if i get a tortis, can i put in with my indonesian box turtle???

Question

I have a land indonesian box turtle named frankie, I would like to get him a friend and was wondering if a land tortis would be ok to put in the same aquarium with my turtle.

Answer 1

It would not be advisable, since the Indonesian box turtle, better know as Malayan Box turtle, (Cuora aboinensis) prefers a humid, watery habitat. It should have a shallow tank full of water about half the height of the turtle's shell. Provide some land areas as well. They are a swampy turtle.

As for tortoises, they do not like water and cannot swim. Most tortoises are from dry places and rain forests, which cannot be combine with a swampy turtle.

One more thing... you should not mix turtles from different regions. You may introduce new "bugs" to each other, sort of like how Europeans introduced diseases to the native of NA.

Here are some caresheets for your boxie and other common torts:
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/Camboinensiscare.htm
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/hermannstortoisecare.htm
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/iberacare.htm

Answer 2

I would advise against it for several reasons- in no particular order...

1. Territoriality. Turtles are not usually social (although there certainly are exceptions), so often don't like and respond poorly to new cagemates- especially another male. This can be reduced if the cage is way big with several good basking and hiding sites.

2. Habitat. The various species of Oriental Box turtles (Cuora species) come from cooler, wetter, marshier habitats than the tortoises do. I cannot think of a tortoise species that would be happy in a cage that would make a Malaysian Box turtle happy.

3. Region. It is generally not smart to mix geographical zones. There are indeed some Indonesian tortoises, but they tend to be expensive and not recommended as pets. Otherwise, you are mixing and matching parasites and diseases, AND you almost always violate the 'same habitat' rule this way.

4. Diet. These guys will eat very different things to be healthy, but they will also gladly feast on each others food given a chance. For example- the Box wants a lot more protein than a tortoise would be healthy with, but the tortoise will gladly pig out on protein if you give it a chance.

5. 'Aquarium'. That word always bothers me a bit for turtles. The land turtle rule of thumb is about 100 square inches per inch of turtle. An Oriental Box runs about 6", so you already should have about 600 square inches- call it 15"x40". Now- add a SMALL 6" tortoise- 1200 square inches needed- about double the size tank. Do you REALLY have room for another turtle in there?

Answer 3

No. Turtles are kept in water, tortoises on land. If you mix the two you will undboubtedly have problems.