Hybrid tortoises

[vikki]

What are the potential risks with hybrid tortoises and do they suffer more health problems or can some of them lead healthy normal lives?
Just asking purely out of interest as have just seen a sulcata x leopard hybrid advertised for sale.

[Ozric Jonathan]

Hi Vikki. As far as I know there are no big problems for hermann hybrids. There are a lot of them around.

It's an interesting question about what happens with species which are further apart.

[sandy]

Originally Posted by vikki

What are the potential risks with hybrid tortoises and do they suffer more health problems or can some of them lead healthy normal lives?
Just asking purely out of interest as have just seen a sulcata x leopard hybrid advertised for sale.

I have kept hybrid Ibera marginata crosses, two what turned out to be males.
They were an accident when a male marginata got in with a female Ibera.
Not bred by me, but I said I would take two hatchlings on to see how they went.
I kept them for ten years without any problems. I passed them on to a new keeper who has had them three years an are still growing strong. As I still keep in touch with the lady. And she is still doing a great job with them considering she has never kept them before. They are smooth:0)

[tortydat]

Originally Posted by sandy

I have kept hybrid Ibera marginata crosses, two what turned out to be males.
They were an accident when a male marginata got in with a female Ibera.
Not bred by me, but I said I would take two hatchlings on to see how they went.
I kept them for ten years without any problems. I passed them on to a new keeper who has had them three years an are still growing strong. As I still keep in touch with the lady. And she is still doing a great job with them considering she has never kept them before. They are smooth:0)

Did they take after the Marginated or ibera Sandy as another one from the same clutch that still lives in the village looks like a very large Marginated but no Marginated pattern underneath in fact just a creamy plastron. Yes I confess they were mine but I wouldn't recommend it at all as we should be breeding pure species IMO and I haven't done it since! Mary

[Suze65]

Originally Posted by sandy

I have kept hybrid Ibera marginata crosses, two what turned out to be males.
They were an accident when a male marginata got in with a female Ibera.
Not bred by me, but I said I would take two hatchlings on to see how they went.
I kept them for ten years without any problems. I passed them on to a new keeper who has had them three years an are still growing strong. As I still keep in touch with the lady. And she is still doing a great job with them considering she has never kept them before. They are smooth:0)

Ibera and Mariginata are genetically related anyway, so they do cross bread well.

[sandy]

Originally Posted by tortydat

Did they take after the Marginated or ibera Sandy as another one from the same clutch that still lives in the village looks like a very large Marginated but no Marginated pattern underneath in fact just a creamy plastron. Yes I confess they were mine but I wouldn't recommend it at all as we should be breeding pure species IMO and I haven't done it since! Mary

Well I can see one is more Ibera and the other marginata, both have more Ibera colouring, and both have the plain colour underneath. But both very healthy Mary.

[burnt toast]

Any pictures Sandy? I would love to see them.

[Anyfoot]

Furthest apart geographically hybrid I've seen is a redfoot x sulcata. Africa to south America.

[Anyfoot]

Found it.

[burnt toast]

Originally Posted by Anyfoot

Found it.

Seems a crazy cross to me. They both have such contrasting care requirements. One comes from dry grasslands and the other likes high humidity?