Thoughts on getting a second tortoise

[sdirks]

My husband and I got our Russian tortoise about a month ago, and we are absolutely in love with him. He's two years old, and his name is Maximus (Max for short). He's our first pet... the last time I had a pet was when I had pet mice at age 11! We are both allergic to cats and dogs and thought fish were basically the only pets we could get. Now we are thrilled to finally be pet owners of a pet that is just as wonderful and adorable as a cat or dog.

I really want to get another one, but my husband needs some convincing. He wants to find out more information first. We're concerned about how well they would get along with each other. I'm trying to convince him that it's better to get the second one sooner than later, before Max gets too used to his home and wants to defend his territory. (I understand that you need a quarantine period though.) If we get another boy the same age as Max, would we be able to tell them apart? Would it be ok to get a younger one, or it is better to get one the same age? The pictures I've seen of baby tortoises are sooo cute, and it seems like everyone who posts on here about getting a new tortoise gets one that is at the most a few months old. But I'm confused about the legality of getting one under 4", because the web sites that sell tortoises have a disclaimer that any tortoise under 4" is only for scientific or educational use. We live in Indiana, and I have tried looking up the law and am still very confused.

 

[TORTOMANIA]

TURTLES OR TORTOISES UNDER 4" CAN NOT BE SOLD COMMERCIALLY BY A BUSINESS UNLESS IT IS FOR SCIENTIFIC OR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.
IT IS PERFECTLY LEGAL TO SELL A TORTOISE UNDER 4" VIA PRIVATE SALE
THIS LAW WAS MADE BACK IN THE 70'S AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANYONE ENFORCING IT ANYWAY.
IT BASICALY WAS MADE TO STOP LARGE SCALE DISTRIBUTION OF BABY TURTLES, BECAUSE THEY WERE KEPT IN POOR ENVIRONMENTS, FED INCORRECT FOODS AND BECAUSE OF THAT THEY CONVEYED SALMONELLA BACTERIA.

I HAVE SOME BABY SULCATAS AND LEOPARDS FOR SALE IF YOUR INTERESTED

 

[dmmj]

I say this all the time, a tortoise does not need or want a playmate, partner, associate, compadre. If you want to get a second one get one because you want another one, your russian can live out it's entire life alone and would not be any bit sadder for it, in fact most tortoises see other tortoises as competition for food, hiding spots and such. Now that being said I do have 3 russians 1 male 1 female and one as yet undetermined, though I think he will be male, the two male slive together reasonably well, little to no fighting, If I thought the one was bullying the other one, I would create 2 seperate pens for them, but so far they don't fight, they both eat well, and seem happy. Mt female is inside and seperate because every time I put her in there the one male chases her down. It is a crap shoot if your two guys will fight or live happily together.

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TURTLES OR TORTOISES UNDER 4" CAN NOT BE SOLD COMMERCIALLY BY A BUSINESS UNLESS IT IS FOR SCIENTIFIC OR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.
IT IS PERFECTLY LEGAL TO SELL A TORTOISE UNDER 4" VIA PRIVATE SALE
THIS LAW WAS MADE BACK IN THE 70'S AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANYONE ENFORCING IT ANYWAY.
IT BASICALY WAS MADE TO STOP LARGE SCALE DISTRIBUTION OF BABY TURTLES, BECAUSE THEY WERE KEPT IN POOR ENVIRONMENTS, FED INCORRECT FOODS AND BECAUSE OF THAT THEY CONVEYED SALMONELLA BACTERIA.

I HAVE SOME BABY SULCATAS AND LEOPARDS FOR SALE IF YOUR INTERESTED

Caps lock button stuck?

 

[TORTOMANIA]

NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH RUSSIANS, BUT IF YOU LIKE THEM YOU WILL LOVE OTHER MORE ACTIVE SPECIES, LIKE REDFOOTS OR SULCATAS, THEY HAVE MUCH MORE PERSONALITY, AT LEAST I THINK SO

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CAPS LOCK IS THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL

 

[Missy]

Hello, I had the same question a while back and all the feed back that I got said that torts are best alone. There are a lot of people that have more than one in the same pen. I don't know about Russians but in my case 2 adult Sulcatas may fight and may have to be separated. A male and a female together he may continuously try to breed and stress the female. I would say if you want another go for it but keep an eye on them and be prepared to separate them if you have to. The only problem with getting a hatchling and putting them together is that the baby will need different care. Hatchlings take so much care that it is best to get a yearling but I know what you mean the babies are so super cute. Just keep in mind that some hatchlings don't make it even with the best of care. I have decided in the future I will get a different breed, maybe a Leopard and have separate pens. What ever you decide, good luck and I am so happy that you found the right pet for you. I would love to see a pic of your precious tort

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

If "Max" is really a "Maxine", then getting another female Russian will be pretty peaceful...otherwise, plan on two enclosures.

Mixing species opens up a lot of potential problems...highly not advisable. DEFINITELY you'll want two enclosures, in this case.

