Housing multiple turtles/tortoises together.

Korall

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I am considering getting some box turtles (Or possibly some other species that hibernate and does well in colder climates)

Since I would house them outside during the summer and hibernate them during the winter, I have a lot more space available for them so I was considering getting a group of them.

I do know the basics to group housing I.e not to keep them in pairs, have about 1 male and 4 females, a lot of space, etc.

But I'd like to know more, so anyone who can tell me any thing to keep in mind or any articles about it.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Think of the enclosure as like a house, many rooms help for everyone getting along. many eye level visual barriers help. With cats and litter boxes the rule of thumb is to have one more box than the number of cats. With tortoises have more hides and places to warm or sit out than the number of animals in the enclosure.

This means that even the last tortoise in the order of dominance still has a choice of where too hide or sit out in the open or warm itself.
 

Yvonne G

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My 3 toe yard is about 32' square (I'm eyeballing it in my mind, not actually measuring it). I have no idea how many turtles there are out there, as I rescue and add and adopt out all the time. I can never see them all at the same time because of the various hiding places, and overgrown weeds/plants. I don't spend a lot of time out there, but when I am there, I never see any fighting.
 

lisa127

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I agree with all the above. I would add that gulf coasts can be a bit more aggressive than the other sub species, so you may want to not choose them for your group.
 

Korall

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Think of the enclosure as like a house, many rooms help for everyone getting along. many eye level visual barriers help. With cats and litter boxes the rule of thumb is to have one more box than the number of cats. With tortoises have more hides and places to warm or sit out than the number of animals in the enclosure.

This means that even the last tortoise in the order of dominance still has a choice of where too hide or sit out in the open or warm itself.

So, basically as many different hiding places, places to dig and basking spots as possible?

Can food and water bowls be shared?
 

Yvonne G

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I have one giant pond and two feeding stations.
 

ZEROPILOT

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I use three feeding spots for my 7 tortoises.
One more thing to consider is if you can find an existing group from someone that for whatever reason can no longer keep them, you wont have to quarantine each new individual tortoise or turtle. Quarantine for many individuals would take up a load of space.
And even if you just ad one more to an existing group, you run a risk of getting them all ill.
 

Korall

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I use three feeding spots for my 7 tortoises.
One more thing to consider is if you can find an existing group from someone that for whatever reason can no longer keep them, you wont have to quarantine each new individual tortoise or turtle. Quarantine for many individuals would take up a load of space.
And even if you just ad one more to an existing group, you run a risk of getting them all ill.

Hmm... I didn't think about that. So when I buy them (Unless I buy them in a group) I should have them separated for some time to check their health (Parasites, illness etc)?
 

Kapidolo Farms

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So, basically as many different hiding places, places to dig and basking spots as possible?

Can food and water bowls be shared?

I think x+1 applies to all needs where x=number of tortoises, and one=the different spaces . To be fair I don't fully follow that myself. It is species dependent.

With pancake they have x=1 hides, but only one water dish, and food is offered in one or two places even in a colony of four.

With the large Manouria tortoises, the 'yard' is large enough they can be out there and not see each other, but due to visual obstructions. I have added another hide, and have one more to finish building then is will be x=1. There is only one designated water bowl, but I run a sprinkler in their pen and many times they will drink from puddles.

The good rule of thumb is X=1
 

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Hmm... I didn't think about that. So when I buy them (Unless I buy them in a group) I should have them separated for some time to check their health (Parasites, illness etc)?
Yes. With different individuals from different locations it would be wise to keep them separated and under observation for a few months. And that would require a lot of room if you buy a lot of them.
I like many have in the past introduced a sick tortoise into a harmonious group and then had a very hard time getting them all well again
 

Hellu

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Hi,
I have now three young star tortoises and one yearling (a bit bigger in size than star babies) radiated tortoise. I have read, that different species should be kept in separate enclosures, but still wondering is it a bad idea to keep them all together for a while, when they are small and have enough hiding places etc? The three new ones are from the same breeder. One star I have had earlier.
 

Korall

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Hi,
I have now three young star tortoises and one yearling (a bit bigger in size than star babies) radiated tortoise. I have read, that different species should be kept in separate enclosures, but still wondering is it a bad idea to keep them all together for a while, when they are small and have enough hiding places etc? The three new ones are from the same breeder. One star I have had earlier.

Different species can make each other sick if they are kept together, so it should be avoided at all costs.

I would not recommend keeping multiple tortoises together even if they are the same species although if you choose to keep those together be prepared to separate them at any time.
 
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