Desert Tortoise Care Sheet?

nathanlevi

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TechnoCheese

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thanks for the care sheet. why can't they be kept in pairs I heard that that rule is only applied to male desert tortoises not female and male

No tortoises should ever be kept in pairs, especially when there’s a male. With a male and a female, the male will mate the female to death.
Tortoises are completely solitary animals, and only see other tortoises as mates or combatants. Even being able to see another tortoise stresses them, and with only two, there is always a dominant and a subordinate. The subordinate is always stressed because it’s being bullied, and the dominant is always stressed because it can’t get the other out of its territory.
You should never House tortoises in pairs.
 

orv

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No tortoises should ever be kept in pairs, especially when there’s a male. With a male and a female, the male will mate the female to death.
Tortoises are completely solitary animals, and only see other tortoises as mates or combatants. Even being able to see another tortoise stresses them, and with only two, there is always a dominant and a subordinate. The subordinate is always stressed because it’s being bullied, and the dominant is always stressed because it can’t get the other out of its territory.
You should never House tortoises in pairs.
I'm going to disagree with you here: two female desert tortoises can be housed in a properly sized area without undue agression.
 

TechnoCheese

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I'm going to disagree with you here: two female desert tortoises can be housed in a properly sized area without undue agression.

While I agree that it might work in some cases, I would say that in pairs there’s still a large chance of failure compared to a group or just one. And even then, I would assume that you would need a very large enclosure with lots of sight barriers to make it work. They would also be much happier alone anyway, and I don’t believe that it would benefit the tortoises.(please correct me if any of this is wrong!)
 

orv

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I have never witnessed any sign of aggression, be it for food, hides or territory among our properly housed female CDTs. Our's sleep, by choice, in the same burrow even though there is another available. Just our experience.
 

Tom

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I have never witnessed any sign of aggression, be it for food, hides or territory among our properly housed female CDTs. Our's sleep, by choice, in the same burrow even though there is another available. Just our experience.
I have to disagree with you here Orv. Just because they aren't actively trying to kill each other, doesn't mean they aren't stressed, or that living as a pair is okay. And sharing the same burrow doesn't mean they are buddies, it means one is trying to crowd the other out of the territory. No tortoises should be kept in pairs, but DTs are one of the worst species to do this with. Your tortoises would be much better off living alone in their own enclosures.
 

orv

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Tom, I deeply respect you and your wealth of knowlege on tortoise husbandry. Still, our tortoises have lived together in a seemingly peaceful manner for a long time. For now, we'll have to agree to disagree. There are many learned keepers on both sides of the fulcrum on our tortoise's proper care. I truly desire to be a proper steward of our CDTs. I keep learning on a daily basis. Thank you for your responses.
 

Tom

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Tom, I deeply respect you and your wealth of knowlege on tortoise husbandry. Still, our tortoises have lived together in a seemingly peaceful manner for a long time. For now, we'll have to agree to disagree. There are many learned keepers on both sides of the fulcrum on our tortoise's proper care. I truly desire to be a proper steward of our CDTs. I keep learning on a daily basis. Thank you for your responses.
Thank you for your consideration and kind words. As usual, I hope for the best for you and yours Orv.
 

ascott

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I have to disagree with you here Orv. Just because they aren't actively trying to kill each other, doesn't mean they aren't stressed, or that living as a pair is okay. And sharing the same burrow doesn't mean they are buddies, it means one is trying to crowd the other out of the territory. No tortoises should be kept in pairs, but DTs are one of the worst species to do this with. Your tortoises would be much better off living alone in their own enclosures.

Tom, I have to agree here. Also, even males will "survive" in the same burrow when presented with the need to survive or die based on the environment....but the moment the males have good weather, females and alternatives, it is on....gladiator mode kicks in.

This is a highly aggressive species...male and female. All seems fine for awhile and then all of a sudden one is found a victim of a roll over as a result of an attack....and what we humans consider a long time, is but a moment of opportunity for these gladiators, male and female. I too always wish and hope well thoughts and outcomes for those who insist on housing more than one of these guys in a single enclosure....
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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Tom, I deeply respect you and your wealth of knowlege on tortoise husbandry. Still, our tortoises have lived together in a seemingly peaceful manner for a long time. For now, we'll have to agree to disagree. There are many learned keepers on both sides of the fulcrum on our tortoise's proper care. I truly desire to be a proper steward of our CDTs. I keep learning on a daily basis. Thank you for your responses.

IMG_2437.jpg
 

Ciri

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