Can I get my tortoise a friend
- Thread starter tortmommy
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daniellenc
Well-Known Member
Territorial and deadly. 2 tortoises = 2 enclosures. There are many horror story threads here for you too research.
I completely disagree. Especially with russian tortoises.
I definitely wouldn’t. Tortoises, ESPECIALLY Russians, do very badly in pairs regardless of gender. In pairs, there is always a dominant and a subordinate. The dominant is stressed because it’s constantly trying to get the other out of its territory, and the subordinate is stressed because it’s constantly being bullied.
You could technically get a group of all females or one male and three females, but you would need a yard sized enclosure, and with a male, you might have eggs to incubate
Tortoises are solitary animals, and cannot make friends.
You could technically get a group of all females or one male and three females, but you would need a yard sized enclosure, and with a male, you might have eggs to incubate
Tortoises are solitary animals, and cannot make friends.
Tortoises are solitary animals. They do not need to want other tortoises around. Other tortoises are seen as competitors for the same resources and intruders to be attacked and driven away.
I agree with Danielle. If you want another tortoise, and who doesn't, right?, just set up a second enclosure so they can both live in peace and enjoy their own space.
I have a male
Yeah, don't get another one unless you want to have another enclosure. My male Russian is so aggressive towards my hands (when I'm cleaning his enclosure or putting food in for him), I can hardly even imagine what he would do to another tortoise.
That’s interesting Leo isn’t aggressive toward me at all he only hiss’s if I spray him
No. Territorial to the death.
Aggressive doesn’t just mean hissing, most is simple body language. Some people miss the signs of what’s “fighting words” to a Russian.
Please understand that you are getting info form folks who "know" the answer to your question. Now, in the entire world will there ever be a unique situation, yes, there can be...but more times than not....the answers you are getting here are tried and true....
I may have missed a bit off vital information, but somewhere we've come to the conclusion that this tortoise is a "Russian". Nowhere in these posts am I able to make this connection. While it is seldom optimal to house tortoises in a grouping of two, some tortoises are more able to handle this than othrs. Yes, Russians are pugilistic and shouldn't be houses together. But there are those who regularly such species as Leopards together. I simply want us to draw away from "assumptions". Or perhaps I've mis-read these posts.
Almost every situation where a pair is housed together there are problems that are not natural...Russian tortoise are super perfect at being aholes to one another...and a male to female ratio is not pleasant to the female....some males don't find that a problem, but a female sure does....there is rarely a harmonious situation where a male and female tortoise organically occurs. These are an animal that comes together for one purpose and no other....procreation. Not friendship.
Oahu’sHuman
New Member
I wondered the same thing when I went to pick up some supplies from Petco and saw a lonely little Russian tortoise. I was contemplating getting it (didn’t know the gender or would never refer to the tort as “it” lol) but I decided to research first. I’m so glad I waited! It turns out that Russian tortoises are extremely territorial and will fight over everything, even the basking light! Especially concerning to me was that a male and female together could end up in the female being repeatedly mated with to the point of sores and infection. Same gender pairs aren’t good together either though. I thought my little Oahu would want a friend but she would rather be the queen of her castle.
Hope this helps!!!
Interesting you should say that. I've noticed with my male/female groups that the males hardly ever shelter with the females. During the winter I always have to go find the males and put them into the sheds, but the females always go in on their own. This a.m. when I went out the two female leopards were in the shed, but the male was way off in a corner under a bush. And that's usually the way it is with male/female here.
No they are not. You just don't realize it because tortoises can't physically show their dissatisfaction with a situation with body posture, facial expressions, or vocalizations, they way most animals can.
Tortoises should never be housed in pairs, and all of the Testudo species are known to have combative females at times.
