thinking of getting a sculta,but...

[cq17ave]

I already have a red foot. my question is can they live together or will they fight. recently i took my bull terrier to mate with another dog as me and the owner where talking a tortoise conversation came up. i told him i had a baby red foot, he goes on to say i have like six full grown in my back yard would you like see. well of course, so iwent to his back yard and there they where 6 full grown red foot and if can remember he had yellow foot and i full grown sculta. he fedthem a big ball of lettuce and they all came of hiding i was super excited. he also had another pen with over 50 box turtles thy where every where he just dug in the dirt and kept bringing them out. he also had flat tortoise running freely in his yard. he also had a pond with albino turtles every where i felt like i was at the zoo, really, he also had many exotic parrots. he offerd to give me two full grown bot turtles but i dont want to take them because i dont have a pen yet. do i have pic's i have one my girl friend took with the camera i will put it up soon.
(i like watching them grow thats why i did not take the box)sorry for the long story, i had to share. and yes for the future i will like to make a pen like his for mine.sorry for the quality of the pic it was a camera phone i would hav taken more but i was talking to the guy

 

[Maggie Cummings]

RE: thinking of getting a sulcata but...

Regards of what you saw at his house...it just is not a good idea to mix species. Sulcata are bullys and will bully another animal to the point that the bullied stops eating. Sulcata are so much larger than redfoots and could possibly hurt the smaller species.
There are all sorts of reasons not to mix species - just one is the exotic disease issue between non-sympatric species .

Another reason to separate the species is related to your ability to "tweak" the habitat. Redfoots and Sulcata require completely different care.
Redfoots need a very humid atmosphere, while the Sulcata does need some humidity, not nearly that of a redfoot...
A third reason has to do with quarantine. You should quarantine any animal that is coming into your collection.

Fourth: This has to do with niche and habitat again - as well as exotic diseases. In the wild the square foot per tortoise area is huge! In captivity even in the largest habitats the animals by necessity are sharing a much more crowded area. As such they have contact with each other as well as the droppings from each other at a much, much higher level than they ever would in the wild. More exposure means more possible disease transmittance. A lot of diseases have threshold infection levels (this is called MID or Minimum Infectious Dose) - In a mixed habitat the new disease could be concentrated beyond that level, unknown until the two contact each other. What gets scary about MID is that it can be different between species and even animals within a species.

 

[cq17ave]

RE: thinking of getting a sulcata but...

Regards of what you saw at his house...it just is not a good idea to mix species. Sulcata are bullys and will bully another animal to the point that the bullied stops eating. Sulcata are so much larger than redfoots and could possibly hurt the smaller species.
There are all sorts of reasons not to mix species - just one is the exotic disease issue between non-sympatric species .

Another reason to separate the species is related to your ability to "tweak" the habitat. Redfoots and Sulcata require completely different care.
Redfoots need a very humid atmosphere, while the Sulcata does need some humidity, not nearly that of a redfoot...
A third reason has to do with quarantine. You should quarantine any animal that is coming into your collection.

Fourth: This has to do with niche and habitat again - as well as exotic diseases. In the wild the square foot per tortoise area is huge! In captivity even in the largest habitats the animals by necessity are sharing a much more crowded area. As such they have contact with each other as well as the droppings from each other at a much, much higher level than they ever would in the wild. More exposure means more possible disease transmittance. A lot of diseases have threshold infection levels (this is called MID or Minimum Infectious Dose) - In a mixed habitat the new disease could be concentrated beyond that level, unknown until the two contact each other. What gets scary about MID is that it can be different between species and even animals within a species.

thank you, while i was there i had ask him should they be together. he was like it dosent matter. before i got my red foot i read alot about them on this forum and i also read like you said you should not mix,i will not be getting a sculta thanx again

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Can't you get a Sulcata and keep them separate?

 

[Meg90]

Please, continue to research. Just because you saw something done one way, one time, does not mean its right.

You CAN keep lots of different species together. Does that mean that you should? Its harmful to both animals, physically, mentally and emotionally.

All around not a good idea. I like to put it like this, I CAN raise a child on cold hot dogs and koolaid, but does that mean that I should?

 

[cq17ave]

trust me i will not put them together meg90.maggie i think i still have my mind set on getting one. i thinking of making a wood table pen and splitting it i have the space until they get older and make two seperate pens out side. from the looks of it im thinking of getting another red foot and 2 scultas, since im making the table i have more than enough space.do they get lonley what i really mean would they rather be alone would they like a friend. (im sorry if its a stupid question)

 

[Meg90]

Call me Meg, that's my real name Its not a stupid question, lots of newbies ask it.

But no, the will not get lonely. Tortoise are completely solitary from the moment they hatch in the wild. Take a look at this:

This is Tank and Turbo (photo's courtesy of TanknTurbo--was tired of posting a link instead of actual pictures)

They were purchased as hatchlings, together, and always housed that way. As you can see, they are the same size and species, so most people think that that would be just fine. That they would be friends....and keep each other company

However, take a look at this:

This is how they grew up, or should I say, one of them grew. Tank, became the dominant tortoise. And even though they were the same age, species, and given the same care, only one of them flourished because by tortoise "law" he won the territory and had rights to all the resources therein (food, basking spots etc).Turbo only took what was left over, and never had enough of anything to grow at a normal rate.

Little Turbo has been in a seperate enclosure now, and is starting to grow normally.

Torts only need to fight one time for the loser to know who the boss is. And as babies, this would be the likely outcome no matter what species, because in the wild, only the ones with the best, and most resources lived.

You're better off with one to an enclosure IMO

 

[cq17ave]

thanks meg i really appreciate it. wow they are beautiful. meg with youre experience when is the best time to put him/her in an outside pen should i wait a few years until he/she is bigger. i sit with him/her outside to enjoy the sun as he/she wonders around.

 

[Meg90]

can you post some pictures of you RF? what is its weight and measurement?
here is how to measure your tort: http://www.tlady.clara.net/measure.htm

Once I know that, its easier to give an opinion

 

[dmmj]

unlike our society for torts diversity is bad. I made the mistake once as I have posted on this forum with this story. I once tried to keep frogs when i was younger with my RES's I no longer have frogs. That is not to say that the RF or sulc will eat each other. but they do have different requirements and they could, I stress could have different pathogens (I love that word). You will see on here people who keep different species together and say " I have never had a problem" I did it myself I had my CB reeve in with my RES's now I was 10 and no internet when I did this so I can plead ignorance. they are now seperate and living peacefully.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

http://harpoandfriends.homestead.com/Harpostory.html This is a wonderful diary of a sulcata owner. I got it from shelledwarriors.co.uk. You should read it before deciding to adopt a sulcata. Good luck!

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi...I am curious as to how much land you have. If you are getting 2 Sulcatas, plus 2 Redfoots, they will need acreage, not just a back yard. If you get a Sulcata the size of the one in your photo, it would be too big to be kept in a tort table. Are you aware of how big they get? If you decide to get one, I would suggest getting only one, at least til you actually live with it for a while. You also might want to check with a rescue to get one.
Good luck
Patsy

 

[dmmj]

wait a minute I like hot dogs and kool aid.