Adding to my herd...

[littleginsu]

If I wanted to add a couple more red foots, is it better to get them from the same breeder or multiple/different breeders? I am honestly not looking to breed them, I would be a nervous wreck, but what will be will be.

Would it be best to try to find babies closer to the same age/size as my current red foot or just keep the new ones separate from the older one until the are closure in size?

Thank you!

 

[dmmj]

I believe it is better to get different bloodlines if you are gonna keep a creep of tortoises. Even if you don't plan on breeding them, they may have different ideas. And contrary to popular beliefs turtles/tortoise mutations don't breed ninjas. same size is always better.

 

[abclements]

If you're not looking to breed them, then you're going to need all females. All males, and they'll all fight. Mixed group, and they'll breed... no real other way around it really... this would require that you purchase all reliably sexed, juveniles or older. The other option is to destroy the eggs after they nest...

So if you're not breeding, it doesn't really matter where you get them from, since genes aren't being crossed. But if you do end up breeding, then it is always best to have a bunch of different blood lines going, just to keep genetic diversity going.

 

[littleginsu]

I believe it is better to get different bloodlines if you are gonna keep a creep of tortoises. Even if you don't plan on breeding them, they may have different ideas. And contrary to popular beliefs turtles/tortoise mutations don't breed ninjas. same size is always better.

No ninjas!?! Ugh, that's disappointing... Lol!

 

[littleginsu]

Do not get me wrong, I would love to have babies.. it just seems like a very delicate process and I do not feel I am at all experienced enough.. lol!

 

[Tom]

You seem like an excellent candidate to set up a breeding colony. You are an excellent tort keeper with a great outlook. It really is not hard at all and there are lots of people here with experience to help you. Captive breeding is a good thing, and we should encourage it.

Go at your own pace, by all means, but producing little babies from your beloved adults is an AMAZING thing.

Besides, if you add a few young ones and make a small herd (I know "creep" is technically correct, David, but I still prefer "herd"...), it will be years before any breeding starts. Also with RFs, the sex ratios are not as critical as they are for some other species. Put two adult male sulcatas or russians together and see what happens... Uh... on second thought don't. Just take my word for it. Its bad. Rfs usually get along okay in mixed groups in a large enough enclosure.

 

[RedFootMom]

I house 4 Redfoot torts together with no issues (at this time). All are within 6 months of age difference and too young for any boy/girl drama. I'll deal with that as they age and change which is fine because we have plenty of acreage to change things up and separate them when the time comes.

 

[littleginsu]

Thank you both for your insight, i do very much appreciate the vote of confidence.

Tortoise creep sounds like the newest dance craze!