advice on a pair of horsfields

[emma]

Hi,
Sorry if this goes on for a bit, but I am a new and very confused tortoise keeper. I have had what I thought was a 2 1/2 year old female Hermann's for 18 months. I have now found out by seeing two vets and a reptile shop owner that I have a male Horsfield.

I was told by the first vet that I saw that my tortoise Alfie would like a friend for company, but that it would have to be female to prevent fighting. After a lot of looking around I found a reptile shop in the area (I know these are not always best, but after visiting and talking to the staff felt that they seemed quite knowledgeable and all the animals looked well looked after). They sold me an 18 month old Horsfield and assured me that she was female due to the smallness of her tail, I asked if there would be a problem with fighting, and was told that they had never had any problems of fighting with their own Horsfields. I had been looking for a tortoise the same size and a similar age to mine, the one they had was a lot smaller, so they said that perhaps mine was older than I thought.

They did assure me that if there were any problems with fighting or if the new tortoise did not settle (she was incredibly shy in the shop) then I could take her back for a refund and they would look for a more suitable one. I am concerned that the new tortoise is too small in comparison to mine, I have attached pictures of both and would be grateful if someone could confirm if possible what I have and whether or not they will be OK living together. So far they seem fine, the new one Bella seems OK and is eating, even when my tortoise is standing on top of her! But she has also been spending a lot of time buried. I am also a bit concerned with the state of the Bella's shell as it seems a lot drier and duller than Alfie's.

My tortoise is 4.5 inches long and the new one is 3 inches (measuring from the bottom of their shell).

Sorry to go on for so long, but I have had so many different bits of advice that I don't know what is right!

Thanks in advance
http://upload4.postimage.org/964320/cornwallande_bay424.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/964320/photo_hosting.html)http://upload4.postimage.org/964299/cornwallande_bay422.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/964299/photo_hosting.html)http://upload4.postimage.org/964542/Alfiestail.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/964542/photo_hosting.html)
http://upload4.postimage.org/964546/AlfieandBella.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/964546/photo_hosting.html)

[aprillinda]

hi emma

i cant see the pictures

linda

[emma]

Hi Linda,

I know, I can't figure out why they aren't there. This is the first message that I have posted so am a bit unsure how everyting works!

[Henry-flash]

Here you go I have sorted your pictures out for you :D

http://upload4.postimage.org/964446/1.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/964446/photo_hosting.html)

http://upload4.postimage.org/964447/2.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/964447/photo_hosting.html)

[emma]

Thank you so much, how did you do that? There should be two others.

Thanks,
Emma

[Henry-flash]

I used the site Photo Uploader. If you go into the picture section there is a how to guide :wink:

When you purchased your new tortoise you really should have kept your torotises apart for atleast 6 months to prevent the spread of disease etc. I would suggest having your torts wormed if you haven't already. I say this because most petshop bought tortoises are imported and often worm infested. If you decide to buy another tortoise at a later date please seek a breeder and don't go back to the petshop. I won't give a decision on the sex of the torotise I will leave it to someone more experienced :wink:

[emma]

OK, will have another look at the photo section. I would have rather bought from a breeder but could not find one, I discovered this site too late! Thanks for your help, I will get them to the vets to be wormed asap.