Inter-speicies living

[greentriple]

OK, this may seem silly to some of you, but I can't wrap my head around it by myself.

How would it be to house a juvi red-footed tortoise with a baby tegu?

They come from the same part of the world. The need the same environment at least in inside enclosures.

What do you all think?

 

[nat]

well, as someone who owns two baby redfoots... I can tell you that they will relentlessly "taste" the tegu on a very regular basis... and eat the tegu's poop every chance they get. I haven't kept mine w/ a tegu but I know enough about their curiosity and feeding habits to see it coming. I have been bit by my redfoots as babies... it doesn't feel good and I can't imagine the tegu would every enjoy it. I don't know what would happen if the tegu managed to get a hold of a soft part of the tortoise (neck, tail, etc). I wouldn't even go there personally as I wouldn't spend a moment relaxing... worrying about what may happen next.

 

[greentriple]

All very good point. Thanks for taking the time to give me some input. I know I want a tortoise, I just can't settle on what type as of yet.

 

[nat]

I have kept russians and am currently keeping sulcatas and redfoots. How much space do you have for a tort ? That will help in determining what species would fit right in your life. My favorite tort to recommend are the redfoots because their personalities are amazing but they don't get as large as some species as other social torts. My baby redfoots follow me around their enclosure and wake up and come visit when they hear me talking. I can't wait until they are the size of my cats. ha ha. My sulcatas are also very very personable but most people don't have the space for 100+ lb bulldozer of an animal.

 

[Ari Gold]

how i personally feel about two animals living together is that a tank is sort of like a bedroom for them. when you have a roomate you may love the person, it could be your best friend, but there are those times where you just need to be alone, and thats what a cage is for. I think they could live together in a house as long as they both have their own cage at the end of the day.

 

[greentriple]

What I was considering is housing them together as babys/juvi. Once the tortoise grew to where keeping it outside was OK I'd put it in a pen in the back yard. I have more than enough room in the yard to build a very large enclosure, and because I'm in San Diego I get sun and warmth most of the year. I just wanted to house them together for about 6 months or so maybe 4.