more than one horsefield?

[geni]

I was given a female Horsefield tortoise last christmas (2007) She is very healthy and happy, i guess as far as a tortoise goes haha but i was wondering if maybe she would be happier if she had a companion. I know a lot of people keep Horsefields together and Horsefields and Hermans but i was wondering if this was an owners choice or if the tortoises benefitted from having company. Anyone know from experience?

[alotoffluff]

I have asked this question before and the general consensus was that torts are solitary animals and would be that way in the wild. So getting another tort is entirely up to you. But, they might not gel anyway and you may have to have them seperate which would defeat the purpose of you getting another one.
But obviously if you want another one, you go for it, but it would be more for you than for your tort! LOL
I want another one desperately, just because i have the tortie bug now!!!

[sandy]

If you got another female, then you would have more chances of them settling down together. Male and female you have the mating thing to cope with which can cause damage and stress to the female. Two males will fight until one becomes alpha male. And then on and off fighting.

[CJ]

Hiya! I've got a male and female horsfield and have just had to split them up as the male became very aggressive towards the female! So, if you do decide to get another you need to bear in mind that you may need to split them up and provide a tortoise table for each of them! As Sandy said, you'd have a better chance of them getting on if you got another female!

[geni]

thanks for the replies. i think i might leave it then if it isnt a benefit to her....but i know what you mean about the tortie bug! i'm moving house soon and building a big outdoor enclosure for her and she'll have lots more space, so i might consider another one then!

[Lou]

i have just moved 3 horsfields intogether.. i've had the older boy longer , the two younger are hopefully girls... they've been in just a week and seem fine at the moment.. like everyone says, you need to make sure you have "just in case" room... my reds on the other hand have been together 5 years (i believe) and they are never far from eachothers side...

[jahred]

This is a cut & paste from a previous post of mine on this topic:

The first point to consider, and the most important point, is if things do go wrong and the Tortoises do end up fighting; do you have provisions to keep the new Tortoise in another enclosure? If you do and are happy with the possibility that you might have to accommodate two enclosures then go for it. If they do like each other then GREAT if they don't, at least you aren't stuck with another tortoise with no-where to place him. Sorry if this sounds extremely pessimistic but at the end of the day, we are dealing with live animals!

Secondly, is the current enclosure big enough to accommodate two Tortoises for the foreseeable future? My current enclosure for both of mine is 2 foot by 4 foot and it should suffice for at least the next two years (when I envisage an upgrade). Even still, at times I feel it is a tad too small to house them over the winter months (obviously, when summer hits, space isn't such an issue in the garden). So, the bigger the better; also, from experience, the bigger the less issues that being "cramped" will cause.

Thirdly, food costs - Remember, that the amount of weeds you must grow/gather will be doubled. If you are having trouble finding enough now, then it will be much harder getting enough for another mouth!

Fourthly, quarantine - Alot of people suggest that the two tortoises should be separated for a number of months before being "integrated" together. This is to make sure that if one Tortoise has something icky, then the other won't contract it. However, I personally skipped this stage and haven't had any bad effects (touch wood). Even still, I wouldn't recommend my approach since I was just incredibly luckily!

Fifthly, Gender - Having two males seems (from what I read) to be the most likely candidate for tortoise aggression. So, having either a male/female combination or female/female will be best. However, with the male/female remember that down the line in the future, you will have to deal with other Tortoise "shenanigans!".

Finally, if you are able to provide all the things above for the new tortoise then I say GO FOR IT. Remember, with another Tortoise, your enjoyment is not doubled but tripled. Since the two Tortoises will not only each interact with the environment but also with each other (In my case, with some very bizarre incidents). Mine haven't had any fights or aggression apart from the one isolated leg biting incident two weeks ago (I've put it down to the fact that Boadicea was sitting on the food whilst Spartacus was eating it). So, for me it was a great success, however, since Tortoises are such idiosyncratic creatures, anything could happen. So preparation for all eventualities is the key!