New addition - help!

cardiffdevil21 · 15-03-2012, 10:36 AM

Hey guys,

I've had a male tortoise for a few years, he's about 5 now. Yesterday, I picked up my new female (age 9). They were fine all night, the male was a little shy, but this morning he won't leave her alone! He keeps biting her, and being pretty aggressive, she keeps trying to run away. She's about twice the size of him, which works in he favor. Is this behavior normal? What sort of things should I be looking out for with the pair?

Thanks

SarahC · 15-03-2012, 11:29 AM

I wound say he's trying to mate with her and you will need to keep them separately so that the female doesn't become stressed by his constant attention.

alley cat · 15-03-2012, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarahC

I wound say he's trying to mate with her and you will need to keep them separately so that the female doesn't become stressed by his constant attention.

I agree!

It is also recommended by most people that there is a quarantine period for each new tort you introduce to your existing ones, bit late for that now though! has your new tort lived a solitary life? if so then the chances of disease are reduced.

What species of torts are they?

cardiffdevil21 · 15-03-2012, 11:40 AM

Thanks guys, both are horsefields and have been solitary until now

alley cat · 15-03-2012, 11:43 AM

Ah Horsfields, my favourites

Look forward to seeing pics!

Pussygalore · 15-03-2012, 11:44 AM

its highly unlikely that they will be able to live together especially as horsfeilds are the more agressive of the torts, and like its been said they really should have been quarantined for at least 6 months which if they weren't going to live together wouldn't have been a prob. They'll only be put together to mate so I'd get busy and build another table if you don't already have one, the male can seriously damage the female, sorry to be blunt but had you researched first you'd have known they wouldn't live together.

EJ · 15-03-2012, 01:06 PM

Are you sure the new tortoise is a female? You should be able to tell for sure at that size. I suggest making sure there are some objects to break the line of sight for starters.

How big is the enclosure?

I'd suggest giving it a week or so to see if things mellow out. The female sounds like it is big enough to hold its own. I have a pair where the female is bigger than the male. When the male goes after the female she will bite him back if she doesn't want to be bothered.

As long as there is no major damage or harm... I wouldn't worry about it and would let nature take its course.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardiffdevil21

Hey guys,

I've had a male tortoise for a few years, he's about 5 now. Yesterday, I picked up my new female (age 9). They were fine all night, the male was a little shy, but this morning he won't leave her alone! He keeps biting her, and being pretty aggressive, she keeps trying to run away. She's about twice the size of him, which works in he favor. Is this behavior normal? What sort of things should I be looking out for with the pair?

Thanks

cardiffdevil21 · 15-03-2012, 01:15 PM

I'm pretty certain she's a female, she has a tiny stub tail. I will get some pictures of them both later, if that helps. The enclosure is about 1m long and 0.5m wide. I have a large run in the garden for them to use in the day too. Fingers crossed they will settle

Ive got the male separated for now, while she gets used to the new enclosure.

EJ · 15-03-2012, 01:33 PM

The enclosure should be big enough but the tortoises probably could use a little more space.

It is a good idea to seperate the male while leaving the female in the enclosure. Once the female is settled the male can easily be added to where they can sort things out.

If you haven't seen this already it does cover introducing new residents to an existing group...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Russian-Tort.../dp/0793828821

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardiffdevil21

I'm pretty certain she's a female, she has a tiny stub tail. I will get some pictures of them both later, if that helps. The enclosure is about 1m long and 0.5m wide. I have a large run in the garden for them to use in the day too. Fingers crossed they will settle

Ive got the male separated for now, while she gets used to the new enclosure.

cardiffdevil21 · 15-03-2012, 01:44 PM

Thanks for that. I did try do research it, however there seems to be a lot of conflicting info about tortoises, so it thought it'd be best to ask on here

My male seems to have calmed down a lot now, so fingers crossed! I have another enclosure of the same size on standby if not!

15-03-2012, 10:36 AM	#1
cardiffdevil21 Junior Member Egg Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: S.W Wales Posts: 43	New addition - help! Hey guys, I've had a male tortoise for a few years, he's about 5 now. Yesterday, I picked up my new female (age 9). They were fine all night, the male was a little shy, but this morning he won't leave her alone! He keeps biting her, and being pretty aggressive, she keeps trying to run away. She's about twice the size of him, which works in he favor. Is this behavior normal? What sort of things should I be looking out for with the pair? Thanks

15-03-2012, 11:29 AM	#2
SarahC Member Hatched Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Southampton Posts: 255	I wound say he's trying to mate with her and you will need to keep them separately so that the female doesn't become stressed by his constant attention. __________________ Sarah 3:4:2 Herman

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15-03-2012, 11:40 AM	#4
cardiffdevil21 Junior Member Egg Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: S.W Wales Posts: 43	Thanks guys, both are horsefields and have been solitary until now

15-03-2012, 11:43 AM	#5
alley cat Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Somerset Posts: 3,150	Ah Horsfields, my favourites Look forward to seeing pics!

15-03-2012, 11:44 AM	#6
Pussygalore Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cambridge Posts: 6,479	its highly unlikely that they will be able to live together especially as horsfeilds are the more agressive of the torts, and like its been said they really should have been quarantined for at least 6 months which if they weren't going to live together wouldn't have been a prob. They'll only be put together to mate so I'd get busy and build another table if you don't already have one, the male can seriously damage the female, sorry to be blunt but had you researched first you'd have known they wouldn't live together.

15-03-2012, 01:15 PM	#8
cardiffdevil21 Junior Member Egg Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: S.W Wales Posts: 43	I'm pretty certain she's a female, she has a tiny stub tail. I will get some pictures of them both later, if that helps. The enclosure is about 1m long and 0.5m wide. I have a large run in the garden for them to use in the day too. Fingers crossed they will settle Ive got the male separated for now, while she gets used to the new enclosure.

15-03-2012, 01:44 PM	#10
cardiffdevil21 Junior Member Egg Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: S.W Wales Posts: 43	Thanks for that. I did try do research it, however there seems to be a lot of conflicting info about tortoises, so it thought it'd be best to ask on here My male seems to have calmed down a lot now, so fingers crossed! I have another enclosure of the same size on standby if not!

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