Trade Russian Tortoises for Adult Male Redfoot

tortoise5643

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I know this is the for sale section, but one of those tortoises does not look like a Russian. More like a Mediterranean species.
 

tglazie

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The tortoise in the middle is a Hermanns tortoise. If you got it at a PetCo, Petsmart, or other such shop, they often mislabel their tortoises, and most employees would be unable to tell the difference. Here in San Antonio, I've seen them label these tortoises as Testudo tortoises, given that management couldn't be bothered with a proper identification, I suppose. But yes, that one in the middle is a Hermanns tortoise, specifically an Eastern Hermanns tortoise, a species native to the Balkans region of Eastern Europe.

T.G.
 

tglazie

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If you want to learn more about their care, consult the Hermanns tortoise species specific part of the forum. Their care is similar to Russians, but they generally do better in higher moisture environments than the Russians do. Plano, if I recall correctly, is north of Dallas, so the outdoor climate should work for these guys. Me personally, I wouldn't keep the Hermanns with those Russians, given the possibility of behavioral incompatibilities. I've never heard of disease transfer between Hermanns and Russians, but I wouldn't take the chance. I fostered a couple Petsmart bought Hermanns a few years back, and once they began to build their strength after about eight months, they started behaving very aggressively with one another whenever I would introduce them together into a common grazing area. It got to the point that I would have to start putting them into the grazing area one at a time, given how nasty they were.

Do your Russians fight? Do they engage in violence against the Hermanns? Are the males the sole pressers of aggression, or do the females also engage in aggressive behavior. I'm always curious as to how folks who keep their torts in groups behave. I've never been able to get my marginated tortoises to get along, nor have I ever been able to get, well, any tortoises other than redfoots to get along, and with the redfoots, they still liked to wrestle and chase each other around. They just never engaged in the biting or violent ramming that is so characteristic of every Testudo genus animal I've ever kept.

T.G.
 

tglazie

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Apologies, I'm going off topic. If you care to address any of my questions, just PM me. This board should have conversation specifically devoted to the trade.

T.G.
 

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