# of hatchlings per enclosure

[edricivan]

Hi all,

How many hatchlings can I put in one enclosure? A 5x2 with temp gradients of course. I'm thinking of getting another batch of Sullies Also I have one 4 month old in a 5x2, can I add more with him? (I know just two would be bad, so I'd have to add at least two.)

Cheers

 

[Yvonne G]

It all depends upon how large the container is. I have 7 hatchling desert tortoises in a Christmas Tree Storage bin, but only one hatchling Manouria in a 10 gallon aquarium.

Just remember - quarantine!

 

[edricivan]

It all depends upon how large the container is. I have 7 hatchling desert tortoises in a Christmas Tree Storage bin, but only one hatchling Manouria in a 10 gallon aquarium.

Just remember - quarantine!

What kind of things should I watch for when I QT? How long should I QT?

 

[Yvonne G]

Most of us quarantine for at least 3 months. Some of us will have fecals done during that time, on the existing animals and on the new animals.

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/rules.html

 

[Tom]

Hi all,

How many hatchlings can I put in one enclosure? A 5x2 with temp gradients of course. I'm thinking of getting another batch of Sullies Also I have one 4 month old in a 5x2, can I add more with him? (I know just two would be bad, so I'd have to add at least two.)

Cheers

You could start 10-12 hatchlings in a 5x2, but realize that if they are well started and well cared for, they will out grow that size in 3-4 months, if not sooner.

If all the new ones are coming from the same source, then they can all just go together. Mixing them with your existing one is where the risk would come in. I think 3 months is a long enough quarantine to assess the health of hatchlings. If they are growing, eating and behaving normally, then they are probably fine. If there is any issue with a hatchling, they grow very slowly , or not at all. Many of the poorly started or diseased one will reach 50 grams and then stall there. So do weekly weights on all of them and chart it. As long as they hit 80-100 grams, or more, in the space of a few months, you should be fine.

You will have so much fun and learn a ton by raising groups of them. I love it every time.

 

[edricivan]

You could start 10-12 hatchlings in a 5x2, but realize that if they are well started and well cared for, they will out grow that size in 3-4 months, if not sooner.

If all the new ones are coming from the same source, then they can all just go together. Mixing them with your existing one is where the risk would come in. I think 3 months is a long enough quarantine to assess the health of hatchlings. If they are growing, eating and behaving normally, then they are probably fine. If there is any issue with a hatchling, they grow very slowly , or not at all. Many of the poorly started or diseased one will reach 50 grams and then stall there. So do weekly weights on all of them and chart it. As long as they hit 80-100 grams, or more, in the space of a few months, you should be fine.

You will have so much fun and learn a ton by raising groups of them. I love it every time.

Got it! I guess I'll just have to estimate when they start getting cramped?

How far apart in age/size would they have to be for it to not be ok to mix them?

 

[Tom]

Got it! I guess I'll just have to estimate when they start getting cramped?

How far apart in age/size would they have to be for it to not be ok to mix them?

Yes. They all grow at different rates, so you will just have to decide for yourself when things are getting too crowded. Luckily overt aggression is rare in groups of juvenile. Common in pairs, but rare in groups, until they start getting close to maturity and the hormones start flowing...

The size difference thing is hard to answer. A three inch difference in babies is substantial. A three inch difference in adults is negligible.