Female Greek tortoise being chased by my 2 male greek tortoises

[downunder]

I got a large Greek female and 2 males, a medium sized and a small one.
The 3 of them live in my garden which is about 1000 square metres (10763.9 square feet).
The males used to encounter the female infrequently and harass her but I've noticed in the past 2 weeks this happens at least once a day.
The female, being quite large, can step into the house and she does and hides there. I've actually seen her running away from one of the males, get into the house. It's impressive how fast she can walk when being chased by the males.
In the last week she spends most of the day inside the house for this reason. Actually I need to put her out in the sun, otherwise she will spend the day inside the house in a corner.
Her appetite is normal.

My question is why is this happening now? They've been living together for about 4 months without a problem until recently. Can the males smell her presence for any reason now as opposed to the past 4 months and go looking for her or is it totally random?
Thank you

 

[Jan A]

I got a large Greek female and 2 males, a medium sized and a small one.
The 3 of them live in my garden which is about 1000 square metres (10763.9 square feet).
The males used to encounter the female infrequently and harass her but I've noticed in the past 2 weeks this happens at least once a day.
The female, being quite large, can step into the house and she does and hides there. I've actually seen her running away from one of the males, get into the house. It's impressive how fast she can walk when being chased by the males.
In the last week she spends most of the day inside the house for this reason. Actually I need to put her out in the sun, otherwise she will spend the day inside the house in a corner.
Her appetite is normal.

My question is why is this happening now? They've been living together for about 4 months without a problem until recently. Can the males smell her presence for any reason now as opposed to the past 4 months and go looking for her or is it totally random?
Thank you

Your ratios are wrong. It shouldn't be 2 males to 1 female even if 1 male is not sexually mature. There are so many threads on this forum about what happens with a male wearing out a female with constant sex, sometimes killing them. Even if sex were not the problem they are both bullying her. Her larger size doesn't matter.

I will leave it to the experts, but it should be obvious to you that your female is not thriving. She needs to be kept separate from the other 2. If not now, you will see bullying between the 2 males so you need to separate them as well.

Please search this forum on bullying, proper breeding techniques, etc. But you need to address the situation with your female immediately if she is to survive. And free roaming the house is also dangerous for any tort, especially one who is seriously stressed.

 

[downunder]

Thank you for that.
I've got a friend who is keen to adopt the most agressive male so I can easily start fixing the situation for her. And then monitor how she's doing with just one male.
The males were doing fine by themselves before the female arrived. I haven't seen them fighting or harassing each other. But they do harass the female, particularly the smallest one.
The female tortoise doesn't roam about the house. She usually finds a spot in a corner and goes to sleep. Maybe because it tends to happen in the late afternoon close to the time when she parks herself for the day.
But then she doesn't want to leave in the morning. The spot where she sleeps is pretty dark so I wonder if she thinks it's still night time.

 

[Jan A]

Thank you for that.
I've got a friend who is keen to adopt the most agressive male so I can easily start fixing the situation for her. And then monitor how she's doing with just one male.
The males were doing fine by themselves before the female arrived. I haven't seen them fighting or harassing each other. But they do harass the female, particularly the smallest one.
The female tortoise doesn't roam about the house. She usually finds a spot in a corner and goes to sleep. Maybe because it tends to happen in the late afternoon close to the time when she parks herself for the day.
But then she doesn't want to leave in the morning. The spot where she sleeps is pretty dark so I wonder if she thinks it's still night time.

My guess is she doesn't want to go back out because she knows the bullying, sexual attacks will start over. Is she even eating? Is she warm enough so she can digest her food? Are you soaking her? Does she have a water dish? A basking light? If it's all outside, until she knows she's safe, she's going to stay where she feels safe in that dark corner.

I got sat in a corner in kindergarten with my nose against the wall for my bad behavior. I deserved it. Your tort did nothing wrong yet she's being punished because she wants to be safe. The very least you can do is give her basic care so she can survive, not a dark corner on a cold floor. Do you have a large plastic tub? Can you partition a spot outside for her?

Please make her life better today.

 

[Jan A]

My guess is she doesn't want to go back out because she knows the bullying, sexual attacks will start over. Is she even eating? Is she warm enough so she can digest her food? Are you soaking her? Does she have a water dish? A basking light? If it's all outside, until she knows she's safe, she's going to stay where she feels safe in that dark corner.

I got sat in a corner in kindergarten with my nose against the wall for my bad behavior. I deserved it. Your tort did nothing wrong yet she's being punished because she wants to be safe. The very least you can do is give her basic care so she can survive, not a dark corner on a cold floor. Do you have a large plastic tub? Can you partition a spot outside for her?

