Can yellofoot and cherry head tortoise live together?

[vinnie05]

Hi guys,

I have a 7 cm cherry head tortoise and i want to get another one to keep... I found a seller willing to sell me a 7 cm yellowfoot tortoise... if i were to buy one, I want to house it together so i dont have to get another enclosure... question is..
can cherry head redfoot live together with a yellowfoot tortoise? the seller says they can but i want to make sure...
does the gender of both tortoises matter? I dont want to house another tortoise only to see them fight/bully the other

THX!

 

[Jacqui]

Okay the short quick answer is yes, they can live together. Their care is somewhat similar, but not exactly the same. However right off the bat, you have a big problem. You will need to put the new animal into quarantine for atleast a month, which means you will have to have a second enclosure.

 

[wellington]

Also, if they do end up bullying, you will need to house them separate. There is no guarantee they will get along.

 

[vinnie05]

Okay the short quick answer is yes, they can live together. Their care is somewhat similar, but not exactly the same. However right off the bat, you have a big problem. You will need to put the new animal into quarantine for atleast a month, which means you will have to have a second enclosure.

Hmm can u elaborate what u mean by quarantine? do u mean keeping it in separate enclosure b4 introducing it to the other tort? can u explain why this needs to be done instead of introducing it straight away?

sry kinda new...still have loads to learn

 

[Jacqui]

So you have time to observe the new tortoise for any disease or illness which may infect the other one. Also if need time for a stool check and to get worming done. It also allows you to get to know the new tortoise, it's likes and habits, which will make it easier to realize possible problems as they arise sooner in the future once the two are together.

I will also make it clear, my personal opinion is not to mix any two species together.

 

[Yvonne G]

You should ALWAYS quarantine a new tortoise before putting it with an existing tortoise. And since you have to quarantine, you just have to bite the bullet and build another habitat.

My question is: If you have one redfoot in one habitat, you obviously have been thinking that your one habitat is the right size for your one tortoise. That probably means that it is NOT the right size for TWO tortoises.

Don't skimp. Your tortoises' lives depend upon being cared for the best way you possible can. This means providing a large enclosure that fits the size of the tortoise (s), or two enclosures.

 

[vinnie05]

I will also make it clear, my personal opinion is not to mix any two species together.

Even if its the same species? lets say cherry head and another cherry head?

 

[Yvonne G]

Yup. You should ALWAYS quarantine a new tortoise for at least 3 months before adding it in with your existing tortoise.

One of our more knowledgeable members added a leopard tortoise in with his existing leopard tortoises. This person has written articles and books that are still in print. The new leopard tortoise had some sort of silent disease and he lost all his leopard colony of tortoises. If memory serves me correctly, it was Herpes.

 

[Irwin4530]

Keeping the same species together is fine but you should still quarantine ANY new tortoises for all of the reasons listed above.
Personally (this is my opinion ) I do not keep any mixed species enclosures. I keep both yellow and red foot tortoises and I never place them together.

 

[Redstrike]

I will also make it clear, my personal opinion is not to mix any two species together.

I strongly second this and I'd bet many on the forum will too. There is a small overlap between these two species ranges in the wild, but I'd be willing to bet they don't interact much due to differences in habitat.

My vote, stick with one species to house together. If you want the yellowfoot, I'd build a separate enclosure. I also agree with Yvonne's input concerning space for 2 torts. You'll need a more spacious enclosure for 2 Redfoots. Keep in mind, these tortoises will not object to solitary living. I have 4 because I like them so much and know I can afford the vet bills, time, and space necessary to keep them. I did not get 4 so that they can keep each other company - they don't need it.

 

[Madkins007]

My nickel's worth is a bit different than others.

1. Yellow-footeds get a lot bigger than red-footeds, especially 'cherry-heads'. This means you need a LOT more space than you might have otherwise- if you use the 8 shell lengths by 4 shell lengths guide, you should have a 10.5' x 5.25' habitat for the yellow- alone, and about double that for two.

2. Both yellows and cherrys have reputations for aggressiveness, although this varies a lot by individual.

3. While they have similar cares and diets, the yellow is more delicate and the cherry is remarkably hardy. Cherrys can thrive on conditions that are marginal for yellows.

4. Quarantine is always recommended, but honestly, I don't sweat it a lot with babies and very young. The big thing is that wild-caught and long-term captives can pick up a TON of pathogens that they become used to that will absolutely wipe out susceptible animals. Herpesvirus is a common example. Lots of keeper skip this step, and you will be lucky lots of times- but it is playing Russian Roulette with your herd.

5. Mixing species is a no-no, but one you see a lot of people, even experts, violate. You need to watch out for a few things.
- 5a. Compatibility. Do they get along, do they have similar care and diet needs? Will they fight over food, space or hides?
- 5b. Pathogen loads. Are they likely to infect each other? This is related to point 4, but some species are just 'dirtier' than others and should be kept away from other animals. Russians have this reputation, and I have heard it for things like deserts and some others.
- 5c. Will it stress them? Will they end up fighting for food or shelter? Will one dominate the other? Will the presence of another moving things bother one? Will they share space well? Sort of the same thing as 5a, but looked at from the other side.

6. Socializing. Of all the tortoise species, the reds and yellows are the most social. While they are 100% OK on their own, they do better in small groups as long as they have plenty of room.



Bottom line, just my own thoughts? I would recommend getting another cherry, but there is no major reason not to do the yellow. I would not even worry about co-housing them since they are nearly neighbors and do share so many care needs. Neither is a particularly 'dirty' species as far as pathogens, although a lot of people note that yellows are a lot more prone to mites and ticks than reds are. I WOULD quarantine, but that can just be a partitioned off part of the outdoor pen or a plastic tub.