Different tortoises

[REDfoots]

Hello I have 2 red foots and they are about 3 or 4 years old and I was planning on getting some more but maybe another species ! Like a few Russians and a spur thighed ? I was hopefully going to get 3 Russians and 1 spur thighed could I put them all in the same cage or .... Please let me know as I don't want them to get sold to someone else

 

[REDfoots]

P.s. The enclosure is about 12-15' long and about 3-4' wide

 

[G-stars]

It's a horrible idea to mix species. If you have the space to generously offer them plenty of space then go for it.

 

[Tom]

Species should never be mixed.

Russians and Greeks have very different environmental requirements than RFs too. Not a good idea to house them together.

 

[leigti]

Do not mix species. Build separate enclosures for each species and then you still may have to separate out individuals. You want to avoid having a pair of tortoises.

 

[REDfoots]

I have seen multiple people mix species and they are perfectly fine

 

[REDfoots]

What if I were to get either just sulcata or just Russians ! Which would be better ? I have a friend that has Russians and sulcata and sulcata and RF's

 

[G-stars]

I have seen multiple people mix species and they are perfectly fine

Perhaps but these species are usually from different continents, have different humidity and diet requirements. Along with being exposed to completely different pathogens.

Trust me it's a recipe for disaster to mix species. You would be gambling with your tortoise's health.

 

[Tom]

I have seen multiple people mix species and they are perfectly fine

I've seen six people at a table play russian roulette. 5 of the six were perfectly fine.

Many people have lost their entire collections due to diseases spread by mixing species. Everyone thinks its fine until the day all your tortoises are sick or dead and you realize it is not fine. Spend a little time talking to a tortoise vet that sees all sorts of tortoise disease epidemics and you will change your tune.

The idea of sharing information on a forum like this is to prevent everyone from having to learn things the hard way. I don't want you to ever have to experience the things I have experienced and witnessed. Think about it... Why would we tell you its not fine, if it is fine? What do any of us stand to gain by telling you not to mix species?

 

[G-stars]

Besides sulcatas get huge. And can be quite aggressive. I'm sure a Russian or redfoot wouldn't stand a chance.

 

[Romie]

Not to mention that your area is too small for one tort much less 3 or 4.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Not to mention that your area is too small for one tort much less 3 or 4.

15 feet by 4 feet isn't a bad size for a juvie redfoot habitat.

But I agree with everyone else saying that it would be a very bad idea to add a few Russians or a sulcata to their habitat. If you want multiple species, you need separate pens.

 

[Anyfoot]

Hello I have 2 red foots and they are about 3 or 4 years old and I was planning on getting some more but maybe another species ! Like a few Russians and a spur thighed ? I was hopefully going to get 3 Russians and 1 spur thighed could I put them all in the same cage or .... Please let me know as I don't want them to get sold to someone else

Quite a lot of tort species are very territorial and loners compared to reds. If you put a Russian in there for example. I reckon your reds would suffer from a constant bullying and in time get stressed. Are your reds cherries or northern.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I agree with the above. For a few reasons. Don't mix species.
And if you buy more Redfoot, know what you'll need to do so:
I have four adult Redfoot and for different reasons they must regularly be separated from each other.
My smallest pen is 12' by 2.5' and it gets cramped for just one of them. (currently a sick female. To avoid stress)
My single male, that right now is too frisky to be around the females lives in a small 16' by 6' pen.
My other two females live in a pen that is roughly 22' by 10'. And it is looking small, too and I have to let them roam my whole back yard almost every day.
Right now, your pen is only large enough for one sub adult Redfoot.
Don't bite off more than you can handle.

 

[Tom]

I agree with the above. For a few reasons. Don't mix species.
And if you buy more Redfoot, know what you'll need to do so:
I have four adult Redfoot and for different reasons they must regularly be separated from each other.
My smallest pen is 12' by 2.5' and it gets cramped for just one of them. (currently a sick female. To avoid stress)
My single male, that right now is too frisky to be around the females lives in a small 16' by 6' pen.
My other two females live in a pen that is roughly 22' by 10'. And it is looking small, too and I have to let them roam my whole back yard almost every day.
Right now, your pen is only large enough for one sub adult Redfoot.
Don't bite off more than you can handle.

Sage words based on real experience. Thanks for sharing this info.

 

[REDfoots]

Well they (my redfoots) are about 6-7 inches long and like 3-5 inches tall once they get bigger I will let them roam around my backyard which is about 50' x 75' and there is no way that it would be to small for 5 tortoises total

 

[REDfoots]

Wether I get more redfoots or not I just wanted to mix it up and get a few other kinds

 

[REDfoots]

Quite a lot of tort species are very territorial and loners compared to reds. If you put a Russian in there for example. I reckon your reds would suffer from a constant bullying and in time get stressed. Are your reds cherries or northern.

They are northern I believe

 

[naturalman91]

You don't want to house different species together it will end badly plus putting a Russian with a red foot is completely out of they're element theses are two species who would never cross in the wild the care is completely different then each other.

Most people we see housing different species together never return once we tell them it's not a good idea so who's to say it's achievable where each species is thriving

 

[mike thornton]

Off the top of my head one thing you could do is build a large enclosure with dividers so each section when divided is 8x16 which modern lumber comes in those dimensions so you could do it with out even cutting any parts and remove the dividers if the torts got along or have all the torts you want and all safe in there own space one thing we all need to do is think what's best for our little friends and not just what we want just my two cents and not even worth that much