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Is it safe to house Russians together? If so which sexes together is better?
Housing Russians together
- Thread starter JJ_BOY
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This is something of a complicated question. Given enough room and spaced out feeding areas, yes. But, problems may still arise. Also, there is a strong need to isolate new russian tortoises for 6 months while observing for any contagious critters, (gut tract worms/parasites and microscopic diseases). I have a colony of 4.4 russians that do well together but they have a very large outdoor enclosure full of sight barriers, multiple hide areas and lots of feeding opportunities. That said, I still observe them during the day for any problems and check them over at least 2 times a day for any signs of aggression or injury.
If you are planning an indoor habitat, then the answer is no. Two Russian tortoises indoors will fight. One of them, the less dominant one, will always be trying to climb the walls, or else always be hiding. Doesn't matter if they're both male, both female, or male/female. Two together indoors just doesn't work.
Ditto to what Yvonne has said. And realize that tortoises don't need, nor do they want, friends in the form of other tortoises.
I agree with all of the above.
In my own words: If you have a large enclosure you can get away with groups sometimes. Generally one male and two to four females works best. However, sometimes it just doesn't. This is a very scrappy species and they can sometimes be brutal with each other. So do your quarantine of new animals and then try putting them together outdoors in a large territory with lots of nooks, crannies, bushes and hiding spots and see how it goes. Be prepared to separate them into their own enclosures if need be.
We have a member in NY that wrote an article for Reptiles magazine. He keeps a couple of groups in 4x8' indoor enclosures, and it goes well for him. For some other people, they use an entire back yard in an area with a good climate, and it still just does not work for them. Sometimes russians just refuse to get along, and other times, people just throw them in together and they get along fine.
The bottom line is: Try for one male and 2-4 females, in a large enclosure, and see how it goes. Just be prepared to separate each of them into an individual enclosure if needed.
In my own words: If you have a large enclosure you can get away with groups sometimes. Generally one male and two to four females works best. However, sometimes it just doesn't. This is a very scrappy species and they can sometimes be brutal with each other. So do your quarantine of new animals and then try putting them together outdoors in a large territory with lots of nooks, crannies, bushes and hiding spots and see how it goes. Be prepared to separate them into their own enclosures if need be.
We have a member in NY that wrote an article for Reptiles magazine. He keeps a couple of groups in 4x8' indoor enclosures, and it goes well for him. For some other people, they use an entire back yard in an area with a good climate, and it still just does not work for them. Sometimes russians just refuse to get along, and other times, people just throw them in together and they get along fine.
The bottom line is: Try for one male and 2-4 females, in a large enclosure, and see how it goes. Just be prepared to separate each of them into an individual enclosure if needed.
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