant and take precautions to protect your tortoise from predators
Tells you it is OK to keep different species of tortoise within the same housing
A real recipe for disaster. Tortoises originating from different countries will carry different antibodies, therefore, be at risk of passing on disease to each other. This is regardless of where they are bred, be it USA or abroad