2 tortoises?

[katielouise]

My partner found a small tortoise by itself this morning on a very busy road. (very nearly got run over) Is it ok to introduce it to my current tortoise?
Any help/advice is much appreciated.
Thanks, Katie

 

[JoesMum]

No

Firstly there is the risk of illness. They must be kept entirely separately in quarantine for a good 6 months to ensure neither makes the other sick.

Secondly, if they are different species they may well require different conditions to stay healthy.. And carry different pathogens. What one tolerates could kill the other

Thirdly, introducing torts of different sizes is a recipe for bullying and fighting. Even if they are the same size, your resident us likely to object to another tort invading its territory. Torts are solitary creatures; they don't need or want company

 

[Yvonne G]

And the most important issue of all...it may already belong to someone.

Keep it separate from your tortoise and make up some fliers to tack up on the utility poses in the neighborhood where it was found. Place a "found" ad on craig's list, etc. and in the newspaper. Take a picture of it and let us see what it is so you can get a good identify from people who call about your ad.

 

[katielouise]

Tortoises are wild here, so no issue of it belonging to someone. Thanks for the other advise

 

[Jlant85]

Or send it to me! Lol j/k.

 

[stinax182]

you should never take a native tortoise out of the wild and into your home. they deserve to be happy and you cannot provide that as well as mother nature, do not be cruel and release him.
Sent from my MB886 using TortForum mobile app

 

[johnsonnboswell]

What kind of tortoise is this?Are you sure it's not a protected species?

Many wild caught tortoises don't adapt & die the first year. Taking it from the wild takes it out of the breeding population.

If habitat loss & destruction is extreme that sometimes justifies keeping an animal. Generally, however, the best thing to do is to help it cross the road in the direction it's headed.