Unsure of what gender to get for another tortoise.

[Aheimert48]

so I have a male sulcata and I feel bad with him being alone. I want to get him a friend, another sulcata. I have heard things about 2 male sulcata end up fighting during maturing and so forth. So I was opting to get a female. My only problem is then mating. Now I was gonna get a hatchling because my current sulcata is still in infancy. He was a hatchling when I bought him 5 months ago. So age difference may not be too far off. Any suggestions?

 

[Tom]

First off, you won't know the sex of your tortoise until it reaches about 14-16".

Second thing is that tortoises should never be kept in pairs. The sexes don't matter. Groups of juveniles will usually get along, but not pairs.

Third thing is that they do best when housed all alone. They don't want or need company. They are not a social anima like a dog, a monkey or a human. Other tortoises are seen as a threat or as territorial intruders, not as "friends".

There is a lot of old, out-dated, incorrect care info out there for this species. Most breeders, vets and "experts" have it all wrong. Check these out for the correct care info:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

When people follow the old outdated care advice, irreparable damage is done every day. Its urgent that you know this stuff so you can prevent this damage.

Questions and conversation are welcome.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

 

[Big Charlie]

Your tortoise doesn't need nor want a friend!