Hi there just looking for some advice. I have owned 2 hermanns tortoises for about 7 years. They were passed to me as their previous owner couldn't look after them. I was told they were 2 males but recently discovered one was female. The male started constantly trying to mate with it and was seriously stressing the female out. I made the heart wrenching decision last week to rehome the female as I was worried she would eventually get hurt. She has been rehomed with a good friend of mine so I know she will be well looked after. However since I rehome her the male seems really depressed (still eating but not as much as usual) and he isn't moving around as much. Usually when I turn the lights on in the morning he's right up to see me. Can anyone give me some advice please as I'm worried I've done the wrong thing. Thanks in advance.
Sad tortoise??
- Thread starter Kirstyb
- Start date
You have done exactly the right thing. Your female could have ended up very sick and died.
Things have changed though and some torts don't handle change well. Sometimes they can take weeks to get used to a new situation.
Double check your temperatures: warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum.
Soak him for at least 30 minutes daily if he's not eating. He'll come round
Whatever you do, don't get him a new friend. Russians can be very aggressive and territorial. They are not social and don't want or need company!
Things have changed though and some torts don't handle change well. Sometimes they can take weeks to get used to a new situation.
Double check your temperatures: warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum.
Soak him for at least 30 minutes daily if he's not eating. He'll come round
Whatever you do, don't get him a new friend. Russians can be very aggressive and territorial. They are not social and don't want or need company!
saginawhxc
Well-Known Member
I doubt he is sad or depressed. I doubt tortoises feel those (or any) emotions. I would guess he is just a little thrown off by the change, or maybe he is actually feeling relaxed for the first time in his life because there isn't another tortoise around.
A very warm welcome to the forum!
Please post pics of your torts and their enclosures.
Personally I sometimes get the feeling that Oli is sad/bored/depressed; you name it. After all, even torts have a brain and a nervous system.
saginawhxc
Well-Known Member
I am not a tortoise, so I can't tell you for sure they don't. I'm also not a scientist in a much better position to make general assumptions on the subject. I also have less than a years experience with tortoises. So take my opinion for what it is... Simply an opinion.
I think they may feel relaxed, agitated, or scared, but not necessarily in the way we think of it. Past a simple instinct of survival I think tortoises have an extremely limited range of "emotions". In fact I believe this stands for most animals. I think they simply exist. I know that seems like a sad and empty concept to some, but I think to assume these animals feel human emotions is simply because humans have a tendency to immediately assume everyone thinks or feels as we do.
I think they may feel relaxed, agitated, or scared, but not necessarily in the way we think of it. Past a simple instinct of survival I think tortoises have an extremely limited range of "emotions". In fact I believe this stands for most animals. I think they simply exist. I know that seems like a sad and empty concept to some, but I think to assume these animals feel human emotions is simply because humans have a tendency to immediately assume everyone thinks or feels as we do.
saginawhxc
Well-Known Member
For the sake of the discussion though, even if I'm wrong about them not having emotions you still did the right thing. You saw a potential problem with bullying and you fixed it. You potentially saved the life of the female tortoise. There should never be anything there to feel guilty about. Pat yourself on the back for saving the life of a tortoise.
Hi and welcome to the Forum!
It's a male thing. You know how those horny males are, right? He used to have a steady diet of "love" anytime he wanted it, and now it's been taken away from him. He'll settle down in a while. Maybe give him a rock of her size to "play" with.
It's a male thing. You know how those horny males are, right? He used to have a steady diet of "love" anytime he wanted it, and now it's been taken away from him. He'll settle down in a while. Maybe give him a rock of her size to "play" with.
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