You want another beer Yvonne?
Adopting any tortoises that need a home in south Florida
- Thread starter Evansky
- Start date
Got anything stronger?
Sorry I had to go to the gym 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 let me read up
I like 🍉 margaritas
What you watching these days
Ok then forget I made this post , you win I won’t ever adopt any tortoises, you save them the jobs all yours buddy 🦸♂️
Lmao 🤭🤭🤭
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Ugh this is a bit of a bummer how it’s gone down after the positive potential😔
All I can say is, it wouldn’t matter to me how long I’d been doing something, even if I was someone who had been raising tortoise for 50+ years and all seemed well, I’d still want to continue to learn from other experienced, well meaning owners and breeders, I’d never be shut off to expanding my knowledge and keeping up to date with the best husbandry, what’s the point of joining the ultimate tortoise hive mind if you aren’t open to the possibility there’s better ways to do things, none of us here are perfect, everyone’s always learning, some more than others.
I’d also never let zoo care/habitats set my standard, same way I wouldn’t pull a sea world and stick a dolphin in my pool😣
All I can say is, it wouldn’t matter to me how long I’d been doing something, even if I was someone who had been raising tortoise for 50+ years and all seemed well, I’d still want to continue to learn from other experienced, well meaning owners and breeders, I’d never be shut off to expanding my knowledge and keeping up to date with the best husbandry, what’s the point of joining the ultimate tortoise hive mind if you aren’t open to the possibility there’s better ways to do things, none of us here are perfect, everyone’s always learning, some more than others.
I’d also never let zoo care/habitats set my standard, same way I wouldn’t pull a sea world and stick a dolphin in my pool😣
All I can say is CNN. But don't elaborate on it or comment about it as it's against the rules to go there.
Nope, I saved two. That's all I'm doing.
I feel you , I think it’s pretty silly but no big deal 🤙🏼
lol
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately there’s just so many reasons not to house different species together, not just aggression, even if things have always been ok, there’s too many risks not worth taking😣
I understand why you might not want to take it on board, but just know it’s all come from a kind place and at least you’ve had a heads up, ultimately we all love tortoise here❤️
Have you ever randomly divided a group of clutch mates and kept half inside in a proper closed chamber and the other half outside full time? If you ever had, you would understand why I say this. If you ever do it, the difference will be obvious and you will change your mind about this, just as I did. As I said to Evansky, this is true of CB babies even in their native ranges, which could not be more ideal for the species.
Anything to tell Evansky about feeding them on sand or mixing species?
Zoos set a horrible example of how to care for tortoises and we say it here all the time. I say it to the ZOOS. I complain about it to anyone that will listen.
You are correct that just because they do it doesn't make it right. In the same way, just because you've been doing what you've been doing for 24 years, doesn't make it any more right than the zoos. And don't forget that zoos have a full time vet staff to deal with all of the problems that their poor care creates.
Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
Can someone provide examples of troubles when mixing species? E.g. links to posts?
What I see about mixing species
1. Disease transmission - in a group living together for a long time it's less an issue. But when introducing new tortoises to the group this can happen - no matter if species match or not.
2. Different care requirements. This can be a factor, but both Redfoots and Sulcatas probably enjoy the climate. In more arid and hot regions this wouldn't work that nice - redfoots will require shaded and humid area. However, if they eat from the same dish - that's where problems may arise: fruit, animal matter and mushrooms will upset sulcata's stomach easily. This can be addressed.
3. Aggression and competion for resources (water dishes, basking spots, shade) and silly accidents. This probably is the most serious. Mixing species in zoos is a bad example here (I have seen a redfoot rushing and ramming Testudos in zoo exhibition). Some of such behaviour can be noticed (e.g. redfoot "basking" in a full midday sun when sulcatas sleep in shade), some is not that easy (e.g. when some tortoises don't self-soak). Accidents is about sulcatas doing usual stuff not caring about stepping on and pushing neighbours).
4. Chronical stress - that's hard to assess. Just some tortoises losing weight, being less active than others, getting sick often... Easy to spot in pairs of the same species, though.
Points 3 and 4 probably require an "emergency" plan on separating tortoises by species or removing "a****holes" from the group.
Are there more reasons I have overlooked here?
P.S. this thread looks upsetting... reminds me of a school gang explaining "the rules" to a newcomer.
What I see about mixing species
1. Disease transmission - in a group living together for a long time it's less an issue. But when introducing new tortoises to the group this can happen - no matter if species match or not.
2. Different care requirements. This can be a factor, but both Redfoots and Sulcatas probably enjoy the climate. In more arid and hot regions this wouldn't work that nice - redfoots will require shaded and humid area. However, if they eat from the same dish - that's where problems may arise: fruit, animal matter and mushrooms will upset sulcata's stomach easily. This can be addressed.
3. Aggression and competion for resources (water dishes, basking spots, shade) and silly accidents. This probably is the most serious. Mixing species in zoos is a bad example here (I have seen a redfoot rushing and ramming Testudos in zoo exhibition). Some of such behaviour can be noticed (e.g. redfoot "basking" in a full midday sun when sulcatas sleep in shade), some is not that easy (e.g. when some tortoises don't self-soak). Accidents is about sulcatas doing usual stuff not caring about stepping on and pushing neighbours).
4. Chronical stress - that's hard to assess. Just some tortoises losing weight, being less active than others, getting sick often... Easy to spot in pairs of the same species, though.
Points 3 and 4 probably require an "emergency" plan on separating tortoises by species or removing "a****holes" from the group.
Are there more reasons I have overlooked here?
P.S. this thread looks upsetting... reminds me of a school gang explaining "the rules" to a newcomer.
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Links to posts would be great actually! I’d like to read them too, my research has always lead me to the points @Alex and the Redfoot has listed, which is why when I hear of it my instant reaction is to say it’s not a good idea😣examples are always good though!
My gut on it is there’s simply too many potential risks, they aren’t certain, but they’re always there, and can be avoided.
I’m not in much of a position to speak on these matters, but I was here anyway after wanting to see a cool enclosure haha🥲
My gut on it is there’s simply too many potential risks, they aren’t certain, but they’re always there, and can be avoided.
I’m not in much of a position to speak on these matters, but I was here anyway after wanting to see a cool enclosure haha🥲
Alex, as to your PS remark, please read again Posts 68 and 73. This forum has no gang, although it might appear like that to someone who is new. And really, like it or not, some things ARE set in stone because they have been proven beyond a doubt to be reliable and effective for best tortoise care. My final input here on this thread. Nuff respect!
It appears that way to people who are not new as well.
About links to threads explaining - trouble being, because tortoises are slow to get sick and show symptoms quite often when a tortoise gets sick and dies no one remembers way back when the owner of that tortoise posted that they were keeping different species together. It's hard to put 2 and 2 together when it happens too far away from the initial happening. Tortoises have evolved to live with the little microorganisms inside their body. These microorganisms are different from the ones that tortoises on other continents have evolved to live with. When you put two tortoises from different continents together those different microorganism make the other tortoises sick. It's been a very long time, but I THINK I first read about this in a paper written by Attenborough.
