Geese and Tortoises
- Thread starter Celeeste
- Start date
Geese poop (obnoxious) on grass. Tortoises eat grass. 'Nuff said.
Along with what Yvonne said, the geese could do severe damage to a tortoise and the tortoise could do damage to the geese.
So, no they should not be housed together.
So, no they should not be housed together.
Keep them separated. Each need their own space.
Dr Droid Ph.D.
New Member
Apologies to rekindle a long-solved thread:
"The Stomper" is a 16yr old 100+lb male G. sulcata who's got his own 1/4acre sub-paddock within a 1.25acre fenced house space/compound. My intention is to add geese as night-watch (security) to the total compound which overlaps Stomper's space:
* Goose-pecks pose risk to >100lb tortoise?
* Goose-poop toxicity or pathogen risk, or just yucky? This assumes Stomper will eat, or at least eat grasses next-to and contaminated-with, as he's apparently discerning. Note: yard is already packed with wild birds & lizards.
Similar questions re. donkey & llama.
Guinea-foul, pea-foul, chickens & ducks are out as we've got endemic (endangered) lizards, frogs & snakes in the rock-work, including Stomp's dry-stone dykes (enclosure). Plus peacocks are bad juju...
Thanks,
Andrew
"The Stomper" is a 16yr old 100+lb male G. sulcata who's got his own 1/4acre sub-paddock within a 1.25acre fenced house space/compound. My intention is to add geese as night-watch (security) to the total compound which overlaps Stomper's space:
* Goose-pecks pose risk to >100lb tortoise?
* Goose-poop toxicity or pathogen risk, or just yucky? This assumes Stomper will eat, or at least eat grasses next-to and contaminated-with, as he's apparently discerning. Note: yard is already packed with wild birds & lizards.
Similar questions re. donkey & llama.
Guinea-foul, pea-foul, chickens & ducks are out as we've got endemic (endangered) lizards, frogs & snakes in the rock-work, including Stomp's dry-stone dykes (enclosure). Plus peacocks are bad juju...
Thanks,
Andrew
Yes, tortoises DO encounter wild. animal poop in the wild, but the difference being the 'pet' tortoise is fenced in and forced to graze on a set area, not over acres and acres.
You can't help what wild animals traipse through your large outdoor pens, but you can help to not create a concentration of animal waste from domestic animals in your tortoise's living space. I'm not as concerned about parasites because most parasites are fairly host specific, but there are some that cross species.
Goose pecks can take out an eye, and goose harassment can be a chronic stressor, which can reduce appetite and hamper the immune system.
In the wild tortoise will opportunistically eat mammal feces. Donkey and llama feed is often alfalfa based. Even after digestion, your tortoise will be getting a lot of protein from that, and that could cause urates to form which can form bladder stones, which can be fatal. Any medications given to the other animals, like Ivermectin for parasites, might make it into the tortoise, and Ivermectin, for example, is toxic to tortoises.
It's just not a good idea to mix species, or have different species sharing the same living areas. You are asking for trouble. It's a gamble and the tortoises life is what is at stake. There are many potential "cons". What is the "pro"? Some convenience for the keeper? Best if the animals have their own dedicated areas.
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