Tortoise breeding from same parents but different clutch

Sammie6

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I have a Herman baby and am thinking of getting another however thinking of the future and wondering whether if I got one from the same breeder my tortoise could breed. Or whether this would be classified as inbreeding? They would be from different clutches but the same parents
Thanks
 

Yvonne G

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Yes, it would be in breeding, however, I don't know how important that is in the tortoise world.
 

zovick

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Having the same parents means the babies are full brothers and sisters to the tortoise you already have no matter what clutch produces them.
 

Tom

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I have a Herman baby and am thinking of getting another however thinking of the future and wondering whether if I got one from the same breeder my tortoise could breed. Or whether this would be classified as inbreeding? They would be from different clutches but the same parents
Thanks

I would get a tortoise or tortoises from a different breeder, or at least different and unrelated parents from the same breeder.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Hi, Sammie, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum. :)
Tortoises shouldn't be kept together as pairs, except when you're actually trying to breed them, so, as yours is currently a baby it would be happier alone, tortoises are solitary, territorial creatures who don't need friends.
If you get another tortoise you will need another enclosure until they're old enough to be put together for breeding.
See http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...together-a-lesson-learned-the-hard-way.94114/
I know you said thinking of the future, but just in case you didn't know!
 
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GBtortoises

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Generations of inbreeding is the reason that we now have several dog breeds, race horses, and desired color traits of animals among other things. They didn't happen "naturally". Much of it, especially early on in the development was achieved by breeding family members with family members to bring out the desired traits. Tortoises and turtles in the wild inevitably interbreed due to their limited travel range. Babies don't hatch and move a 100 away from their parents never to run into them again in their lives.
Is it a good idea to breed tortoises from different genetic lines in captivity? Sure it is. Genetic diversity is always better than genetic limitation. Too much breeding "too close to home" weakens genetic strength and can accentuate weak traits. But getting tortoises from the same source is by no means going to cause genetic meltdown either. While the numbers may be many there is still a finite number of genetic lines available in tortoises in captivity.
Not keeping two or more tortoises together applies to sexually mature adults, not babies. Once a male Testudo species becomes sexually mature they more often that not become territorially aggressive and will defend their territory against other males for the right to breed any females that enter their area. in turn any females that they come across are to them, "fair game" for breeding. As adults males can rarely ever be kept with each other. Males and females should not be either except for breeding. Two or more females can usually exist together with no issues whatsoever.
The same is true for baby and young tortoises, they can be kept together with no problems.
 

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