Mixing species

[-EJ]

This is always a good debatable topic...

This comes to mind because of a post I was reading on another list.

I watched this vet get slammed because he saw nothing wrong with it... it is good to see that there is some consistancy in the world.

I don't mind going off on this here because of all the times I've posted photos of my setups... no one has ever gone off on me(here)... that's a cool thing.

[GlasgowGecko]

Well, I love the idea of free debate, and as it happens mixings species is something I feel quite strongly about. So here goes:

As with everything I really feel that this topic is not straight forward, there is no one correct answer. It is very much situation specific. If the species have the same general requirements then I truely think it is possible. But it very much depends on the enclosure type.
There are also other things to take into account, including size (animal), dominance etc...

My real area of annoyance on this subject is the claim of species specific parasite/bacteria/symbionts... so we'll wait and see if it comes up.

Andy

[Tina]

At one time I'd have said 'no, no, no'... but the more I read and the more people I speak to the more I'm on the fence about single sex mixing of species who get along together okay and who are all healthy.

I still don't like the idea of mixed species breeding... one because of the high mortality rate of hatchlings and two because of the different mating rituals which could cause injury... I'm talking meds here.

I'd like to learn more about species specific immunity to disease before I get off the fence.

[gtm]

Was he slammed by other vets?

[redshazzy]

hubby was in local pet shop today ,a lady was looking at the tortoises ,in one tank they had redfoots ,hermanns ,horsfeilds all together.
the lady asked her daughter which two she wanted she chose 1 red foot and 1 hermann .
she asked the woman who owns the shop would they be ok together she said YES ,she then asked what they eat and was told crickets and meal worms .
luckely the woman said she would come back ,hubby being hubby had to say something to the lady as these two speceis really wouldnt be able to be kept together .
he told her to go on the internet and do some research ,it just made me cringe as the poor little mites wouldnt last very long .
i may be wrong as im still new to it all but i research and ask lots of questions .

but me no i wouldnt keep diffrent speceis together

[Tina]

Originally Posted by GlasgowGecko

My real area of annoyance on this subject is the claim of species specific parasite/bacteria/symbionts... so we'll wait and see if it comes up.

Andy

It came up quite quickly with my post directly after yours!

What can you tell me about the claims of species specific immunities?

[-EJ]

You're one of the few people on this forum who would understand the basic question... it's similar to the basic requirement in the protein debate... What is a species? It's a subjective unit that is created by people... very few agree as to what defines this basic unit... so if you can decide on the unit how can you say the two units cannot be put together?

You're last line... scare tactic. The disease issue has very little to do with species specific.

Originally Posted by GlasgowGecko

Well, I love the idea of free debate, and as it happens mixings species is something I feel quite strongly about. So here goes:

As with everything I really feel that this topic is not straight forward, there is no one correct answer. It is very much situation specific. If the species have the same general requirements then I truely think it is possible. But it very much depends on the enclosure type.
There are also other things to take into account, including size (animal), dominance etc...

My real area of annoyance on this subject is the claim of species specific parasite/bacteria/symbionts... so we'll wait and see if it comes up.

Andy

[-EJ]

I doubt it because most vets know about the species debate... they are tortoises and that's all that counts.

Originally Posted by gtm

Was he slammed by other vets?

[-EJ]

Well... the petshop lady is not wrong. They share the same basic requirements.

You should do a little research and get away from those who 'know' what a tortoise requires.

Hit as many resources as you can find. You'll see a common pattern among all tortoises.

Originally Posted by redshazzy

hubby was in local pet shop today ,a lady was looking at the tortoises ,in one tank they had redfoots ,hermanns ,horsfeilds all together.
the lady asked her daughter which two she wanted she chose 1 red foot and 1 hermann .
she asked the woman who owns the shop would they be ok together she said YES ,she then asked what they eat and was told crickets and meal worms .
luckely the woman said she would come back ,hubby being hubby had to say something to the lady as these two speceis really wouldnt be able to be kept together .
he told her to go on the internet and do some research ,it just made me cringe as the poor little mites wouldnt last very long .
i may be wrong as im still new to it all but i research and ask lots of questions .

but me no i wouldnt keep diffrent speceis together

[-EJ]

It's not a question of specific immunities but of specific tolerences but this has more to do with wild caught vs. captive bred...

Originally Posted by Tina

It came up quite quickly with my post directly after yours!

What can you tell me about the claims of species specific immunities?