Breeding question.

[ShellyTurtlesCats]

I am not breeding. Posting for a friend! Her male tort broke through his pen and she found him mounting her female. She got them separated, but...

Can she be carrying eggs after one breeding or does it take several?

I apologize in advance for my ignorance.

 

[GBtortoises]

A male mounting a female does not necessarily mean that they have successfully copulated. Males of most species will mount females every chance they get. It is the female that determines whether or not there will be copulation and egg production. The female has to be completely receptive for that to happen which means she has to be of size to be sexually mature and environmental conditions need to be adequate enough to "trigger" her body into producing eggs. If they did in fact sucessfully copulate she could produce fertile eggs from that breeding now or as far as 5 years into the future. She can also produce eggs at any time without ever being in contact with a male. They would of course be infertile.

 

[ShellyTurtlesCats]

Re: RE: Breeding question.

. If they did in fact sucessfully copulate she could produce fertile eggs from that breeding now or as far as 5 years into the future.

Fertile eggs FIVE years later from one breeding?! Seriously?!

She is certain that they did get the job done. Her female was moving side-to-side during the mount (shifting her hind end) and didn't seem to mind. Once she split them up, she inspected her female and the male definitely knew where/what to do.

 

[GBtortoises]

Usually when a female is moving her body side to side (often with side to side head movement), she is attempting to get the male off her back (literally)! A receptive female will usually move very little during actual copulation and more often than not raise her hind end up slightly to facilitate a male's entry. Most females remain still duing copulation except what movement tha the male is creating. Males will often pre or acutally ejaculate while on top of a female too. The only way to really know for certain, unless your friend actually saw the male inside the female is to watch the females actions in a few weeks. If she begins pacing more than usual, sniffing the ground, possibly "test digging" with her front feet and sometime drinking more water than usual, she may be gravid and ready to nest.