Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have always been told to never keep different species together, but what does this mean not in the same yard, not in the same room, or just not in the same table. I was hoping too expand my collection but did not want to crowd anybody. any input will be appreciated THX Joshua

I keep two different species in the same room: russians and leopards.

I've sometimes had 2-3 species in seperate enclosures in the yard: russians, leopards, and 3-toed boxies. There was at least 10 ft of space between enclosures to avoid contamination by water runoff.

I don't let one species ever use the same enclosure that another species has used without a thorough cleaning. I don't allow myself to touch a wild-caught animal and then a captive-bred animal without first washing my hands. I sometimes handle my CB russians and CB leopards without washing, but probably shouldn't.

I just try to avoid cross-contamination. I don't consider sharing the same air a problem. It's the food, water, feces, etc. that I worry about.

Thanks alot, that is great news . now I can enjoy the company of many different types of tortoises without worry. Thanks for the info

Hi, Joshua,

As long as all of the animals have been quarantined and are disease-free, then the "don't keep different species together" rule of thumb goes toward making sure that you provide the right environs for each species. You wouldn't want to keep a Redfooted Tortoise in the same enclosure as, say, a Leopard---they require entirely different environments to maintain physiological and psychological health. That is not to say that you can't keep them in the same room or yard, just as long as you can produce enclosures that meet each species' distinct needs.

If these are new specimens that you are acquiring, then all bets are off. A quarantine enclosure should indeed be maintained as far away as possible from any stable animals you have. You'll want to mitigate any risk of pathogens jumping from an unquarantined animal to your established animals---that's also why you never want to mix tools or bowls between animals under quarantine and others.

HTH,

T