Introduction tips?

[JLM]

Ok so hazels quarantine is up and her last month has been less than ideal in the emergency tote in the bathroom. I originally put her in the tortoise house but Ruby was determined to meet her and kept flipping over while trying to climb. So I took her out and we’ve been dealing with it. Now I’ve put her in the house but ruby is just following her around nonstop. Is there a way to “introduce” them like dogs or cats? How long should I be closely monitoring (I’ve been watching the nest cam nonstop)? Suggestions??

 

[Tom]

Is it just the two of them? They should never live as pairs. Injury or death is likely. We told this to a member a few years ago with two RFs, and six weeks later she came back asking us what to do after the one had eaten the tail and most of a back leg of its cage mate.

The following behavior you describe is very aggressive behavior. That one is telling the other to get out of its territory, and telling it hard.

For this to work, you'd need to introduce multiple new ones and do it in an unfamiliar territory where neither of them have ever been. Trying to drop a new tortoise into the established territory of an existing tortoise will seldom work. Even with relatively peaceful species like RFs.

 

[bouaboua]

Great advise from Tom.