As a child I inherited an eastern box that was my best friend for almost twenty five years, before he passed away. We bought a Russian female that I love to pieces about five years ago. three years ago, we were given a Sulcatta by some folks who abused and neglected her. ( She has some awful pyramiding on her shell, but is growing and active now, and seems to be responding well to good care) The two girls really hit it off! They snuggled together when they sleep they eat together, play together- and really seem to enjoy being together. We recently took in another Russian- a male who's owner just didn't have time for him any more (we own a small farm so people tend to bring us their creatures in need). I do not want to allow breeding, so I have to separate the male to a separate enclosure but is this good for him? The girls are very active, he is not. Could he be lonely? am I wrong to separate him? I know torts are social, and want to give them the best possible set up should I seek out another male companion for him? In the same light, we will eventually have to split up the girls as the sulcatta (Atlas) out grows the enclosure. If they are "herd" animals and really need other torts to be happy, I want to know now , as we are
redesigning our greenhouse, back yard, and the attached pasture to create a "tortoise land". The proper fencing is expensive, and a lot of labor- I would hate to have to redo it in a few years to accommodate growth, and disturb them again! So 1:could he just be lonely? 2:are torts happiest when in pairs or groups? 3: has anyone kept a very large tort (IE: sulcatta) with a smaller breed successfully; and how did you work out the logistics of that? 4: any suggestions on fencing or layout for a large enclosure (size is not an issue, we have 6 acres back there to play with) so we can do right by them the first time. BTW I am in Northern Nevada Thanks in advance for your advise!
redesigning our greenhouse, back yard, and the attached pasture to create a "tortoise land". The proper fencing is expensive, and a lot of labor- I would hate to have to redo it in a few years to accommodate growth, and disturb them again! So 1:could he just be lonely? 2:are torts happiest when in pairs or groups? 3: has anyone kept a very large tort (IE: sulcatta) with a smaller breed successfully; and how did you work out the logistics of that? 4: any suggestions on fencing or layout for a large enclosure (size is not an issue, we have 6 acres back there to play with) so we can do right by them the first time. BTW I am in Northern Nevada Thanks in advance for your advise!