Tortoise Epidemic - Quarantine and Barrier Nursing Techniques. Some species are highly susceptible to epidemic disease while others appear to be immune. Certain species may be carriers. Tortoises which are not found together in the wild should not be kept together in captivity. There can be indirect spread if tortoises eat or drink from the same dishes, bath in the same water, eat or walk through urine or faeces or simply walk over the same ground.
Flies can carry disease from one pen to another.
Food rejected by one tortoise should never be offered to another. Owners can transfer infection by handling tortoises, particularly if an animal urinates, defecates or bleeds while being held. Germs from dried faeces, urine and saliva are carried on dust particles. Ideally pens should be several feet apart, with boundaries several times the height of the tortoises. Even sick tortoises should be kept outside if possible to maintain natural conditions.