Quarantining tortoise.

[Thomas tortoise]

I may be getting another sulcata tortoise soon.(same size as mine...about 4 inches long) will I need to quarantine it before I put it with my other tortoise? And can I put it with my other tortoise? They will have 60" by 60" inch indoor enclosure also two hides and probably two food dishes and two water dishes. I will be checking on them a lot to make sure they don't bully each other. Just wondering if I have to quarantine them before I put them together and how long? Also is it better to have two young tortoises together or three? (Young meaning 1-5 years old)

 

[zovick]

I may be getting another sulcata tortoise soon.(same size as mine...about 4 inches long) will I need to quarantine it before I put it with my other tortoise? And can I put it with my other tortoise? They will have 60" by 60" inch indoor enclosure also two hides and probably two food dishes and two water dishes. I will be checking on them a lot to make sure they don't bully each other. Just wondering if I have to quarantine them before I put them together and how long? Also is it better to have two young tortoises together or three? (Young meaning 1-5 years old)

Two being housed together is not good no matter how large your enclosure. Three together would be better, and yes, you should quarantine any new ones for at lest 8-10 weeks before introducing them to your already established tortoise(s).

 

[wellington]

I second Zovick post.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I second Zovick post.

Me also

 

[Tom]

I may be getting another sulcata tortoise soon.(same size as mine...about 4 inches long) will I need to quarantine it before I put it with my other tortoise? And can I put it with my other tortoise? They will have 60" by 60" inch indoor enclosure also two hides and probably two food dishes and two water dishes. I will be checking on them a lot to make sure they don't bully each other. Just wondering if I have to quarantine them before I put them together and how long? Also is it better to have two young tortoises together or three? (Young meaning 1-5 years old)

Just as species should not be mixed, tortoise should never be kept in pairs. Trios, or more, of juveniles will usually work for a while, but as soon as you can tell the sexes, you will need to separate males form females. Males mature much faster and they will relentlessly harass the young females who won't be ready to reproduce for another couple of years. If you end up with three females, they can just stay together.

My one reptile vet friend recommends at least 6 months quarantine, and the other recommends 12. There are a lot of diseases circulating around and some of them are very difficult to diagnose.

You will likely not see overt "bullying", but they do not want to be together. Juveniles seldom ram or bite each other. The signs are much more subtle. One will be submissive and the other dominant. Both of them want the submissive one out of the territory, but it can't escape.

Where are you getting the new one(s)? Remember that almost no one starts them correctly. A dry start will cause slow growth and possibly death. There is a terrible disease running through some of the sulcata populations right now too, and I remember you were bargain shopping a while back. Be very careful. You could bring a disease into your place and have to shut down and start over a year later.

 

[Thomas tortoise]

Just as species should not be mixed, tortoise should never be kept in pairs. Trios, or more, of juveniles will usually work for a while, but as soon as you can tell the sexes, you will need to separate males form females. Males mature much faster and they will relentlessly harass the young females who won't be ready to reproduce for another couple of years. If you end up with three females, they can just stay together.

My one reptile vet friend recommends at least 6 months quarantine, and the other recommends 12. There are a lot of diseases circulating around and some of them are very difficult to diagnose.

You will likely not see overt "bullying", but they do not want to be together. Juveniles seldom ram or bite each other. The signs are much more subtle. One will be submissive and the other dominant. Both of them want the submissive one out of the territory, but it can't escape.

Where are you getting the new one(s)? Remember that almost no one starts them correctly. A dry start will cause slow growth and possibly death. There is a terrible disease running through some of the sulcata populations right now too, and I remember you were bargain shopping a while back. Be very careful. You could bring a disease into your place and have to shut down and start over a year later.

Okay. This was very helpful. Thank you. I will be getting it from a person near me who can not keep her tortoise since she is moving so she is selling it to me if I would like it. It has a extra scute and slight pyramiding. and it is around 10 months old-12 months. How big of an enclosure would I need for one full grown sulcata? And when can I tell the sex of the sulcatas?

 

[Tom]

Okay. This was very helpful. Thank you. I will be getting it from a person near me who can not keep her tortoise since she is moving so she is selling it to me if I would like it. It has a extra scute and slight pyramiding. and it is around 10 months old-12 months. How big of an enclosure would I need for one full grown sulcata? And when can I tell the sex of the sulcatas?

I recommend no smaller than 50x50 feet for an adult sulcata.

You can usually tell the sex by about 16" in most cases.