More Russians

[skmackley2]

I got one 1 year old Russian tortoise in a 100cm(length) x 55cm(width) x 20cm(sides) was wandering If it is possible to get 1 or 2 more FEMALE Russians in with him? Would it be fine, would I get adults or same age?

 

[GBtortoises]

Uh, you might want to measure again. 100cm is about 39"! It is extremely difficult to keep male and female Russian tortoises together because males of the species are usually extremely aggressive toward females and other males. It's better for all tortoises involved if you keep the genders separately and males individually unless you plan to house them in a very large outdoor enclosure several square feet in size.

 

[Baoh]

A 39" long enclosure/container seems possible to possess to me.

 

[GBtortoises]

Oops! My mistake, for some reason I was thinking tortoise size, not enclosure size! Regardless, that is definitely to small of an enclosure for three, or even two adult Russians. Babies yes, adults no.

 

[Tom]

I think it is too small for one adult russian. If he stays outside most of the day and only sleeps in there at night its fine, but to actually LIVE in something that size is not okay with me. Adding more would be totally out of the question for me. My hatchling russians are living in indoor 182cm x 46cm and 152cm x 46cm enclosures and spending the days in 4x8' outdoor enclosures. In the spring they will permanently move outdoors to 13x28' enclosures.

 

[skmackley2]

Well mine is only a little baby about 6 cm length, I am upgrading when he becomes big dw

 

[Tom]

That size is fine for a 6 cm tortoise.

How do you know its male at 6 cm?

 

[skmackley2]

He is a bit bigger than 6cm, but his :tail,shell curved,the end of the shell where the legs and tail is joined.

 

[biochemnerd808]

At 6cm it is still way too early to tell if it's male or female. You can't really tell until an RT is about 4.5" - 5" long (about 13cm).

I agree with what was said above - Russians are very territorial, and even as babies, they may end up bullying each other. The tort at the bottom of the pecking order would likely become withdrawn and stop eating eventually...

He is a bit bigger than 6cm, but his :tail,shell curved,the end of the shell where the legs and tail is joined.

 

[skmackley2]

Oh my, my Russian has grown! he is now 3.5 inch! What's this thing about territorial?

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At 6cm it is still way too early to tell if it's male or female. You can't really tell until an RT is about 4.5" - 5" long (about 13cm).

I agree with what was said above - Russians are very territorial, and even as babies, they may end up bullying each other. The tort at the bottom of the pecking order would likely become withdrawn and stop eating eventually...

He is a bit bigger than 6cm, but his :tail,shell curved,the end of the shell where the legs and tail is joined.

That post isn't posted anywhere on this thread......? Pecking order is for chickens! I'm not keeping 2 torts in a little enclosure!

 

[peasinapod]

They do not like other tortoises inside their enlcosure. If you introduce another tortoise, they'll constantly try to protect their territory from the intruder. This equals stress for all of them, but mostly for the loser.

 

[skmackley2]

But if I had a large enclosure would this work? 1 male and 2 females?

 

[peasinapod]

If you have a very large. well structured enclosure it MIGHT work, but it doesn't have to. Often the male still needs to be kept apart from the females.

 

[Tom]

But if I had a large enclosure would this work? 1 male and 2 females?

The only answer is maybe. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Anyone who owns multiple tortoises, especially something as scrappy as a russian, needs to be prepared with extra enclosures on hand and ready should hostilities and combat break out. An entire back yard and 15 females doesn't guarantee peace. And don't forget, sometimes the females will fight too.

A larger enclosure and correct sex ratio does improve your chances, but you still need to proceed with caution and have a back up plan. You also have to have animals old enough to sex.

 

[skmackley2]

thanks!

 

[Irish]

I agree, you need large enclosures with multiple hides and sight line breaks. You need a separate back up enclosure to separate as needed. Often, breeders only introduce the male for short intervals of time for mating to occur. Have a vet that you can go to if the aggression causes harm. You should know a vet that is qualified to deal with tortoises prior to introducing a new one, and you should have them perform a fecal exam, especially if the tort may be wild caught.

 

[skmackley2]

Okay!