Introducing a new tortoise to existing ones

[georgeandbessy]

we had a pair of 13 year old tortoises who have lived together since being babies. The female was stolen from the pen in the garden last week.
We are worried about the male as he has been with her all his life and now seems to be off his food.
Should we buy another female or should we get more than one? Is it ok to introduce tortoises that have not lived together before?
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[ZEROPILOT]

In almost every situation, tortoises do better as individuals or in larger groups with enclosure size permitting.
Any changes often throw a tortoise off of it's food, but it will recover.
If you do choose another tortoise, you will need to quarantine it for up to 12 months...And even then I would NOT expect to get lucky with them not bullying or fighting.
You got lucky with the last pairing.
I'd say that about 9 out of 10 don't work out (Pairs that is) and even the ones that seem to end up with one big and strong tortoise and one much smaller and weaker one.

 

[Tom]

we had a pair of 13 year old tortoises who have lived together since being babies. The female was stolen from the pen in the garden last week.
We are worried about the male as he has been with her all his life and now seems to be off his food.
Should we buy another female or should we get more than one? Is it ok to introduce tortoises that have not lived together before?
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated

Hello and welcome.

Are you sure she was stolen? Many times I've been sure that one of none was stolen or escaped, only to find it hidden inside the enclosure somewhere.

In any case, I agree with ZP. Tortoises should not be kept in pairs. If you get more you should get at least 2 or 3 females and you'll need a quarantine period of several months at least before introduction.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Chances are good that your existing tortoise will not accept a new tortoise into his territory. I'm presuming the remaining tortoise is male. So, let's say you get two more females. After a quarantine period you put the male into THEIR quarantine yard. This is how it would work best. If you put them into his yard, he might feel he has to protect his territory against the interlopers.

You were able to have a pair of tortoises because they lived together all their lives. They became used to each other. You were lucky. Most male/female situations will see the male harassing the female, trying to breed her all the time, until she stays hidden in a corner and stops eating. With two females for him to harass, it takes a bit of the pressure off of them.

If you are really dedicated to doing this, then try to find out what species and sub species your remaining tortoise is, and get the same species and sub-species to go with him. Never mix species. If you do, you might end up with sick or dead tortoises.

 

[georgeandbessy]

we had a pair of 13 year old tortoises who have lived together since being babies. The female was stolen from the pen in the garden last week.
We are worried about the male as he has been with her all his life and now seems to be off his food.
Should we buy another female or should we get more than one? Is it ok to introduce tortoises that have not lived together before?
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated

Thank you for all the advise. She was definitely stolen unfortunately and yes the male is remaining. They did seem close when we had both of them as the female would often follow the male around and they always slept next to each other no matter how much space they had. Thank you again for the advise

 

[Raymo2477]

Tortoises can do well in groups, but not pairs. I have a large colony of Hermann's Tortoises that get along BUT I have a large outdoor enclosure.

If you have a male get at least two females.

And only get them from a reputable breeder. A cheap tortoise never is. I bought some on the cheap only to face medical bills and in some cases the loss of a tort.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Following each other around and sleeping together ARE bullying.
But it's hard to understand untill you take out the human emotion and get familiar with true tortoise behavior.
I thought the exact same way up untill not long ago. So I'm not making fun of you. Trust me on that.
Also, Raymo speaks the truth. My first "cheap" tortoise ran up a $2,250 vet bill.
Buy healthy. Not cheap.