# Can Russian and Leopard Tortoises live together?



## UMDRunner (Jan 25, 2008)

If they have a decent sized home and can have their own space?


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## cvalda (Jan 25, 2008)

No way! First off, they could give each other dangerous and deadly pathogens. Aside from that, Leopards need a drier atmosphere than Russians, and a bit warmer temps.


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## UMDRunner (Jan 25, 2008)

How can you even control something like humidity?


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## RichardA (Jan 25, 2008)

Indoors controlling humidity is not all that difficult....and outside it controls itself.


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## Crazy1 (Jan 25, 2008)

UMDRunner,
It is best not to mix species. Each species has its own set of unique needs such as temp, humidity, diet etc. Different species are susceptible to parasites, such as worms, fungus, etc. And each one may be susceptible to different types of worms, or fungus or other parasites. So a Russian may be hardy and able to fend off staphylococcus bacteria (Staph. Infection) but a Greek or Sulcata may be susceptible to that bacterium and come down with a bad respiratory infection because they were housed together. And if they are kept together even if you give meds to the sick tort they will just get re-infected because they live with a tort that can carry the Staphylococcus bacteria and not be sick. After re-infection after re-infection will really weaken the sick tort and their lifespan would be cut short. So It is best to keep species with like species only.

And controlling humidity inside is done by misting or setting up an inside habitat with damp moss etc. Outside you might need to mist with a sprinkler system if a high humidity is needed and you live in a dry climate. Or you may need to use a dehumidifier if you need a dry climate for your tort and you live in a high humidity area.

I hope this helped.


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