Tortoise with Anolis friends?

SaintVirus

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Hello everyone! I recently acquired an 8 year old Russian Tortoise from a friend that no longer wanted to take care of him. On top of having Lemmy the newly obtained tortoise, I now have 7 reptiles; tortoise, Rose-hair tarantula, 2 Anoles', 2 Blue-spotted salamanders, and a green iguana. My question to you guys, is whether or not it would be possible to keep my Russian Tortoise, with my 2 small green anoles? I am going to be getting a 40 gallon here in a few days, and I was just wondering if that'd be a possibility? I was thinking of throwing in quite a few long branches/sticks/vines at one end of the enclosure, for the Anoles to climb and stay away from the tortoise. What do you guys think about that? Thanks!
 

Yvonne G

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Hi and welcome to the Forum!

In my opinion, an 8 year old Russian needs to be outside. He's almost full grown. Trying to keep a full grown Russian tortoise in a 40 gallon tank is not a good option. It's much too small. Remember, the gallons in a tank are measured all over the whole tank and up the sides. What you want is more floor space, not tall sides. So even though "40" gallons sounds large, when you look at the floor space (where the tortoise lives), its not big at all. We recommend 4'x8' for a full grown russian tortoise. Or better still - outdoors.
 

SaintVirus

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Funny you should say that, because I was thinking that he was a bit small for his age! He is honestly no bigger than a larger orange. I also do believe that the 40 gallon tank that I am obtaining, is a breeder, which calls for more room front to back. Other than that, what do you think about including the Anoles in the enclosure?
 

Yvonne G

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I'm not a fan of mixing species. And if the anoles don't come from the same area/continent that the tortoises do, I wouldn't add them to the same space.

Russian tortoises are a very small species. His size sounds about right. He's only going to be about 5" front to back when he stops growing.
 

Yvonne G

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His size isn't what determines the size of his space. Russian tortoises are hard wired to roam over large distances in search of food. Because their 'awake' time is so short in their native land (they hibernate a good portion of the year), they have to wander and eat, wander and eat to bulk up for the next hibernation period. If they are contained in a small space they try to climb the corners, scratching and digging until it drives you crazy.
 

wellington

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I second everything Yvonne said. Build the tortoise an outdoor enclosure. If you live in the colder areas, then house him inside for winter and outside for summer. The breeder tank is still too small. Also, it could be very risky housing the anoles and russian together.
 

SaintVirus

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Thanks for all of the helpful information, everyone! I really had no idea that a 40 gallon would still be too small of an enclosure for him! Now that rises up my next question; if I cannot keep him outside in a closure, is it THAT unhealthy and bad of an idea to keep him in a 40 gallon enclosure? Thank you.
 

Tom

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Now that rises up my next question; if I cannot keep him outside in a closure, is it THAT unhealthy and bad of an idea to keep him in a 40 gallon enclosure? Thank you.

Yes. It is really that bad. That is much too small of a space for a russian tortoise. 4x8 feet is the generally recommended foot print for a russian enclosure. If you could only fit 2x8 feet or 3x6 feet, it would not be the end of the world, but 1.5x3 feet is much too small. Its not that the tortoise will instantly drop dead the moment its feet touch the floor in a small enclosure, it just that over time a tiny enclosure is not good for the mental and physical well-being of the tortoise. They need room to move, explore and exercise.

Species should not be mixed. The potential for injury and disease spread is high. Anoles can carry all sorts of pathogens that they have evolved to deal with, so they don't harm them. When they poop and it drops to the floor of the enclosure, the tortoise will likely eat it. This will infect the tortoise with the pathogens that don't bother the anoles, but could be fatal to the tortoise. They need separate enclosures.
 

SaintVirus

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Yes. It is really that bad. That is much too small of a space for a russian tortoise. 4x8 feet is the generally recommended foot print for a russian enclosure. If you could only fit 2x8 feet or 3x6 feet, it would not be the end of the world, but 1.5x3 feet is much too small. Its not that the tortoise will instantly drop dead the moment its feet touch the floor in a small enclosure, it just that over time a tiny enclosure is not good for the mental and physical well-being of the tortoise. They need room to move, explore and exercise.

Although I do plan on taking him outside quite a bit when it gets a tad warmer, what would then be your suggestion for keeping him inside?
 

Tom

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My suggestion is 4x8' inside and as large as you can practically go outside. My outdoor russian pens are 24x7' and 4x14' for the little ones. I feel these are on the small side and intend to go bigger as they grow.
 

wellington

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Most don't have the room like Tom does. So, do the biggest you can go, making it no smaller then the 4x8 outside always going bigger if possible. If you don't have a lot of room inside, many have made two level enclosures. Also, large 50 gallon plastic tote boxes make for good cheap enclosures and you can combine more then one by cutting a hole in the sides or end and joining the two together. You can even do more then two.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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My friend who kept green anoles said that they are very territorial and sometimes bite intruders. Also if they were stressed they used to sometimes shed their tails if they thought they were being attacked and the tail would wiggle about on it's own to distract the aggressor.
Don't know if a tortoise would attack them if it felt territorial, or if the anoles would bother with a tortoise.
And your anoles may be a different species, there are hundreds of types.
But best not risk it I think.
 

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