Male behaviour

[Koen]

hi guys,

I was wondering does a male tortoise instinctively known whether a female is fertile and ready to lay eggs?

I have noticed some of my testudo males ignore females below around 600 grams whilst chasing the adult females like crazy.

So they know or is this just coincidence?

Thx

 

[Tom]

I don't have a study to cite, but it seems obvious to me that like all other reptiles, the females do give off certain pheromones and hormone smells when its "that" time.

Still most adult males will try to breed anything. Even other males or inanimate objects, so its not just about the pheromone smells.

One other aspect that I know to be true is that the female must allow the male entry. It cannot be done forcibly. When they clamp shut, nothing is getting in there.

 

[Koen]

Thanks Tom, that makes perfect sense.

Cheers

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

https://books.google.co.ma/books?id...esc=y#v=onepage&q=tortoise pheromones&f=false
Indeed.

 

[the Turtle Shepherd]

turtles go into heat, it is just less obvious, because there is less discharge and most stays inside, but the torts and turts have excellent sense of smell like dogs they will smell out what they need/like so yeah

 

[the Turtle Shepherd]

I don't have a study to cite, but it seems obvious to me that like all other reptiles, the females do give off certain pheromones and hormone smells when its "that" time.

Still most adult males will try to breed anything. Even other males or inanimate objects, so its not just about the pheromone smells.

One other aspect that I know to be true is that the female must allow the male entry. It cannot be done forcibly. When they clamp shut, nothing is getting in there.

my male box turtles do this to each other in the presence of all mature females... why o why

 

[Tom]

my male box turtles do this to each other in the presence of all mature females... why o why

Dominance. Same as dogs. Even female dogs will do this to show dominance.

Tortoises can do this too. I've seen female russians doing this to males and other females.

 

[the Turtle Shepherd]

Dominance. Same as dogs. Even female dogs will do this to show dominance.

Tortoises can do this too. I've seen female russians doing this to males and other females.

lol, i have seen the other species do this so it is done out of hate not love lol i have this one young guy, he is overly enthusiastic he tries it with everyone, i do not know his success rate

 

[Tom]

lol, i have seen the other species do this so it is done out of hate not love lol i have this one young guy, he is overly enthusiastic he tries it with everyone, i do not know his success rate

I think you are just being creative and funny, but no, its not done out of hate. It is done out of dominance. The lead wolf doesn't hate his pack members, but if wants to remain the pack leader, he must dominate them.

 

[the Turtle Shepherd]

I think you are just being creative and funny, but no, its not done out of hate. It is done out of dominance. The lead wolf doesn't hate his pack members, but if wants to remain the pack leader, he must dominate them.

hmm... wolves... my middle name...

 

[the Turtle Shepherd]

I think you are just being creative and funny, but no, its not done out of hate. It is done out of dominance. The lead wolf doesn't hate his pack members, but if wants to remain the pack leader, he must dominate them.

that also made me realize i have an alfa in my three toe pack: his name is Perkins and he is the youngest male, the one that tries to mate with everyone, preferring males, as they are smaller he is certainly the one that runs around all the time looking for a new victim

 

[Alaskamike]

One survival mechanism of turtles / tortoises is the ability to store sperm for years.

Chelonian species are known for their long-term sperm storage, and females are capable of storing viable sperm for three or four years in specialised tubes within their oviduct.

They also tend to mate with more than one suitor ( see how nice I said that !).

The have a tube where sperm is stored viable. It is thought that the last mating is likely to be the majority of a clutch , however some researchers think the sperm likely mixes to provide biological diversity.

This system allows females to lay fertile eggs at optimum season for survivability - with or without males nearby.

Isn't nature fascinating ?