Juvenile Grouping

ILikeTortoises

New Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
14
Location (City and/or State)
Carlisle, MA
Hi all -

I currently have 4 juveniles in one 4'x2' enclosure. Two are a little over a year old and weigh 60-75g and two are under a year and about 30g. I'm acquiring two new hatchlings in a couple weeks that will be just a couple of months old, not sure on weights but probably in the 10-12g range I would guess. After a quarantine period, do people recommend keeping the hatchlings in a separate, smaller enclosure until they are a bit bigger, or is it generally OK to introduce them to the larger group and house all 6 in the 4'x2' enclosure? I know this species is generally not territorial and the enclosure has plenty of space, but wanted to see if there was a good reason to keep them separate or not.

Thanks!
 

method89

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
May 15, 2019
Messages
1,384
Location (City and/or State)
Malverne, NY
6 torts in a 4x2? I think its time for a major size upgrade.
 

G-stars

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
1,889
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I would keep the new hatchlings separated and make sure they are well started and established before putting them in with some juvenile animals. While Egyptians aren’t the most aggressive species they are still tortoises and want their space. Male Egyptians may start ramming other males and females as small as 70-90g.
 

G-stars

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
1,889
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Even though they are a small species they still need their space. You may start thinking about getting something larger for the 6. A 4x8 enclosure could always be divided into halves or thirds if needed.
 

ShirleyTX

Active Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2017
Messages
139
Location (City and/or State)
Canyon Lake TX USA
I think it will be okay to put them together; just keep an eye on them during feeding time. The size of your enclosure is fine for now.

When my 170 g female was about 3 1/2 years old, I added a tiny six-month-old, 13 g, who was incubated to be male. My enclosure is 2‘ x 6‘. From the beginning, I gave each of them their own feeding dish. They are now five years old and two years old respectively. Being creatures of habit, they each go to their own dish when fresh food is put out.

I have so far had no problems with aggression. The male is still very small; the absence of aggression could change when he sexually matures, we will see.

good luck with your new littles!
 
Top