Another option is another herp-pet that could live w/ your tortoise w/o either endangering the other...native toads or lizards are great, as you mention allergies to furry pets, and are every bit as interesting as your tort! In all of our outside enclosures there are native toads...in Jennifer's place, there's Mr. Toad (Bufo speciosus or Texas Toad), in Ptolemy's enclosure, there's Hopalong Cassidy (Scaphiopus couchi or Couch's Spadefoot Toad)...the box turtles share their home w/ Ned (Sceloporus occidentalis or Western Fence Lizard).

 

[sdirks]

Thanks for the responses so far. I do know already that tortoises are solitary and don't want/need playmates. Our friend ordered a tortoise at the same time as us, and he got Max's sister. When Max and his sister are together, they have no interest in each other, and Max was even crawling over her like she was a rock (it made for a cute picture though). So if we get another one, it won't be so that he has a playmate, but because we enjoy having a Russian tortoise so much that we want another one. It would have to be a boy so we don't end up with a whole tortoise colony. Terry, Max is definitely a boy... the pet store told us, and when comparing him to his sister we can really see the differences in the tails. We already decided against a really young hatchling since they are so fragile and we're not experts, but maybe one that is a year old could be a possibility. (Is that what you mean by "yearling"?) Thanks so much for clearing up the confusion about the 4" law! That helps a lot.

Here's a link to my Facebook photo album of Max:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067341&id=22101387&l=46da4c0569
We just made him a nice bigger enclosure, as you can kind of see in the later pictures, to replace the smaller one you see in the early pictures.

 

[Yvonne G]

CAPS LOCK IS THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL

Caps lock is cruise control for SHOUTING AT US!!!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH RUSSIANS, BUT IF YOU LIKE THEM YOU WILL LOVE OTHER MORE ACTIVE SPECIES, LIKE REDFOOTS OR SULCATAS, THEY HAVE MUCH MORE PERSONALITY, AT LEAST I THINK SO

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CAPS LOCK IS THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL

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No, caps lock is usually taken as yelling...

 

[agiletorts]

Thanks for the responses so far. I do know already that tortoises are solitary and don't want/need playmates. Our friend ordered a tortoise at the same time as us, and he got Max's sister. When Max and his sister are together, they have no interest in each other, and Max was even crawling over her like she was a rock (it made for a cute picture though). So if we get another one, it won't be so that he has a playmate, but because we enjoy having a Russian tortoise so much that we want another one. It would have to be a boy so we don't end up with a whole tortoise colony. Terry, Max is definitely a boy... the pet store told us, and when comparing him to his sister we can really see the differences in the tails. We already decided against a really young hatchling since they are so fragile and we're not experts, but maybe one that is a year old could be a possibility. (Is that what you mean by "yearling"?) Thanks so much for clearing up the confusion about the 4" law! That helps a lot.

Here's a link to my Facebook photo album of Max:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067341&id=22101387&l=46da4c0569
We just made him a nice bigger enclosure, as you can kind of see in the later pictures, to replace the smaller one you see in the early pictures.

I'd go against the mainstream here - follow your heart and get another one or two . I'd suggest you to get another Russian so you'd spend less time worrying about separating them forever, but if you don't mind to do more works then go ahead get another species that you like.

 

[PeanutbuttER]

NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH RUSSIANS, BUT IF YOU LIKE THEM YOU WILL LOVE OTHER MORE ACTIVE SPECIES, LIKE REDFOOTS OR SULCATAS, THEY HAVE MUCH MORE PERSONALITY, AT LEAST I THINK SO

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CAPS LOCK IS THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL

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No, caps lock is usually taken as yelling...

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Usually? I'd say it pretty much is always yelling...

 

[Laura]

Its also harder to read and I usually dont bother.. so NOT so cool..
If you want a second tortoise.. AND you can afford the care and enclosures and food etc.. then get one.. But Id plan on having them seperate.

 

[dmmj]

NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH RUSSIANS, BUT IF YOU LIKE THEM YOU WILL LOVE OTHER MORE ACTIVE SPECIES, LIKE REDFOOTS OR SULCATAS, THEY HAVE MUCH MORE PERSONALITY, AT LEAST I THINK SO

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CAPS LOCK IS THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL

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Here is what I think of caps lock

 

[Missy]

Thanks for the responses so far. I do know already that tortoises are solitary and don't want/need playmates. Our friend ordered a tortoise at the same time as us, and he got Max's sister. When Max and his sister are together, they have no interest in each other, and Max was even crawling over her like she was a rock (it made for a cute picture though). So if we get another one, it won't be so that he has a playmate, but because we enjoy having a Russian tortoise so much that we want another one. It would have to be a boy so we don't end up with a whole tortoise colony. Terry, Max is definitely a boy... the pet store told us, and when comparing him to his sister we can really see the differences in the tails. We already decided against a really young hatchling since they are so fragile and we're not experts, but maybe one that is a year old could be a possibility. (Is that what you mean by "yearling"?) Thanks so much for clearing up the confusion about the 4" law! That helps a lot.

