Compatible Tortoises

[clubtastic]

I keep Russian tortoise with a lepord they do just fine.
Been in the same cage for 4 years. No tail nipping, no violence. Its a female and male. the male russian gets pissed when i take out the female to wash her shell every month

 

[davo]

NEVER, EVER mix a gopher tortoise (specialy gophers) with any other tortoise speciesGophers are extremely sensitive about patogens carried in a passive way by sulcatas, leopards and others. In terms of patogens the big guys here are herpes virus (much more serious in tortoises than in humans and diferent from the one it afects us) and Mycoplasma. Both carried by feral desert tortoises that were in contact with greeks, sulcatas ,etc, are responsable for dessimating thousands of wild tortoises. This has happened to several Gopherus species and some years ago it was so bad that desert tortoises became seriously endangered because of that. Since then things have setle down but let´s not make the same mistakes again You cant keep no diferent species tortoises with the ones you already have and any other of the same species you wish to keep with your current animals must be quarentinized during lots of time. Ive herd that ENTIRE colections have been destroed because of this If you wish to make a naturalistic landscape for your toises why dont include insted some native lizards like collareds, chuckwallas, swiffs, etc, to make a desert biope? As for zoos...Dont make me start on thouse They keep thogether animals of totaly diferent needs and habitats, in often totaly insanitary condicions In a zoo here in Portugal there is a exibit were they keep aldabras with hermans Risk of health issues extremely high. But they dont care, if one dies there will be another to replace it

Interesting stuff...

 

[moto110]

The person that breeds the tortoises were i got mine keeps russians with them. I just wanted to know if any one keeps leopards or sulcatas with them.

 

[shells-n-scales]

Guys just cause you kept a certain turtle or tortoises with another one, doesnt mean anything. You got lucky, I dont mix redfoots with sulcattas, or bearded dragons with uromastyxs. Its not a smart thing to do, for all you know and how it was stated before. There can be a transfer of diseases or pathogens. The big issue like it was stated was the effect of Mycoplasma.

"A disease called upper respiratory tract disease (URTD), caused by the bacterium Mycoplasma agassizii, is currently affecting gopher tortoise. The signs of this disease include inflamed respiratory tract, wheezing, runny nose, and swollen eyes. There is no known cure for the disease. Individual tortoise should not be moved to new locations because of the risk of spreading the disease to uninfected populations."

All of the texas tortoises I picked up or found, were tested, and all had tested positive for URTD, they are no longer allowed back into the wild. Alot of speculation has gone around stating that possibly all tortoises carry it, and some might not be affected like others are, or it can be contained if all animals carrying the disease are destroyed in aids to keep it from spreading to other populations.

 

[coura]

So I can't put any Leopards or Sulcatas in with my two Tortoises? By the way you said the disease was caused by feral desert tortoises. Well the ones I have come from a line of desert tortoises that have been breed in captivity for almost ten years.

Not trying to argue just got a little confused with your essay you wrote me, though.

P.s. I can't get chuckwallas or any of those lizards because it is illegal to take those animal from the wild.

No you got it the wrong way thouse were healty tortoises like yours that came into contact with sulcatas, leopards ,etc, that were assintomatic carriers of thouse diseases and they become infected and before dying they transmited thouse to wild populations after being dumped by their owners. This must be taken very seriously by anyone that owns gophers because they are the most sensitive toises to thouse patogens. It even recomended that they dont sher the same house with other species

 

[coura]

The person that breeds the tortoises were i got mine keeps russians with them. I just wanted to know if any one keeps leopards or sulcatas with them.

That breeder doesant know what he´s doing and he´s lucky he still got its stock alive

 

[coura]

I keep Russian tortoise with a lepord they do just fine.
Been in the same cage for 4 years. No tail nipping, no violence. Its a female and male. the male russian gets pissed when i take out the female to wash her shell every month

Well 4 years may be a "long time" for you and proff that your toises are healty and get along but really 4 years to a tortoise and its metabolism its the blink of a eye. It is reported that animals being infected and only showing simptoms 10 long years later. All it takes is a mistake of the owner to make the hymune sistem of the animal go down and make the once dormant virus to come alive and do its horrible job. And BOTH of your tortoises are sustetible to it. Leopards are notorious assimptomatic carriers for years. Russians can also do that but more often get sick soner. Also if even your tortoises were absolutley and 100% healty they shouldnt be mixed, they come from VERY DIFERENT natural habitats, they have diferent temperature ,humity and nutricional needs. Recomending to keep them thougeter is the same as smoking 3 packs of cigarretes a day, living to the eigthys and then saing that smoking its good for you. It isnt and such a person is lucky to be alive. Same here, if you dearly love your turtles put them apart and make them homes that suit their individual needs

 

[clubtastic]

Well 4 years may be a "long time" for you and proff that your toises are healty and get along but really 4 years to a tortoise and its metabolism its the blink of a eye. It is reported that animals being infected and only showing simptoms 10 long years later. All it takes is a mistake of the owner to make the hymune sistem of the animal go down and make the once dormant virus to come alive and do its horrible job. And BOTH of your tortoises are sustetible to it. Leopards are notorious assimptomatic carriers for years. Russians can also do that but more often get sick soner. Also if even your tortoises were absolutley and 100% healty they shouldnt be mixed, they come from VERY DIFERENT natural habitats, they have diferent temperature ,humity and nutricional needs. Recomending to keep them thougeter is the same as smoking 3 packs of cigarretes a day, living to the eigthys and then saing that smoking its good for you. It isnt and such a person is lucky to be alive. Same here, if you dearly love your turtles put them apart and make them homes that suit their individual needs

They have like 3 Yards of Room. There outside

 

[moto110]

Thanks a ton coura. You saved me from making a big mistake. If one of my tortoises would have gotten sick my mom would have killed me 2. She loves those things.

 

[coura]

Thanks a ton coura. You saved me from making a big mistake. If one of my tortoises would have gotten sick my mom would have killed me 2. She loves those things.

No prob