Males mounting?

[curiousgeorge58]

Do male hermanns mount each other like male dogs do to establish dominance? The reason I'm asking, is because I think we have 2 males, but the larger one has begun mounting the smaller one and has his mouth open like he's going to town. There is a squeak noise he's making while mounted. I took pictures during their soaking tonight and would like some expertise to help determine the sex of them. Looking at the pictures side by side, the mounter (photo 2) definitely has a larger tail than the smaller one (photo1), however there is about a half inch size difference when comparing their carapace.



Thanks for your help,
Todd

 

[T33's Torts]

That is a clear sign of bullying for dominance.

 

[curiousgeorge58]

That is a clear sign of bullying for dominance.

Thank you for the reply. I was pretty sure we had 2 males and our vet did not disagree when we brought them in. I'm guessing we will need to separate them if this continues. Luckily we do not have any ramming to deal with.

 

[T33's Torts]

Its not physically damaging, but it could stress out the less dominant one into an ill state. Separation would be best.

 

[Tom]

The sexes don't matter at tho point and they need to be separated either way. Females will sometimes fight with other females, males will fight with other males, and males can harass a single female literally to death.