Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i've thought off and on about giving junior a friend. i've read that some tortoise species really don't do well with others, but that redfoots can be okay (and even kinda social, as far as reptiles go) in groups. what are your opinions?

my vet and i think that junior is most probably a male (the butt shot below is kind of old, but he still has the same general shape down there). if that is the case, what gender should his friend be? if i get him a platonic male buddy, will they fight? if i get him a female pal, will he pester the everliving s*** out of her? in that case i know that i would have to also be prepared to care for and find homes for potential young'uns.

also, if he is gonna have company, would it be better to introduce one now than to wait until he is older and maybe more set in his ways?

I got two little cherryheads (1.1) to go with my big female redfoot. They seem to enjoy each other's company immensely. Almost every night, they end up sleeping together. During the days I sometimes catch two of them gazing into each other's eyes or following each other. The big female is about 9-10" SCL and the two others are about 6-7" SCL. Bottom line, I think they like having friends...or am I totally projecting!?!

I totally didn't answer your other questions. I don't know if there will be fighting between two males as they reach sexual maturity. The amount of space that they have is also a factor on fighting. I got a pair and if and when they finally breed, I will worry about the babies at that time. I read somewhere that they take a few years to mature sexually, and then some more time to figure out how to do it properly. My little male, he is the smallest of the three hasn't reached his peak yet so I don't know if yours will be a little pushy when he gets older. Just amke sure you get the new one vet checked and wormed for parasites, etc. Good luck!

I got my first redfoot a little over 4 years ago - she was about 3 months old at the time. When she was about two, we got a yellowfoot and they got along really well. However, Chelsea (the yellowfoot) passed away due to a congenital disease and Shellie was alone for a few months. I couldn't stand only having one tort, so this April, we got another redfoot. I swear, Shellie's goal in life is to kill Padme. They have "supervised play", but are separated in the habitat. I'm hoping when Padme gets bigger, she'll just fend off Shellie...Shellie weighs a little over 5 pounds now and Padme is 6 1/2 oz.

Good luck!

i suppose that the bottom line is that i need to be prepared to separate them should the need arise -- i'd hate to see someone get hurt! also, i'd definitely do the vet check and a quarantine, because i love junior entirely too much to risk him getting sick from my impatience!

i think that "six months" is the general buzz on quarantine time?

this is still something i'm not entirely certain of, but i always value opinions!