Pictures of our Scooter Baby

[Mrsforman217]

I just wanted to share some photos of our spoiled boy Scooter. We have 1 Russian tort (Scooter), 1 ornate Box Turtle (Dash, its his roommate), 1 African Sideneck , 1 adult RES, 1 juv RES and 3 baby RES. the last photo is of scooter sleeping with his head on dash, they are inseparable and always snuggle to sleep and bring food to each other

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome Just a heads up. Species should not be housed together. Besides they may require different temps, humidity, they also can be carriers of all kinds of things that the other tort/turt has never been exposed to and one could eventually become very sick and/or die. The bad thing, you never know when it might happen and usually by the time you think your tort/turt is sick, they usually are very sick.

 

[Mrsforman217]

We take ours to the vet and are getting our rehabilitation license in the state of ga. Typically we would not house 2 separate species just because of the climate differences and such. However, when we adopted Dash, the smaller box turtle, she wouldn't eat and had severe MBD and her body was actually absorbing her tail and she was very young (1 yr old). We took them to the vet to get checked up and whatnot and as a last resort we had to use our tortoise as a "parent" to guide her, it was supposed to be temporary until she was eating but when we remove them they mourn and try to get into the others cage. Our vet told us that as long as we keep getting their health checks and we monitor them there's no reason to remove them. Since we've had her, her tail has grown back, she's started growing, her shell is starting to flatten (she had a hump) and her hinge has started working. Thank you so much for your concern regarding our spoiled babies oh all of our others are separated by the way but our little dash was a special case.

 

[laney]

How long have you had all your babies?
That's an amazing story, how long have they been together?

 

[Mrsforman217]

We've had the adult res a d African sideneck for almost a year, the russian tort and box turtle about 6 months and the 3 baby res and the juvenile we adopted about 2 months ago. Our house looks like a reptile exhibit lol. We have a 40 gallon terrarium (Scooter and Dash), 125 gallon aquarium for our adults and a 20 gallon for the babies.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

We take ours to the vet and are getting our rehabilitation license in the state of ga. Typically we would not house 2 separate species just because of the climate differences and such. However, when we adopted Dash, the smaller box turtle, she wouldn't eat and had severe MBD and her body was actually absorbing her tail and she was very young (1 yr old). We took them to the vet to get checked up and whatnot and as a last resort we had to use our tortoise as a "parent" to guide her, it was supposed to be temporary until she was eating but when we remove them they mourn and try to get into the others cage. Our vet told us that as long as we keep getting their health checks and we monitor them there's no reason to remove them. Since we've had her, her tail has grown back, she's started growing, her shell is starting to flatten (she had a hump) and her hinge has started working. Thank you so much for your concern regarding our spoiled babies oh all of our others are separated by the way but our little dash was a special case.

Wow, adorable! Ya know, the funny thing is that although ornate box turtles and Russian tortoises have different dietary requirements (omnivore vs. herbivore, respectively), they have identical environmental requirements. They are both temperate grassland chelonians: the latter from the steppes of Eurasia, and the former from the steppes of America! Having said that, they are different species, from different families, from different continents, so good animal husbandry would normally dictate that they not be housed together to prevent the spread of exotic diseases. Nevertheless, I find your story about their cohabitation fascinating. Could this be an exception to the rule? Maybe so. But just this once.

Although most tortoise species and box turtles are solitary, it does amaze me how sometimes individuals want to hang out together. Our male and female Russian tortoises live in separate indoor pens. Last summer, when we let them outside, our male Russian used to harass our female, so we had to divide their area (which is typical). Over the past year, however, the female has grown to twice his size (also typical). Now, although he still courts her sometimes, they seem to enjoy hanging out together when they're outdoors! Could it be they actually enjoy each other's company? Again, maybe, but if so, then that comes as a big surprise to me.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

we had to use our tortoise as a "parent" to guide her,

In that reptiles, for the most part, are drop and go parents, (with the exception of some crocodilians), I'm not sure I understand the, “parent to guide" her idea. Also, the idea of mourning in a reptile is a foreign concept for me. I think, when people observe a reptile, “searching" it's enclosure when one is removed, they are more checking that the interloper of their territory has truly moved on, as compared to searching for a lost chum. In my experience, the concept of empathy is more a mammalian emotion borne from the nurturing needed for caring for their young.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

we had to use our tortoise as a "parent" to guide her,

In that reptiles, for the most part, are drop and go parents, (with the exception of some crocodilians), I'm not sure I understand the, “parent to guide" her idea. Also, the idea of mourning in a reptile is a foreign concept for me. I think, when people observe a reptile, “searching" it's enclosure when one is removed, they are more checking that the interloper of their territory has truly moved on, as compared to searching for a lost chum. In my experience, the concept of empathy is more a mammalian emotion borne from the nurturing needed for caring for their young.

Normally I'd agree with everything you just said. Big time.

But lately I've been wondering whether solitary animals, which would interact with their own kind only infrequently in the wild, might want a little contact with other individuals in captivity. Maybe it's not as black-and-white as being "solitary" or "gregarious." Maybe there are shades of gray in between. There are a few tortoise species that do seem to be more sociable (like redfoots, pancakes, and Burmese browns). Box turtles are not particularly territorial, and although not really social, might still be considered colonial. As for Russians, they are known to be fiercely territorial, but what if even they benefit from interaction with other Russians from time to time?

I don't know. Just an idea I've been entertaining lately. It could be way off.

 

[Chinque]

So cute!! I love the last picture!