Sulcata Question

[shannon0510]

I just got a second baby sulcata. It is biting the other one on the shell, leg, and head. Is this just temporary from stress and will it kill the other? Thanks!

 

[Jacqui]

Okay well first, you really should never place a brand new tortoise in with your existing tortoise(s) until they have been quarantine for awhile, just to be safe. What is happening now, is the old tortoise is seeing the new guy as an intruder who is going to try to eat the best foods and take the best hides and basking spots away from him. So he is checking out the new one and trying to make it clear he is the boss (the dominant one). Is there a size difference? At this point once they get things figured out between them, there may always be a dominance thing which will mean stress for the one who is not the dominant. Or they may get along well, for now. Any time more then one tortoise is in with another, you must always be ready for this aggression/dominance/or sexual desire to cause problems. Sometimes they are just more bluff type things they do to each other, sometimes it is soft warning type bites and shoves, but sometimes it can be all out until one of us dies sort of battles. As a keeper this means you always need to be observant and ready to separate your tortoises in to two enclosures. Right now with your two, if they are pretty close to the same size, I would watch them really carefully and if this behavior keeps going on, then you will have to separate them. I would how ever give them a chance to get things straight between them.

---

P.S. Welcome to the forum! It would be really nice, if you would go to the introduction section and well introduce yourself to us.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi shannon0510:

Your tortoise is proving the rule that tortoises are solitary creatures. They don't like to have to share the best hiding place, or the food, so they are aggressive towards other tortoises in order to clear them out of the territory.

 

[Deac77]

also your enclosure may be a little small! i have 2 sulcatas at the moment (brother and sister) and they get along fine how ever they've been with each other since day 1 and my 2 3inch torts have a WHOLE 55gal tank to sleep in and a GIANT plastic pool outside to spend the day in they sleep together, eat together and show no aggression how ever this is all they know i would take the advice you've been given and maybe try and separate or increase the enclosure size Welcome to the forum these guys are great here!

 

[AZtortMom]

I agree with what is being shared so far. I also have two turtles, but they are brother and sister and they have been with each since day 1. I have them in a 55 gallon tote inside and a HUGE enclosure outside. I would follow the advice given thus far, and WELCOME!!

 

[wildponey21]

well in the summer i keep my two red foots and my two sully togther out side they are all 6 inches they do just fine