# Cross breed



## nicholas_13 (Jan 30, 2014)

Can you breed A Russian with A red-footed?


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## Tom (Jan 30, 2014)

I can't say its impossible, but its not likely. It should not even be attempted for a wide variety of reasons.


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## TortieLuver (Jan 30, 2014)

Are you asking if it's genetically possible or if it's okay/recommended to breed the two? This is generally a very heated topic and you will find the majority of tortoise lovers, not all tortoise lovers, but most, believe not only in not mixing species, but never cross breeding, especially where those species never cross each other in the wild. It's important to keep tortoises breeding with their own species, and even subspecies.


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## wellington (Jan 30, 2014)

I have no clue. But why would you want too? Can't species be left too be there own? I don't understand why so many people want too screw up the animal world by crossing species. In the wild, it would not happen. My answer is NO


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## nicholas_13 (Jan 30, 2014)

Is it ok tÃ¶Ã¶ put a red-footed tortoise with A Russian tortoise and live in the same enclosure


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## pfara (Jan 30, 2014)

Definitely not. Again for many reasons but I would think mostly because the husbandry is so completely opposite for reds and russians.


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## wellington (Jan 30, 2014)

nicholas_13 said:


> Is it ok tÃ¶Ã¶ put a red-footed tortoise with A Russian tortoise and live in the same enclosure



No. As already mentioned, totally different husbandry. The RF needs a high humidity and the Russian doesn't. The Russian can and for the most part should have it much cooler at night then a RF


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## TortieLuver (Jan 30, 2014)

I would not recommend even housing a redfoot and russian in the same enclosure, as their care is different and they could make each other sick by the different pathogens carried.


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## pfara (Jan 30, 2014)

Oh, also a big difference in personalities. Reds are pretty laid back while I've read that russians can be very aggressive and/or very active.


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## Tom (Jan 30, 2014)

nicholas_13 said:


> Is it ok tÃ¶Ã¶ put a red-footed tortoise with A Russian tortoise and live in the same enclosure



Are you just trying to start an argument? Not cool.


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## nicholas_13 (Jan 30, 2014)

Okay thanks guus. just wondering


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## Yvonne G (Jan 31, 2014)

Hi Nicholas:

I'm going to assume that you really want to know the answers to these questions, and answer you accordingly.

Russians are (depending upon which scientist you believe) either in the Agrionemys or Testudo genus. Redfooted tortoises are in the Geochelone genus. It is quite unlikely that you would have a successful mating mixing tortoises from two separate genera. The male russian might breed with the female redfooted tortoise, but I doubt there would be any offspring.

As for keeping a redfooted tortoise in the same habitat as a Russian tortoise, you've received very good answers to that question. I'll just add that the majority of Russian tortoises in the U.S. (I'm assuming you're in the U.S.) are wild caught. Wild caught Russian tortoises go through a very stressful time from being caught, kept piled one on top of the other in small boxes full of hundreds of tortoises, then being shipped to the U.S. where they are sorted and again kept crowded together in pens waiting for the pet shops to buy them. During this process, they are pooped and peed on, they sit with dead, injured and ill tortoises. By the time you buy the Russian tortoise from the pet store, he's full of parasites and pathogens. You certainly don't want to inflict that on a new redfooted tortoise.


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