Please make her life better today.

P.S. putting her back with the smaller male does not solve her problem. Educate yourself why 2 torts shouldn't be sharing an enclosure.

 

[Sarah2020]

If you have sufficient land and space it is recommended to create a separate space for each of them, maybe get some building bricks and make a divided area with independent fresh veg and water dish they can easily climb in and out of. They can then roam and feel safe. Tortoise house visits are not good as they can chew or break items and also collect dust etc..... It is recommended to have a routine to soak your 3 tortoise independently in SHALLOW warm water, as you live in a dry hot climate this is essential for hydration and water intake along with shell care.
Please read the care sheet to ensure you provide them a safe environment with good welfare.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

You can share pictures for any extra questions or help.

 

[Tom]

I got a large Greek female and 2 males, a medium sized and a small one.
The 3 of them live in my garden which is about 1000 square metres (10763.9 square feet).
The males used to encounter the female infrequently and harass her but I've noticed in the past 2 weeks this happens at least once a day.
The female, being quite large, can step into the house and she does and hides there. I've actually seen her running away from one of the males, get into the house. It's impressive how fast she can walk when being chased by the males.
In the last week she spends most of the day inside the house for this reason. Actually I need to put her out in the sun, otherwise she will spend the day inside the house in a corner.
Her appetite is normal.

My question is why is this happening now? They've been living together for about 4 months without a problem until recently. Can the males smell her presence for any reason now as opposed to the past 4 months and go looking for her or is it totally random?
Thank you

Your example here illustrates that space is not the issue. These torts needs to be separated. Each of them needs its own space. Once you remove the female, the smaller male will be tormented into sickness and eventually death. Place a male into the female enclosure from time to to time during the breeding season, and let the poor girl live in peace for most of the year.

Sometimes groups can work with one male and 2-4 females. Sometimes... Yours is an example of it not working.

 

[downunder]

My guess is she doesn't want to go back out because she knows the bullying, sexual attacks will start over. Is she even eating? Is she warm enough so she can digest her food? Are you soaking her? Does she have a water dish? A basking light? If it's all outside, until she knows she's safe, she's going to stay where she feels safe in that dark corner.

I got sat in a corner in kindergarten with my nose against the wall for my bad behavior. I deserved it. Your tort did nothing wrong yet she's being punished because she wants to be safe. The very least you can do is give her basic care so she can survive, not a dark corner on a cold floor. Do you have a large plastic tub? Can you partition a spot outside for her?

Please make her life better today.

Just to clarify, these aren't pet tortoises. In Morocco tortoises roam around in the wild. They've been in the garden before I moved in the house and they take care of themselves. The green area is about 1000 square metres, so there's plenty of space, grass, leaves and the like. I also give them other veggies now and then. They seemed to be doing well until recently.

 

[downunder]

If you have sufficient land and space it is recommended to create a separate space for each of them, maybe get some building bricks and make a divided area with independent fresh veg and water dish they can easily climb in and out of. They can then roam and feel safe. Tortoise house visits are not good as they can chew or break items and also collect dust etc..... It is recommended to have a routine to soak your 3 tortoise independently in SHALLOW warm water, as you live in a dry hot climate this is essential for hydration and water intake along with shell care.
Please read the care sheet to ensure you provide them a safe environment with good welfare.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

You can share pictures for any extra questions or help.

I have added a barrier between 2 parts of the garden so now the female should be ok. I think they get a good soaking when the sprinkler system is on which is often in summer. They seem to be doing well other than the recent chasing.

 

[wellington]

I have added a barrier between 2 parts of the garden so now the female should be ok. I think they get a good soaking when the sprinkler system is on which is often in summer. They seem to be doing well other than the recent chasing.

Are they in your fenced yard or there is no face keeping them in the yard?
If they are in your fenced yard then they are being kept as pets and not able to leave. Also you feeding them, why leave.
If they are wild and within a fenced area, then open the fence so they can leave. Otherwise they all do need to be separated from each other as you have done for the female.

 

[Jan A]

I have added a barrier between 2 parts of the garden so now the female should be ok. I think they get a good soaking when the sprinkler system is on which is often in summer. They seem to be doing well other than the recent chasing.

This situation for your female tort just hit my heart hard. I meant no harm. She needed an advocate. She needs YOU to take care of her & the others because you are now their caretakers, willingly or not.

If not willingly, then find new caretakers. But thank you for recognizing a bad situation. Thank you for reaching out. Do the best you can.