Jackson7
New Member
Hello,
My wife and I got 2 cherry heads (Cherry (F) and Berry (M)) 6 months ago we really like them and things have be going well so far (the forums have been very helpful). They are currently in a 2'x4' enclosure and I'm getting ready to build them a larger one.
Reading that they are social for tortoises, we got 2. However, I've read that 2 is an especially bad number, so before I build a larger enclosure, I'd like to figure out how to proceed.
I'm in MN so its going to be an indoor enclosure. I have a room that is separate from the central air that I can keep at 80F and 70%rh year round. Without changing anything I can build at least a 40sqft enclosure, but if I destroy a perfectly functional, though old and unused hot tub, I could easily fit something on the order of 150 sqft.
I can think of three paths:
Separate Chery and Berry now:
I don't really want to do this, but I would if I had to. It's logistically more difficult, we enjoy watching them interact, they really seem (at this younger age anyway) to prefer each other's company (choosing the same hide when multiple options are available). Maybe most importantly is if they can share an enclosure they can live in twice as big a space.
Do they actually prefer each others company?
Its my assumption that a space twice as big with 2 torts is "bigger" than a smaller space with 1 tort, correct?
Plan to separate them later:
So far Cherry and Berry have gotten along great. I could simply hope that this is the rare case where I have 2 torts that just get along forever, build however big an enclosure I can and then if they get aggressive, build a brick wall down the middle.
How likely is that to work out? I've been led to believe its unlikely.
I've read that 32sqft (8'x4') is the minimum for an adult, is that the minimum they'll be happy? healthy? survive?
More Tortoises:
I've read that female heavy herds are pretty stable for cherry heads. I'd prefer to have 4 torts together over 2 separated, provided I can take good care of them. This is what I have the most questions about:
Is 4 a good size? Is more necessary? Can 4 cherry heads live in a 12'x12' area? Could more?
Cherry and Berry both hit 5in today. It seems like cherry heads are sold at 4in more often than anything else. Is that too big of a size difference, would I need to find similarly sized torts?
Speaking of small torts, they can be kind of difficult to sex at that size. We were hoping to get two females the first time (we like Berry so that's okay), but it seems even more important to only have 1 male in a herd of 4? Any tips on how to guarantee that?
In that same vein, are cherry heads common at rescue? is that a possible option?
Sound like 3 months of quarantine is a good idea when getting new reptiles. At some point I'll have a big enclosure and my old small tank. Is it important that I introduce all the torts to the big enclosure at the sane time to avoid being territorial. Can the new torts quarantine in the old tank till they are safe and then be added to the big one?
I have some tangential questions about breeding. If I have males and females in the same area, breeding just happens right? Raising hatchlings sounds fun, but isn't my primary goal here. I know, for example, a lot of sulcata tortoises end up in rescues because they are so large, they live so long, and they are so easy to get. How in demand are cherry head tortoises? 50 years is a long time; how likely are they to end up living a good life? If the answer is low, are there ways to stop breeding besides separation or surgery?
-Thanks
My wife and I got 2 cherry heads (Cherry (F) and Berry (M)) 6 months ago we really like them and things have be going well so far (the forums have been very helpful). They are currently in a 2'x4' enclosure and I'm getting ready to build them a larger one.
Reading that they are social for tortoises, we got 2. However, I've read that 2 is an especially bad number, so before I build a larger enclosure, I'd like to figure out how to proceed.
I'm in MN so its going to be an indoor enclosure. I have a room that is separate from the central air that I can keep at 80F and 70%rh year round. Without changing anything I can build at least a 40sqft enclosure, but if I destroy a perfectly functional, though old and unused hot tub, I could easily fit something on the order of 150 sqft.
I can think of three paths:
Separate Chery and Berry now:
I don't really want to do this, but I would if I had to. It's logistically more difficult, we enjoy watching them interact, they really seem (at this younger age anyway) to prefer each other's company (choosing the same hide when multiple options are available). Maybe most importantly is if they can share an enclosure they can live in twice as big a space.
Do they actually prefer each others company?
Its my assumption that a space twice as big with 2 torts is "bigger" than a smaller space with 1 tort, correct?
Plan to separate them later:
So far Cherry and Berry have gotten along great. I could simply hope that this is the rare case where I have 2 torts that just get along forever, build however big an enclosure I can and then if they get aggressive, build a brick wall down the middle.
How likely is that to work out? I've been led to believe its unlikely.
I've read that 32sqft (8'x4') is the minimum for an adult, is that the minimum they'll be happy? healthy? survive?
More Tortoises:
I've read that female heavy herds are pretty stable for cherry heads. I'd prefer to have 4 torts together over 2 separated, provided I can take good care of them. This is what I have the most questions about:
Is 4 a good size? Is more necessary? Can 4 cherry heads live in a 12'x12' area? Could more?
Cherry and Berry both hit 5in today. It seems like cherry heads are sold at 4in more often than anything else. Is that too big of a size difference, would I need to find similarly sized torts?
Speaking of small torts, they can be kind of difficult to sex at that size. We were hoping to get two females the first time (we like Berry so that's okay), but it seems even more important to only have 1 male in a herd of 4? Any tips on how to guarantee that?
In that same vein, are cherry heads common at rescue? is that a possible option?
Sound like 3 months of quarantine is a good idea when getting new reptiles. At some point I'll have a big enclosure and my old small tank. Is it important that I introduce all the torts to the big enclosure at the sane time to avoid being territorial. Can the new torts quarantine in the old tank till they are safe and then be added to the big one?
I have some tangential questions about breeding. If I have males and females in the same area, breeding just happens right? Raising hatchlings sounds fun, but isn't my primary goal here. I know, for example, a lot of sulcata tortoises end up in rescues because they are so large, they live so long, and they are so easy to get. How in demand are cherry head tortoises? 50 years is a long time; how likely are they to end up living a good life? If the answer is low, are there ways to stop breeding besides separation or surgery?
-Thanks