# add to what I have or new species?



## pdrobber (Mar 18, 2011)

It's been said that some species do better alone, while others do better in groups. 

Fighting the addiction of wanting to get more torts, I'm finding myself deciding whether it would make more sense for me to get more of the same species I have or to get a new species and let them all have their own space. 

I currently have a female adult russian, and a young female red foot. Both enclosures have room for more tortoises. I have supplies to set up another enclosure for another species or in the case a new addition of the same species doesn't get along well. I may be interested in breeding russians or red foots in the future so I'm thinking of starting to build a group. I figure I would get females first then add in a male (not anytime soon).

I'm going to the LI expo coming up, any ideas what they might have of the following?

Do I get 
A. 1 or more female russians
B. 1 or more female red foots
C. hinge back(s) 

**maybe this isn't "debatable" but I was originally going to post as a "which do better(less stress, more active and personable) in groups and which alone..."


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## jeffbens0n (Mar 18, 2011)

*RE: expand to more species or get more of what I have?*

My vote is for more female Russians. I only say this because I would like to get a few female Russians myself.


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## Yvonne G (Mar 18, 2011)

At one time I had 5.8 Russians in the same pen. I never noticed any fighting. In fact, the only time I realized that males fought was after I joined this forum and read it here. I HAD seen male/female breeding aggression and had ended up with some females that looked pretty chewed up because of it.

I don't have RF experience, but I do have YFs. I have a breeding pair, then I got a young (what I thought was ) male about half the size of the adult male. The adult wouldn't allow the youngster to live in their pen, even though it is quite large and fully capable of holding 6 or so large tortoises. So I had to set up a smaller pen for the supposed male youngster. After I posted pictures of him prolapsing and pooping out rocks, the consensus was that "he" is really "she." And more than likely what I was seeing was breeding aggression, not male/male fighting. I'm going to try to put them together again this summer. But, I've seen lots of RF pictures of groups living peacefully together, and lots of RF folks say they get along.


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## pdrobber (Mar 18, 2011)

@jeffbens0n haha in that case if I were you I'd say DON'T get russians! save them all for me!(you)

@yvonne thanks for your experience input. interesting you had that many and that many males (russians). The RF seems like they're more likely to get along...decisions decisions.


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## stells (Mar 19, 2011)

Whenever you add new tortoises into an existing group... your first thought should be quarantine... and whether you have space for more enclosures as you will need them whether you get more of what you have already... or a new species... 

You also need to be prepared to seperate if they don't get along... RF's seem to prefer living in groups... Russians... i have only ever had a problem with males... not females...


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## ALDABRAMAN (Mar 20, 2011)

Specialize in one species.


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