Stressed Tortoise?

[Kirstie]

Evening,

How can I tell if either of my Hermann tortoises are stressed?

Consuela is 1 year old & Diego is 12 weeks.

Both are eating & drinking well, both sleeping as they should and apart from a small amount of ramming from Consuela on Friday & her standing on Diego they seem to be getting on well & have played & basked together nicely.

I bought Consuela in May & introduced Diego to her house last Saturday. A carpenter I know is building me a new house, I am designing it myself & coming up with a way of having a 'wall' I can place in there if need be, but until this has been built (which won't take long) I need to know that neither of them are in any way stressed.

Please give me all the advice you have!

Thank you.

Ps, I got my credit card out last night & bought coconut fibre to replace the sand which should be delivered on Tuesday. Where my tortoises are concerned I will find the money from somewhere to get them everything they need!

 

[Tom]

Well yes, introducing a new tort into a relatively small enclosure DOES cause some stress for both of them. The question is, how much, and what to do about it. What is the size difference? Is the big one constantly harassing and ramming the newcomer or was a one time introductory thing? If it was a one time thing, you might be okay. A little bit of stress, once in a while can actually be a good thing for a captive animal. Just not too much or too often.

Personally I hate keeping pairs of any species. Pairs can be very problematic. Singles or small groups are a much better way to go.

 

[Kirstie]

Thank you for your advice.

I have only seen Consuela ram Diego once, she may have done it on other occasions that I haven't seen but when I did see it Diego was a bit timid afterwards.

She stands / climbs over him most days but not really in a bad way, more in a playful way but I don't know if Diego sees it that way.

Consuela is roughly has a 4" shell & Diego roughly 1.5", they are both small but with Diego only being a baby Consuela does seem big compared to him.

Their house isn't small, it is big enough for both of them but I want a bigger house for them with more rooms & hides.

---

Here is a photo of them taken earlier. The sand will be going on Tuesday when I get some more coconut fibre delivered.

 

[Tom]

When I said relatively small, I meant in comparison to the wild or a large back yard enclosure where they can get away from each other. Even a big indoor enclosure is "relatively" small.

Having the bigger one climb all over her everyday, MIGHT be stressful enough to warrant separate enclosures. Glad to hear the sand is going.

Good luck. I hope everything works out great.

 

[lynnedit]

If one tort (Diego) is always being followed by the other (Consuela) with her standing even 'next', certainly 'over' him, then that is aggression, unfortunately. They don't always have to make physical contact to achieve this. She may not need to actually ram him any more, because he can just think she will. She can just move or bob her head.
I am glad you are watching them. If Diego is very active, walking/eating/basking, then it might be OK. Just make sure he can move around freely w/o Consuela constantly going over to stand next to him.

 

[Tom]

Also weight them every week or two. If Diego is steadily gaining, its a good indicator that he is not overly stressed.

 

[lynnedit]

Great idea. You can get a food scale at places like Kohl's.

 

[Kirstie]

That's all really good advice, thank you all so much.

Over today & yesterday I haven't seen Consuela climb over Diego, they wander & bask together & when Diego goes to sleep she watches him but it doesn't seem like it's in a threatening way, it's more like she wants him to wake up & play! I'm pleased with how they have been over the last couple of days but I am cautious that Diego is still a bit scared.

Although with saying that he is eating loads, he has been munching for about half an hour! And he's sleeping & drinking normally. He's in the house alone at the mo, Consuela is exploring my kitchen! Do any of you let your torts loose in a room to run about? I do occasionally but always stay in there with her, I think Diego is too small to let run about yet.

Thank you all for your advice & tips; greatly appreciated & taken on board!

 

[Tom]

Running loose in a house is a recipe for disaster. Its too cold down there, there is bad stuff they can eat, and its just a question of time until they accidentally get stepped on, kicked, or hit by a suddenly opening door.

Best to build them a proper, dedicated area to roam in. I don't know where you are, but outdoors is best for this, weather permitting.