Please don't make the same mistake I did .....

[sparkle]

Just before Christmas I got 2 x Russian tortoises, they were so small and only about 1 year old. I got them from an independent shop in the UK which has a good reputation, but it seems their staff were poorly trained and advised me 2 would be company for each other.

I bought a large indoor enclosure and spent many hours watching them mooch around their new home. I named them Basil and Sybil even though they were too young to determine sex. Sybil was slightly larger than Basil.

After about 1 week I noticed Sybil slowly withdrawing, and as the weeks went on she got progressively worse. Her eyes were swollen, she wasn't eating and it eventually became apparent she had an RI and worms. With some help from antibiotics I slowly nursed her back to health but by this time she wasn't really eating or interacting at all. She would just bury herself in the corner of the enclosure all day and night.

Meanwhile Basil was thriving, he was now larger than Sybil and full of life. I started to notice that when I did manage to get Sybil to munch on a tiny bit of food, Basil would march over, and claim the lettuce leaf for himself! She would then slowly retreat back to her corner. Basil would also urinate all over the food. Sybil was rapidly losing wait, felt hollow and my vet thought she wouldn't last very long at all. I was absolutely gutted.

After seeking some advice on this forum I began to realise that Russians should not be housed together ...... I was sure that Basil was dominating and bullying Sybil. I started to look for alternative accommodation for Basil (with a friend or relative) but it was taking a few weeks to sort out.

Then only a few days ago, my husband was watching them both in the enclosure. He saw Basil eating and when Sybil strolled passed to get to her 'corner' Basil lunged forward and bit her leg and wouldn't let go!!

I immediately separated them, and Basil now lives with my mum (nanny Jac). Within 24 hours Sybil was like a new tortoise. She was wondering around her enclosure, eating lots of food and hasn't yet been anywhere near her 'corner'. Fantastic!

Sorry this is so long winded but I can only hope that it may stop someone from making the mistake that I did. Or if you have 2 RT's and recognise any of the above signs ...... Please please separate them. Even if the aggression isn't obvious, it could still be there!!

 

[Eloise's mommy]

Poor Sybil!! I'm so glad she's doing better now!! and I'm sure that Basil is enjoying his new territory too?

 

[mctlong]

I'm very glad to hear they Sibyl is doing better. Its a bummer that you had to rehome Basil.

Thank you for posting. This a great example of both bullying and Russian aggression - serious issues that are too often overlooked at the expense of the tortoises. I'm glad you recognized it and acted. I bet both of your torts are much happier for it.

 

[Tom]

Thank you for posting this. I sincerely hope others will heed your warning and learn from your experience.

 

[sparkle]

Hi,

Yes I can confirm that they are both thriving in their separate enclosures ...... I get to see Basil all the time as he is just across town, which is brilliant!

A happy ending

 

[wellington]

Sorry you learned the hard way. We preach this all the time on this forum, but we still get people that want to do it. Sorry for your situation, but glad you shared with everyone. Hopefully many will listen and learn from your experience.

 

[Tortoise]

Its too bad you were given the wrong information but good for you to split them up and this sounds like a happy ending.
Hope they both continue to thrive and great you can still visit Basil.
Good for many to read about.
So many people think their tortoise needs a friend.

 

[Alan RF]

Great happy ending So glad it was and you were so observant.

 

[kanalomele]

Thank you Thank you Thank you for posting your experience. I have said this to so many people over the years. Its lovely to know that you were so attentive and that we helped to point you in the right direction.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Good advice, Sparkle. Keeping two tortoises together in most species, especially Russians, is usually a recipe for harassment and stress. Better to let them live alone, coming together only to mate.

 

[biochemnerd808]

Thank you for posting this! I learned the same lesson, also the hard way. I soooo should have listened.
I solved the problem by getting MORE tortoises, but I know this is not always a possibility.

 

[kjr153]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. A lot of people (myself included) think their Tortoise needs a "buddy". As Tom told me, another Tortoise is looked at as a competitor for food and the best basking area. Even though they are not physically fighting the mental stress can be really bad. I was so close to buying another Sulcata so mine would have a friend. I'm glad I didn't. Thanks Tom for the information you shared with me and thank you Sparkle for sharing your first hand experience. Hopefully people will learn from this.

 

[lynnedit]

I also Thank you Sparkle. This was very honest and helpful of you.
I am going to save this thread to show when people wonder about getting their Russian tortoise a 'friend'. The trouble is, the harassment is sometimes obvious, but quite often it is subtle and the vet and owner think their tortoise is ill, as in your case, which is completely understandable!
Russians can harass their fellow tortoises with just a LOOK or a head twitch.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Thank you for learning the hard way and therefore having - for all to read and learn from - something that is evidence based, from an unintended experiment of sorts, that proves what many experts (I am not one of them ... yet) have said over and over. Thanks to little baby Basil who may have saved some lives. And I suppose, naughty Sybil, too.

Thank goodness your husband was there to see it. Thanks hubby, and thanks for sharing! Happy endings are the best! : )

---

Correction: Good Sybil. Naughty Basil. My bad.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Thank you for learning the hard way and therefore having - for all to read and learn from - something that is evidence based, from an unintended experiment of sorts, that proves what many experts (I am not one of them ... yet) have said over and over. Thanks to little baby Basil who may have saved some lives. And I suppose, naughty Sybil, too.

Thank goodness your husband was there to see it. Thanks hubby, and thanks for sharing! Happy endings are the best! : )

---

Correction: Good Sybil. Naughty Basil. My bad.

---

Of course, the aggressive tortoise wasn't being "naughty" or "bad." It was just a solitary animal, who became dominant so that it wouldn't need to share with another member of its own species.

 

[lynnedit]

True, true. To them, it is survival of the fittest with scant resources.
Still, it does point out the limitations of keeping tortoises (Russians in this case) in captivity and I am so glad Sparkle posted this!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I'm just happy this had a good ending. Not the ending I was expecting.