Yes that is what I meant by yearling-a year old or older. I think you are doing a great job doing your homework before jumping into keeping torts. I had no idea how to take care of Tank and had to learn the hard way. Max is a lucky tort

Here's a link to my Facebook photo album of Max:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067341&id=22101387&l=46da4c0569
We just made him a nice bigger enclosure, as you can kind of see in the later pictures, to replace the smaller one you see in the early pictures.

 

[sdirks]

Well, from the advice here and from other threads I came across asking basically the same question, I think that if we get another one, it will have to have its own enclosure. That doesn't stop me from wanting another one though! The husband still isn't sure, but I'll keep working on him. We do want to stick with the Russian tortoises. And a plus side of having to house them separately is that we wouldn't have to be limited to only getting another boy. I think I want our next one to be a little girl yearling.

 

[Yvonne G]

I have around 15 different types of turtle and tortoise. Dudley, the 100lb male sulcata is the only "single" tortoise of all of them.

If you want more tortoises, and you have the space to keep them in good, spacious habitats, then go for it. But, be prepared to add another habitat if your existing tortoise doesn't accept the new tortoise.

At one time I had around 25 Russians in one pen. It was a pretty large pen, with tall grasses and weeds and pretty good hiding places. I never noticed any fighting between them. It IS possible to keep more than one Russian in the same habitat, but I wouldn't try it indoors. You have to have a large outdoor space for them in order for them to get along.

 

[Tom]

NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH RUSSIANS, BUT IF YOU LIKE THEM YOU WILL LOVE OTHER MORE ACTIVE SPECIES, LIKE REDFOOTS OR SULCATAS, THEY HAVE MUCH MORE PERSONALITY, AT LEAST I THINK SO

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CAPS LOCK IS THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL

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Here is what I think of caps lock

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dmmj, I LOVE YOUR POSTS!!!

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I too like having lots of torts around and I enjoy watching members of the same species interacting in a large outdoor pen. Whenever I do this, I always have a back up plan to separate them. I had to separate my two male sulcatas after 10 years, when they grew up together as hatchlings.

Generally, they get along better in groups, like Yvonnes' example, rather than pairs or trios, like mine.

It is simpler, I must admit, to just have one.

 

[JaneF]

Naturally, we did most everything the wrong way with our tortoise acquisition because we hadn't yet found this board. Still, our experience adding a second tortoise was very different from most of those described in this thread.

We brought Ivan home in May, and from the beginning he was nice to handle and very active outside. Inside, though, he either stayed in hiding or tried to climb out of his enclosure. I couldn't help "mammalizing" him a bit in my mind, and thought he seemed depressed. We gave him more attention, more time outside, etc.

After two months, he still hid or tried to leave. Three weeks ago, we walked into the shop where we got Ivan and there was another Russian tortoise. She was smaller than he, and she was on sale...we brought her home.

We didn't know about the quarantine period (hadn't read those threads yet), so we put Evelyn in with Ivan. From the minute she arrived, he became a different guy. It is an amazing personality change. He basks with her, eats with her, shares his hide, and hasn't once attempted to escape. They are two totally friendly, happy tortoises. The only thing that is different in his environment is Evelyn. I really think he was lonely.

 

[JaneF]

I took a picture this morning to illustrate the companionship I described. Ivan never relaxed like this until Evelyn arrived. This is now typical tortoise after breakfast basking. (I know now that glass isn't the best enclosure, but we've got it working.)

 

[khanvict]

Naturally, we did most everything the wrong way with our tortoise acquisition because we hadn't yet found this board. Still, our experience adding a second tortoise was very different from most of those described in this thread.

We brought Ivan home in May, and from the beginning he was nice to handle and very active outside. Inside, though, he either stayed in hiding or tried to climb out of his enclosure. I couldn't help "mammalizing" him a bit in my mind, and thought he seemed depressed. We gave him more attention, more time outside, etc.

After two months, he still hid or tried to leave. Three weeks ago, we walked into the shop where we got Ivan and there was another Russian tortoise. She was smaller than he, and she was on sale...we brought her home.

We didn't know about the quarantine period (hadn't read those threads yet), so we put Evelyn in with Ivan. From the minute she arrived, he became a different guy. It is an amazing personality change. He basks with her, eats with her, shares his hide, and hasn't once attempted to escape. They are two totally friendly, happy tortoises. The only thing that is different in his environment is Evelyn. I really think he was lonely.

I took a picture this morning to illustrate the companionship I described. Ivan never relaxed like this until Evelyn arrived. This is now typical tortoise after breakfast basking. (I know now that glass isn't the best enclosure, but we've got it working.)

that is awesome . i think the tortoises that come from pet shops (i got mine from petco) probably are used to the company of other torts when they're at the store and when we bring them home it's gotta feel a lot different for them being all by themselves. people say they don't get lonely or don't need companionship but when you have something and it's gone or taken away from you, you will probably miss it.