I have an 11 inch male Yellowfoot and I have the opportunity to adopt a 10 inch female Redfoot. The only way I would consider this is if they could be housed together. I have enough space for the two and I keep the heat/humidity levels at an appropriate level for both species. Anyone have any input on this?
Housing RF and YF Together?
- Thread starter Jenna
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More than likely, they WILL breed. If that's ok with you, then go for it. Personally, I'm a purist and don't think different species should be allowed to interbreed.
I'm with Yvonne on this one, but it's really a personal preference. Generally, I'm vehemently against keeping two separate species together in captivity, but these two species' ranges do overlap in portions of South America. Though, I still think it is unlikely that they encounter one another frequently as Yellowfoots are more a forest tortoise and Redfoots an edge/savanna species. I'm making these statements based on information I've read in Mike Pingleton's book and at the tortoise library - I'm no expert on redfoot and yellowfoot tortoises. Do they share similar parasites, or has their purported niche separation lead to different parasites/pathogens for each? This would be my apprehension for housing them together; what if one carries a parasite/pathogen that is deadly to the other species?
Just some things to consider...
Range Map:
https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/red-foots/range-map
Just some things to consider...
Range Map:
https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/red-foots/range-map
They can be housed together after a proper quarantine period for the new tortoise. These are probably the only torts I would feel safe doing this with (I have done this very thing). As far as crossbreeding, the RF and YF have different courtship behaviors . One thing you will find is the YF will tend to spend much more time in the shade than the RF. Otherwise care is much the same.
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