I want to get these little beauties but....

[Saleama]

...I need to know what sex they are. The person who has them claims they are males but I am fairly certain they are not. can any experts confirm, for sure if they are males or females? Thanks in advance for your help!

Oh, The reason I want to know is so I can plan for housing. I understand Russian males do not get along with each other.

 

[Saleama]

Need help....

....finding out what sex these two are. I found them at a petstore and the man claimed they were males but I don't think that is right. They have stubby looking tails and their but scute looks to high for a boy. I posted this question in another topic area but I am not sure I did it right so here it is again. Sorry for the repost. I need to know so I can plan their housing if I get them. I heard that two male Russians would not get along? Is that right? I don't have any adult torts right now so all my African babies play nice for the moment.

 

[wellington]

RE: Need help....

Can't help you sex them, but yes, two male Russians will not play nice together.

 

[mainey34]

RE: Need help....

First one looks like female to me, second one looks male
Pic # 1 & 2 looks female
Pic #4 looks male

 

[Jacqui]

RE: Need help....

While two males may not play nice, they can!! It's all dependent upon the males and how you house them. I have had no problems in the past with housing two male Russians together.

 

[Yvonne G]

They both look female to me.

Some people who are not really familiar with the Russian tortoises don't realize that male Russians don't have a concave plastron, but it's flat just like the female's.

 

[Saleama]

Thank you all. I have a fairly big indoor table and will be getting an outdoor patio garden soon. It is about 10 X 4 and the indoor table will have two sections. The bottom will be around 8 x 3.5 and the "top" is 5 x 2.5. The top will be the indoor house for my baby box turtles and the bottom will house my baby Sulcatas and Leopards. The outdoor will be for the adult Russians I hope to get.

Can I house Russians with Greeks or Horsefields or Hermans or should I section off the table?

I hope to moving all my little gals and guys to the country in south Texas in the next year.

 

[Millerlite]

Looks like both females, Russian tortoise males have really fat long tails, compared to there body size, you would know its a male lol.

You should def. keep them separated, never good to mix species.

 

[Saleama]

Thanks! I actually have all my boxies seperated as well as my torts, although I do have Leopards and Sulcatas together at the moment. They are all under 6 months old so they have not been taught to hate yet. lol...They will all have their own outdoor play areas and indoor tables for winter.

 

[kanalomele]

Those are both female

 

[WillTort2]

For indoor housing, one female with one male, she will be pestered constantly as he will be begging for sex constantly. And they can be very aggressive and will bite.

I've seen advice of 3 females to one male and a very large enclosure with many sight line blockages.

Now 2 females will often co exist nicely but probably need to be fed separately.

Good luck.

 

[Tom]

No Russians of any sex should be kept in pairs. They are a scrappy species and all the sexes have a tendency to be fighty and territorial.

You shouldn't be mixing sulcatas and leopards either. They are not behaviorally compatible and there is still an increased disease risk.

You are new here so I don't know if you are joking about the "taught to hate" comment. I didn't see any indication that you were kidding, so I'll just let you know that tortoises don't hate, and they are not taught to be territorial or dominant. Those are inherent traits that have helped them survive for eons. It is not learned behavior.

Please also be aware that wild caught pet store Russians are likely to be full of all sorts of nasty pathogens. Be very care to observe proper quarantine procedures and do you best to minimize the spread of any disease. Personally, I would not bring those in to my collection with all those other captive bred babies. Is there some reason you don't want to get CB Russians instead of pet store ones. This would greatly reduce the disease potential.

 

[Millerlite]

Doesn't seem to be a pet shop she said she knew a person. Also I've housed Russians together and I believe if you have enough room they don't really bother each other. They can be aggressive but arnt too bad, they do require a lot of room compared to there size tho. They love to try and escape and will try if the enclosures too small.

 

[Saleama]

No Russians of any sex should be kept in pairs. They are a scrappy species and all the sexes have a tendency to be fighty and territorial.

You shouldn't be mixing sulcatas and leopards either. They are not behaviorally compatible and there is still an increased disease risk.

You are new here so I don't know if you are joking about the "taught to hate" comment. I didn't see any indication that you were kidding, so I'll just let you know that tortoises don't hate, and they are not taught to be territorial or dominant. Those are inherent traits that have helped them survive for eons. It is not learned behavior.

Please also be aware that wild caught pet store Russians are likely to be full of all sorts of nasty pathogens. Be very care to observe proper quarantine procedures and do you best to minimize the spread of any disease. Personally, I would not bring those in to my collection with all those other captive bred babies. Is there some reason you don't want to get CB Russians instead of pet store ones. This would greatly reduce the disease potential.

Of course I was kidding Tom. You don't think we really go outside to "play" either do you? It is simpler to say then why we really go outside.

Also, I don't plan to bring any wild caught close to my others. I was told these animals were not wild caught. Of course, one can't really be too sure about that and I will absolutly heed your advice on this one and not aquire these animals. there is a breeders conference next weekend so I will try and get some from there.

As for keeping Leopards and Sulcatas together I have heard plenty of mixed reviews on that with most people telling me it is completly fine to do so.. In fact, I have seen sites that claim to have Sulcata/Leopard hybrids. Again, mine are all babies and there appears to be no adverse effects at the moment. Their living quarters are temporary. The new set ups are being built now and should be ready for them in a few weeks. I pulled off some craigs list rescues this weekend and had to move some things around.

 

[GBtortoises]

...I need to know what sex they are. The person who has them claims they are males but I am fairly certain they are not. can any experts confirm, for sure if they are males or females? Thanks in advance for your help!

Oh, The reason I want to know is so I can plan for housing. I understand Russian males do not get along with each other.

The tortoise is the first two photos is a female, the second two photos a male.

It is very difficult to keep two males or a male/female combination together without constant aggression. They are best kept seperate from each other in either combination.

 

[Saleama]

...I need to know what sex they are. The person who has them claims they are males but I am fairly certain they are not. can any experts confirm, for sure if they are males or females? Thanks in advance for your help!

Oh, The reason I want to know is so I can plan for housing. I understand Russian males do not get along with each other.

The tortoise is the first two photos is a female, the second two photos a male.

Ok....So, I see that I am gettimng a ton of advise and it is all contradicting. Not very helpful...maybe if I asked differently.

My pen is 10 x 5 with a huge hide on one end and will have plenty obsticals and such. I guess I do not need more than one Russian, but I would like to breed them some day. Is there a better species that can have more than one in a pen this size? How about greeks or hermans? marginated? Anyone know?


It is very difficult to keep two males or a male/female combination together without constant aggression. They are best kept seperate from each other in either combination.

 

[Saleama]

...I need to know what sex they are. The person who has them claims they are males but I am fairly certain they are not. can any experts confirm, for sure if they are males or females? Thanks in advance for your help!

Oh, The reason I want to know is so I can plan for housing. I understand Russian males do not get along with each other.

The tortoise is the first two photos is a female, the second two photos a male.



It is very difficult to keep two males or a male/female combination together without constant aggression. They are best kept seperate from each other in either combination.

Sounds like a plan. The habitat table I am building, quite slowly it would seem, is able to be sectioned off in five by four foot sections. If I place plenty of line of site breaks, is it ok to keep females together in a 5 x 4 pen? I would like to have a few in the future for breeding but will not do so unless it is not harmful to the animals. Also, I guess after hibernation I can let them mate or share a habitat for that purpose, but which one do you use, his or hers or does it matter?

 

[WillTort2]

Probably a neutral site. That way she will feel safe when she goes back to her enclosure. The Russian male is very aggressive and persistent when it comes to sex.

Keeping females together could be ok it depends on the nature of the females.