Re: How cruel!
The law changed quite a few years back regarding the sale of tortoises.
By law have to be captive bred now, not taken from the wild, and they have to have Certificates that go with them to prove this. Possibly even microchipped as well, but not sure.
When someone takes on a tortoise, they have to change the paperwork to the new owners name through DEFRA.
Wonder if the pet shop is aware of all this, and where they obtained this tortoise from? That would be interesting to know.
I'd be surprised if you get much joy from the RSPCA!
Personally, I might have been inclined to pretend I was interested in buying it, then you could have asked the right questions, about paperwork, diet, micro chips etc
before you went to the RSPCA.
I wonder if he has long been out of hibernation, or whether he was not even allowed to hibernate at all?
My Mum had about 7 tortoises for many years. They lived free out in her garden which was completely private and enclosed safely.
She provided places for them to go at night, and they would instinctively dig themselves away for hibernation. I remember Mum always had to search to find them and make sure they were packed away warm enough to survive winter.
Some years they layed eggs, and she hatched a few in her airing cupboard!
I can't remember all the details now, but she then had to transfer them to a special Vivarium where they stayed for the next two years in a controlled temperature, as they grow so very slowly and could not have gone outside in our climate. The babies are gorgeous and so very tiny.
Check on this pet shop by all means, but I would suggest knowing some facts about them first would be benificial.