Taking a male away from a male??

[matt581]

so i took my big male back to the owner i got him from because i didnt want my little 1 to get hurt ppl said not good to house together they got along fine. Now my little 1 is un active and looks depresed? could this happen with 2 males housed togehter? They slept by eachother every night

 

[Dizisdalife]

This is not a black a or white issue. They may get along "fine" for sometime, and then they won't. The trouble starts imperceptibly slow. Usually there is some intimidation by one toward another. Bigger one will get the best basking spot, or the best grazing spot, that sort of thing. Hard to notice until one day you find bite marks on one or find one on his back. I is difficult to monitor and prevent it from happening. That is why most people advise that they be raised alone, or in groups of three. Even with three there is no guarantee that they wont bully one another.

Years ago I had three California desert tortoises. An adult and two juveniles. When I fed they the adult would immediately lay on top of the food and prevent the others from eating. Okay. So I would feed them in several spots. Then the juveniles would wrestle for the best of the rest. Every day I would find one of them on their back. But, they did dig a single burrow and slept together every night.

 

[Jacqui]

Could be. Now I know we all seem to say that tortoises do fine all by themselves and don't have attachment to other tortoises. I know I have experienced once a case and read of many others that seems to go against this. I don't think we really know.

 

[JoesMum]

The dynamics have changed and your tort needs to get used to the change. Torts don't do change quickly.

Give it a couple of weeks and everything should be fine

 

[matt581]

Thanks everyone for the info

 

[bigguys4]

I know everyone says don't do it and I'm not disagreeing with everyone. I have four big guys and have never had a problem.
Now my smaller leopard is kept completely away from the big guys .

 

[matt581]

I know everyone says don't do it and I'm not disagreeing with everyone. I have four big guys and have never had a problem.
Now my smaller leopard is kept completely away from the big guys .

that's sweet! how long they been together?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

They look happy!

 

[motero]

so i took my big male back to the owner i got him from because i didnt want my little 1 to get hurt ppl said not good to house together they got along fine. Now my little 1 is un active and looks depresed? could this happen with 2 males housed togehter? They slept by eachother every night

The little guy can finally Relax. That is what they do, nothing, unless they have to be on guard 24/7.

 

[bigguys4]

As a group of four they have been together 41/2 or 5 years I have an extremely large yard and they never have had a problem .i have two night time in closures almost identical and they still all four go into one at night .