Posted by:
VICtort
at Sat Nov 8 14:04:34 2008 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by VICtort ]
Well maybe...but you will find many tortoises, especially males to be keenly aware of what other animals are sharing their space. It only takes moments to have unhealthy exposures to baceria, viruses, etc. For that reason I don't transfer food from one enclosure to another. In fact, having them together briefly often encourages agressive behavior, as if they are together long term, sometimes they will work out a truce, a dominant-subordinate relationship. This is obvious when you introduce a new horsefieldi to an established group, sort of like barn yard chickens...a "pecking order" is established.
Your nice outdoor pen is relatively large compared to many, but is small relative to the natural enviroment. Where/what will a subordinate tortoise do if/when an agressive one goes after it? Again, respectfully, I am reluctant to mix them, and I notice most respected Zoos do not mix either. What say others?
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