Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,

I have had a hatching Hermann's for about 4 months and a friend who rescues tortoises says that baby tortoise prefer to have another tortoise to hang out with...true or not true....should I get a second tortoise...and best to just get another Hermanns rather than another species....??

Thanks,
Tammy

When my Hermann was about four months old I also thought I should get him a little friend so I got another Hermann the same age from a different breeder. Things were fine at first but now they are a year old and he is totally picking on the other one. I finally had to seperate them. He was hogging all the food and she wasn't getting enough. He is growing way too fast because of this. He just starting flipping her over now. Poor little thing! She is much happier now that I have them seperated. Both of them never seemed to even care or notice that the other one was in the pen with them. If you do decide to get a friend for your tort, make sure you can seperate them if you have to. Also I would recommend getting the same kind of tort if you plan on putting them together. Good luck!
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Becki

1 Husband
4 kids
2 Hermans
1 Dog
2 Finches
2 Betta
1 Cat

Hi Becki,

Thanks for the reply....anyone else have any comments good or bad for adding a second Hermanns?

Tammy

A couple of years ago my 2nd Hermanns hatchling spent the winter inside with my Egyptian while the big Hermanns hibernated. They got along just fine & always burrowed down & slept together.

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Where do you live? Only interested because you mentioned that your tort spent the winter outdoors.

Thanks,

Brian

Brian,

I'm interested in the pvc/hardware cloth covers for your tort pens.

Do you have any instructions, photos, etc of the covers and how you made them?

Thanks

I can tell you my experience. I thought the same thing about keeping two Hermanns. After keeping them apart the recommended amount of time to insure they were both healthy, I tried putting them together. The older one bit the tail off the younger one. They were close enough in size too that I didn't worry about one being bullied. I was wrong. They are in separate habitats now and I would never do that again. My younger one is living fine with her tail gone thankgoodness but it was a scary experience.

I have two young Hermann's together, but they are siblings and have always been together. Whether they'll get along as adults is something else, who knows? If you do decide to get another tortoise, there are a few things you need to consider first. One, there is always the possibility that they won't get along, or that one will intimidate the other. Two, you will need to quarantine the new tortoise for at least a month, preferably 3 months or longer, to avoid spreading disease/parasites to the tort you have now. Third, if you mix species, you should be aware that you are risking the loss of your torts. One species may carry pathogens that don't affect it, but are lethal to another species.

You don't need to get another tort to keep yours company, but there's no reason why you can't! Just make sure you have the room for a separate enclosure, in case things don't work out.
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Sohni
Northern California

In wild caught toroises the risk of pathogens invading unrelated species is a real one but you have to wonder where those pathogens are going to come from in captive born animals.

This idea of not mixing species is a purist one and doesn't have a great deal of merrit.

Mixing species, while not accepted by the control freaks of the tortoise world, is not a problem as long as precautions are taken that amount to nothing more than common sense.

>I have two young Hermann's together, but they are siblings and have always been together. Whether they'll get along as adults is something else, who knows? If you do decide to get another tortoise, there are a few things you need to consider first. One, there is always the possibility that they won't get along, or that one will intimidate the other. Two, you will need to quarantine the new tortoise for at least a month, preferably 3 months or longer, to avoid spreading disease/parasites to the tort you have now. Third, if you mix species, you should be aware that you are risking the loss of your torts. One species may carry pathogens that don't affect it, but are lethal to another species.
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>>You don't need to get another tort to keep yours company, but there's no reason why you can't! Just make sure you have the room for a separate enclosure, in case things don't work out.
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>>Sohni
>>Northern California
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care