Could she be lonely?

[Panedora]

My new girl seems lonely or something she keeps going to the Mazuir bag and staring at the tortoise on it lol and laying down in front of it (she has food that is not it) When her habitat is done should i think about getting her a play mate? do they do well in groups, or is she fine alone and its all my imagination lol

 

[ZEROPILOT]

NO!! She doesn't want a playmate. Very few tortoise species will tolerate another tortoise of the same or different species. The exception might be a male Redfoot and several females. Even then it's not all perfect. Not only will she be fine, it'll also help it to better bond with YOU.

 

[Panedora]

oh ok maybe i should hide the bag then maybe she thinks its after her territory HAHA

 

[ZEROPILOT]

There was recently a post about a tortoise that charged and seemed to attack a ceramic statue of a tortoise.

 

[Panedora]

lol no buddy for her then ill be her buddy

 

[Yvonne G]

You're putting human emotions onto a cold blooded animal. They don't think like we do. The tortoise is probably comfortable in that particular spot. Remove the bag and it will still go to that spot.

Someone on another thread made the pit bull analogy. It is a good one. No one would give any thought at all to putting two male pit bulls together, and yet they always think that putting two tortoises together is a good idea. Not so. Tortoises are loners and don't want other tortoises in their territory.

 

[Panedora]

well i really only wanted her so it actually a good thing for me to learn ( learning about her why im here on these forums) But now i have to wonder i bet its hard for them to reproduce if they get along so badly hehe. i will never go down that road so i guess its ok i dont know lol

 

[Yvonne G]

Just as an informational post - in the wild, there is so much wide open spaces, that males and females don't get together all that often, and when they do, they get the job done then the female moves on. In captivity, the male pesters the female and pesters her until she stays hidden all the time. If you keep them outdoors in a large yard with plenty of sight barriers, its better, as she is able to get out of his sight.

 

[Panedora]

I am glad i asked cause i would have felt guilt otherwise about her being all alone. I'm glad to know that is what is best for her.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

A lone tortoise makes for a better pet than one that has imprinted on other tortoises. That's on the plus side.