Anyone dealt with Garden State Tortiose??

Just wondering If anyone has has any dealings with Garden State Tortoise in New Jersey. THanks

Dealing in turtles and/or tortoises is prohibited by NJ state law. Residents may keep them, provided they have the required permit, but sales are prohibited. Having said that, I've never heard of Garden State Tortoise, but I'd do plenty of research.

I'm from NJ, so i can't buy from him, but i did research and he's legit.
You can see videos of his turts on youtube.

Care to share the results of your research (ie, why do you say he's legit)?

He's got a nice website, and has lots of vids uploaded on youtube and the enclosures and torts look very well maintained.
http://www.gardenstatetortoise.com

I don't know about the state he is in or his local laws, but I recently purchased two tortoises from Chris and the transaction went very smoothly and the tortoises were nice, slightly better than I expected. If you go to his web site, there is a testimonial page with many positive comments from previous customers. I would not hesitate to purchase from him again.

Kevin Loewengruber

Turtles and tortoises are 100% LEGAL to sell to out of state residents only, providing you obtain an ANIMAL DEALER permit. The fee is $100 yearly, annual inspections do occur, and full, detailed paper work clearly showing what was sold and to whom is due at the end of every year. Renewels are done every December 31st and providing all submitted paper work checks out, your new permit is mailed to you. Turtles both native (with the exception of the bog turtle) and exotic are able to be kept in NJ with a hobbyist permit, all animals must be obtained legally and wild collection is not tolerated. The hobby permit is $10 yearly for unlimited animals.

Absolutely no sales can be made within the state of NJ however, trades and give aways are permitted.

Hope that clears everything up and thank you for the kind words.
-Chris
www.gardenstatetortoise.com

*For any questions regarding the information I have just given, please call NJ Fish and Wildlife at 908-735-5450 and ask for Linda Bouno, principle biologist.*

My name is Ken Sopher. I have dealt with Chris many times in the past. He is a great guy; very polite and courteous. He is easy to contact. His animals are healthy and well represented.

I grew up in NJ. Chris is covered legally under a dealer's permit, which he pays for yearly. His facility is even subject to yearly inspections. Don't you wish all of your prospective suppliers were inspected for the health and legality of the animals?

I have seen Chris' setups and his collection in person...truly amazing!

I can't say enough good things about Chris.

Chris goes the extra mile to be transparent to his potential customers. He also takes great pride in the animals he keeps resulting in some of the nicest CB animals you'll find. You might find cheaper options out there but you won't find a better packaged deal than Chris Leone.

I have 6 turtles from his surplus and captive production. They are stellar creatures. He is a trusted breeder in my book.

Paul Rattay

Just bought two hatchlings from Chris this past weekend, he was very prompt in his replies and gave consistent, intelligent answers. I've been wanting to purchase Northern Iberas from him for awhile because he is one of the few breeders I have found to know the origin of his lines and to keep the Iberas from the Southern and Northern regions separate. His torts are absolutely beautiful and appear to be extremely healthy. I was only available for delivery on one day this week, and he was able to work with my schedule. The babies arrived in perfect packaging this morning and are alert. His pricing was very reasonable and I look forward to dealing with him in the future.