Help!!

[p192188]

Can anyone help i've had two horsfield torts for a couple of years each are now several years old. I have always believed both to be males,as to me both look like they have thick long tails,caried to one side.however one always assumes role of a male and continually mates the other tort.he always performs the mating ritual and the other never assumes this male role,it is always less dominant and if you like takes the female role. Have i sexed my torts wrong(at least one of them!) could the dominant one be a female,or could they still both be males?? please help!!!!

 

[Yvonne G]

If the tails both look the same, then what you are seeing is just a dominance behavior. In the wild, a male will chase another male out of his territory. Since your two tortoises are confined in one small territory, the less dominant tortoise has no place to go to get away from the more dominant one. If you don't want to set up a new habitat you might try adding a few more sight barriers so the less dominant tortoise has more places to get away from the other one. Male Russians can be brutal. They really fight rough. Can we see a picture of your habitat and your tortoises' tails?

Yvonne

 

[p192188]

If the tails both look the same, then what you are seeing is just a dominance behavior. In the wild, a male will chase another male out of his territory. Since your two tortoises are confined in one small territory, the less dominant tortoise has no place to go to get away from the more dominant one. If you don't want to set up a new habitat you might try adding a few more sight barriers so the less dominant tortoise has more places to get away from the other one. Male Russians can be brutal. They really fight rough. Can we see a picture of your habitat and your tortoises' tails?

THANKS, I WILL TRY AND SORT THE PHOTOS OUT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS,ONCE AGAIN THANKS FOR ADVICE.....LEE