Another sulcata?

[MarysTort]

Hey everyone! I don't think I have posted on here in quite a while, even though I come and read what's going on.

I am kind of thinking about getting another tortoise. I have just found Kenya to be such a great pet. Easy to take care of, quite, cute and fun! We have really fallen in love with him this year that we have had him. I was contemplating getting a second sulcata, but want to make sure it's the right choice for us.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has two sulcatas and what they think, and the pros and cons. Am also concerned about how they will get along and if they will always get along. Could they get along as babies and then fight as adults?

 

[Meg90]

You shouldn't buy another sulcata hatchling and house it with your yearling. The older, larger tortoise will claim the food and the young one will be bullied in more ways than one (more than just physical--since it would likely become the "loser" in a batter for territory and food, and never be able to leave)

Also, there should be a quarantine period of 6 months before any introduction to halt the spreading of parasites.

 

[Yvonne G]

Unless you have a really big yard, I wouldn't get another sulcata. They require quite a bit of space when they get to be full grown. If kept in too small a space they quickly eat the forage down to the dirt and nothing will grow back.

I have seen people keep more than one sulcata successfully together, and I have seen people have to give up one of their sulcata because they couldn't get along. You just don't know until you try it.

But, like was said above, you need to get a tortoise of the same size, then you need a quarantine period. And even if you do get a same-size tortoise, there just might be a bully and a more submissive animal. No one can tell what will happen.

Yvonne

 

[Maggie Cummings]

You'd need a very large yard. And as Meg and Yvonne already talked about there's the quarantine period and the bullying. I have a 65 pound Sulcata and I can't imagine having another that big. I divided my yard into thirds and still it's not enough graze for him. They need acres, not just a large yard. Then if you need to keep them inside during the winter, you'd need a very large shed...
But one the other hand if you have a lot of room, and created a large indoor place you would be giving a home to a homeless tort. But other than that, I just can't see why anyone would want more then one...
Believe me...one is enough trouble!
If you want another tortoise get a Hermanni from Danny. Torts like my Queenie are small, easy to care for and have GIANT Sulcata personalities...

 

[spring pace]

they are addicting arent they? i love my galileo but am sure glad hes my only one, he takes up every bit of space i have which luckily will last quite a while longer. he seems to be absolutely fine on his own, but i guess its because hes got me, there are no fights over food, his fav spot or anything else, he amuses himself by rearranging the furniture outside, when the hose is on he has his own rain and since they are loners he doesnt miss any companionship. ive turned down many a tort because i know itll cut his space in half and he wouldnt be happy if i did that!!!!!!!!! gali & spring big smiles

 

[MarysTort]

Well, we have a large yard, but now that I think about it, probably not large enough for two full grown sulcatas. We have a serpentarium by our house that is really cool. They have a bunch of babies that I just fell in love with the other day! Some of them had abnormal shell patterns that were like ones I've only seen online.

Honestly, I've had a REALLY REALLY bad couple weeks and I think that I just wanted something cute to make me feel better. I'm glad I didn't just buy one up right then and there.

Maggie- How big do Hermanni's get? I might consider one for the future.... Are they good in pairs? Or not?

 

[Meg90]

No tortoise is good in pairs. As humans, we automatically think that something by itself is "lonely" but tortoises in the wild ONLY see each other when they mate, or fight for territory (or in passing)

They do not live together. The problem with keeping a pair together, is that the male can constantly bother the female to mate, even if she doesn't want to, and she has no where to escape him. Its torment for her, and for him, who only wants to do what he would have done in the wild, when he just happened to find a sexually mature girl.

In other words, we as humans, create situations that would never happen in the wild, and cause mental, and some times physical pain to our animals unwittingly.

A tortoise pair of the same sex can be just as bad.

In nature, there must ALWAYS been a dominant animal, and a submissive animal. Always. It is the way animals order things. Dogs, cats, horses, tortoises.....you put two together and only one will stand on top.

And in a tortoises perspective, once the dominant animal has established itself, the loser tort would usually leave the territory and look somewhere else to find one that he can claim. In captivity, he can't go anywhere. And is stuck living on someone elses land. Eating their food, using their basking spots. When all it wants is something of its own.

Its mental anguish. The sub tort will only eat what is left after the dominant animal leaves, will only use whatever hide the dominant animal doesn't want. They get second rate everything because that is how it works in nature.

Hermans stay much smaller than sulcata. So do Greeks, and Russians. But for the health of your animals, please keep them apart. Sometimes people can make this work....but IMO its a bad idea all around.

look at this thread
http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5216.html

Tank and Turbo were identical size little hatchlings. Both ate, and seemed to be fine. But ONE of the two grew at a normal pace, and the other, stayed tiny, even though it was the same species, same age and given the same care. Little Turbo was so small because she was the submissive animal. She's been growing normally since separated from her "friend" Tank.

 

[MarysTort]

Wow! Ok, I got it. I was just wondering. I thought some types could be kept as pairs peacefully. It seems like I had seen other people with pairs.

I would still like another tort at some point. I had been looking at the other species groups yesterday, trying to figure out what kind might suit us. I probably want to go small then...... so many to choose from. And they are all so pretty.

 

[Meg90]

Some people do keep their torts in pairs, and on a rare occurrence, there are no problems. But still, IMHO I wouldn't do that, and I don't advise others too either.

My favorite species is Greeks, more specifically, Jordanian Greeks.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

In some species if they are the same sex pairs are fine. They just may tussle over food. Queenie is full grown and her SLC (straight line carapace?) (straight carapace length?) anyhow whatever it is...she's 5 1/4 inches and I believe she is full grown or almost full grown. They don't get very big. I can hold her in one hand...

 

[MarysTort]

Wow, Queenie is tiny! How cute she is! She's only 1 inch larger than Kenya. I measured him a few days ago. Do you keep her indoors at night?
Did you get her from Danny?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Yes, I got her from Danny. She's half T.h.boettgeri and half T.h.hermanni. We have raccoons here really bad, so none of my animals stay outside. She has a tort table in Bob shed that is 8 ft X 2.5 feet. It's up on 2 legs so Bob can burrow down into the hay under her table. Isn't she beautiful? I think she is an exceptional tortoise, not only is she beautiful to look at she's inquisitive and funny. She has a great personality and is very social. However because she's a half breed she must stay celibate.

 

[Millerlite]

If you choose a smaller species tortoise, Greek, Hermanns, Russian, they would do fine in pairs or even more then two. As long as you have hides, and room for them it shouldn't be a problem. You do however get a mean tortoise that tends to bully around other torts. which some will separate that individual. Most the time though, they get a long rather well when giving enough space, hides, etc..

 

[Gulf Coast]

OH maggie, Im gonna send you a PM about those raccoons..