Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all, I was curious if any of you house your hatchling/yearling sulcatas with similarly sized leopards. I find so many shops and breeders, even zoos that house them together. Even some that house other non-africans, red/yellow foot, stars, even greeks...

I have a great setup for my sulcata babies, I have been on the lookout for some high quality leopards (still not sure of babcocki, or pardalis, thats another post) I have begun a new table for the leopards. I always just assumed they should be housed seperatly for health reasons, parasites, and just b/c they typically don't live side by side that close in the wild.

Does anyone have an opinion on this? Some people have told me that they keep them together after a few months and they prove their health. I am very very cautions of my tortoise environments and housing conditions. Any help would be great.

Everytime you add a tortoise, regardless of the species, you are adding risk. Each different factor (species, habitat, diet...) also ads risk. If you know the risks involved you can take precautions to decrease those risks.
In the case of housing different species together, you can decrease the risk of problems by making sure they have similar habits and habitats and trying not to mix WC because that adds a big risk. It can be done very successfuly if some thought is put into it.
Ed

i agree its probbaly best to separate them, but don't they occur together in some places in the wild (Sudan) and there even are a few hybrids right?

I suggest that you visit a vet, with both of them. If you are really concerned with the health risks that exist, you should ask an expert. Furthermore, any tort/pet purchased at the pet store should be seen by a vet asap. I have been experiancing a pin worm infection (in my torts) that was easly treated, but nonetheless started by a pet store Greek. Its a hassle, but worth while to have my torts healthy. The vet is also a great sourse for examining your options in expanding your tort family.