One Cage- Different Reptiles

Gezt · 10-01-05, 02:44 PM

I know this is a big no no, but a recent trip to the Toronto Zoo had me thinking. They had quite a few reptiles in shared cages. One was a Green Water Dragon with a Box Turtle, and I do remember a Chuckwalla (I think) and some other smaller lizard (I think it had spiny in it's name...). Well, anywhoo, if a large enough cage is provided that suits all animals, why is shared caging not used more often? Also, a list of reptiles that can co-exist would be awesome!

iLLwiLL · 10-01-05, 03:41 PM

its really not recomended mostly because of different diseases and bacteria that reptiles can cary and develop. one type of bacteria from one herps feces might be harmless to its species, but if another herp is exposed to it in a closed environment alot of problems can arise.

theres also competition for food wich can cause alot of stress, territory issues, etc. zoo's can get away with it because they have a staff of trained pros dedicated to look after their mixed reptile exhibits.

~Will.

peterm15 · 10-01-05, 03:53 PM

i personally think that if its a large enough cage and the herps are from the same area in general... ( both from austraila) ect ect.. and you can elinmate compition for food.. whats the problem... ive ofetn thought of mixing a small aboreal with a terestial.. as long as the needs are similir...

but have not done so../.. its just a thought that crosses my mind.. maybe one day

rrrrr · 10-03-05, 09:08 AM

Communal environments require much more experience to pull off. You have to have all the research nailed to know wether any two species even have a shot at living together. You also need to be experienced enough to spot trouble very early in the process. It's not even entirely about competition for food. Predator/prey relations, territoriality, and just general stress from close quarters all have to be considered. Errors in your judgement can very easily lead to dead animals.

Lrptls · 10-03-05, 11:24 AM

iv seen many cages, even pretty small cages with mixed lizard species that do fine. i dont recomend the small cages, i would say if you put 2 lizards together give each lizard twice the amount of space you'd give them if they were alone. certain lizards probably shouldnt be put with others though.
also i think most aquatic turtles can be mixed together. i had a tank with 2 red eard sliders and a red belly and they all got along. theyd even pile up on top of each other when basking (they had plenty of room to bask next to each other) they had alot of room to swim and i watched them when they ate to make sure every one got enough food.
as for mixing snakes i say NO. many snakes are cannibals and even those that are not such as most boids theres pictures you can find where they have eaten each other, like balls, red tails, anacondas and so on.
but back to lizards, its a tricky thing mixing species. they have to require the same temps and humidity and its probably best they eat the same foods. give them alot of space, alot of hides and check on them regularly for any signs of them not geting along.

herp_collector · 10-16-05, 08:40 PM

uhh peterm15 your example of animals being from the same place was a poor one. Australia has rainforests as well as some of the harshest desert land in the world. I think I'm leaning more to rrrrr on this one, but if you were going to do it I wouldn't mix more than two and I would make sure they needed almost exactly the same climate but live in completely different niches. An arborial lizard and a tortoise that ate differents foods would be one example. That way you could eliminate the stress of sharing a food source. A herp and a colony of inverts might go over better such as say hissers (Madagascan Hissing Roachs) and a box turtle or some other herbivorous herp. Thats my two cents, Morgan.

newticus · 10-20-05, 01:36 PM

As for mixing aquatic turtles, you have to be careful. Red ears can get very territorial as they get older. Not to mention a lot of aquatic turtles get to be different sizes, like mixing a small musk turtle with a red ear is prolly not the greatest idea ever.

goat14 · 10-20-05, 04:33 PM

Hello Gezt

Dont worry about the lizards passing dieseases to each other most dieseases are species specific and can not be contracted by other species. Community setups can be easy and rewarding they just require more thought and planning for example more prime basking spots so lthat everyone is'nt so territorial, different temped basking sites, extra room and places for everyone to get out of each others way if one lizard is agressive. If you want to do it it can be done and you'll have a blast it will just take more work. My advice to you is to go out and get the August 2005 issue of reptiles magizine with has a great intelligent and informative article about this very subject with lots of good stuff to get you started and even at list of things that live well together. Just dont put anything expensive in the tank IE. piebald. If you have any questions you can pm me and ill try to get back to you but this is my dads account so it might take a couple days

peterm15 · 10-20-05, 05:52 PM

as long as the needs are similir...

i also said that.. which means both for desert.. ect

TamTams · 10-21-05, 08:43 AM

I have put box turtles and green iguanas together and have 3 box turtles and 8 iguanas together (iguanas all taken in from owners that gave them away) and they all get along just great! I have them in a large room type enclosure but when i clean that space i put them in a closet type enclosure temp, The iguanas walk on the turtles heads and the turtles don't mind at all or maybe they do they just don't do anything (maybe mumble things in there heads lol) but no i have never had anything happen. I do get the odd fight between the iguanas though.

boywithscales · 10-23-05, 08:42 AM

I currently keep 2 curly tailed lizards with 2 day geckos without any ill affect. I also know a good friend who keeps 2 tegus with about 10 tortoises in a large pin, his torts are all different kinds to.

if_i_were_u · 10-27-05, 08:21 PM

Hello,

I currently have 2 red footed tortoises living with 2 bearded dragons and they are doing quite alright. They eat from the same dish and drink from the same water. They bask in the same area and sleep separatly. Also, I find it perfect that the tortoises are land and the bearded dragons are semi aboreal. I enjoy watching them. It was a very rewarding descision. If you have the time for it, go for it.

Joe