Bonding turtles?

Question

Okay first of all I would like to say "Hi!" and thanks for answering if you did! I have a Russian Tortoise that I bought at a petstore and she was sharing an aquarium with another Russian Tortoise. When I first bought her she was always shy but she's not anymore and seems lonely, so I'm possitive I want to get her a buddy!! I just want to know if different breeds of turtles get along because Russian Tortoises can be kind of expensive. Wow that was long!

Thanks!

Answer 1

PLEASE don't listen to Guest3027.  He/she sounds like a well-meaning but absolutely TERRIBLE reptile owner.  A 30 gallon tank is NOT big enough for even one tortoise, let alone 12!?!?!  You need a 40 gallon minimum for one russian tortoise, and if you want to add another one than make it 60 (and it has to be long, not high).

Tortoises and reptiles in general do NOT get lonely.  They don't want or need friends.  They are not humans, they are not even mammals.  Do not anthropomorphize them (that's thinking they want the same things you do) because they have different brains han we do and are not social animals.  They may or may not have problems when kept in groups, and it isn't necessarily a bad thing to have more than one in the same enclosure, but more often than not you will end up stressing them out more than anything by keeping too many animals in too small of a space.