Female tortoise actually male :/

[Cian mg]

I have two Herman tortoises aged 13 and 10 unfortunately the 13 year old tortoise that I thought was female seems to actually be a male as since waking up from hibernation has become aggressive towards my other one with biting and trying to mount her, recently I turned it over to see a bit of very small flesh coming out of the tail. Previously this behaviour has existed but both tortoises switching roles and the younger one biting and trying to mount the older one which I thought was a sign of aggression although i'd separate them periodically during these stages. I also found eggs in the outdoor enclosure recently buried obviously from the summer so they must be actively breeding and I'll have to separate them more permentantly now. Please see the pictures of the tail the reason I was convinced they were both female is that the younger tortoises tail actually looks almost identical.
Can anyone confirm my suspicion?
Thanks

 

[TriciaStringer]

I have no idea but maybe someone else will help soon.

 

[tortoisekev]

Try this https://www.tortoisesupply.com/SexingYourTortoises

It should show you the best angles to look at and sex your tortoise. If you take photos from those angles then it’s better for those on this forum to help.

 

[tortoisekev]

I have no idea but maybe someone else will help soon.

No offence intended but I’m intrigued as to why people respond to threads with no information. It’s the same on sites like Amazon where a user asks a question about the product and someone responds with “I don’t know the answer”... then why reply?! Sorry, I’m just curious and not meant to cause offence!!

 

[SweetGreekTorts]

No offence intended but I’m intrigued as to why people respond to threads with no information. It’s the same on sites like Amazon where a user asks a question about the product and someone responds with “I don’t know the answer”... then why reply?! Sorry, I’m just curious and not meant to cause offence!!

It's to help bump it up again so it will get noticed. Otherwise nobody chimes in and it gets moved down the Forum and overlooked or forgotten about.

 

[Tom]

I have two Herman tortoises aged 13 and 10 unfortunately the 13 year old tortoise that I thought was female seems to actually be a male as since waking up from hibernation has become aggressive towards my other one with biting and trying to mount her, recently I turned it over to see a bit of very small flesh coming out of the tail. Previously this behaviour has existed but both tortoises switching roles and the younger one biting and trying to mount the older one which I thought was a sign of aggression although i'd separate them periodically during these stages. I also found eggs in the outdoor enclosure recently buried obviously from the summer so they must be actively breeding and I'll have to separate them more permentantly now. Please see the pictures of the tail the reason I was convinced they were both female is that the younger tortoises tail actually looks almost identical.
Can anyone confirm my suspicion?
Thanks

Babies and juveniles all look female-ish. Many people make this mistake.

In any case, regardless of the sexes, tortoises should never live in pairs. Its a bad deal for both of them. Groups of juveniles can sometimes work, but not pairs. Adult groups can also sometimes work with the correct individuals of the correct sexes, but sometimes that doesn't work either.

Your two tortoises will have much better lives in their own enclosures.

 

[TriciaStringer]

No offence intended but I’m intrigued as to why people respond to threads with no information. It’s the same on sites like Amazon where a user asks a question about the product and someone responds with “I don’t know the answer”... then why reply?! Sorry, I’m just curious and not meant to cause offence!!

It’s so it will go to the top of the list. If no one responds it gets pushed further down and can get missed by more knowledgeable people.

 

[Yvonne G]

No offence intended but I’m intrigued as to why people respond to threads with no information. It’s the same on sites like Amazon where a user asks a question about the product and someone responds with “I don’t know the answer”... then why reply?! Sorry, I’m just curious and not meant to cause offence!!

Because I like to respond to all questions, when I don't know the answer I respond with that so folks know I saw it and quit "alert"ing me.

 

[tortoisekev]

Fair enough. Interesting reasons. Thanks.

 

[HermanniChris]

If you’re correct about the ages of these tortoises, than there’s no second guessing external sexual characteristics. Females, just like males, will reveal their private parts at times and will also be just as aggressive as males. They will even mount other tortoises and emit the squeaking sounds that males do. If you can post clear photos of the tortoises on their backs side by side I will tell you for sure. But, what I see in these 2 photos is unmistakably a female.

 

[wellington]

No offence intended but I’m intrigued as to why people respond to threads with no information. It’s the same on sites like Amazon where a user asks a question about the product and someone responds with “I don’t know the answer”... then why reply?! Sorry, I’m just curious and not meant to cause offence!!

I will also respond even if I cant help. Either to alert another member that I know can help or to let the member know that we aren't ignoring his/her thread and someone should be able to help soon.
When I was a new member and would post a thread, I would get discouraged if i had no responses. You look back every 2 seconds it seems cuz you want your question answered. Just knowing that someone seen my post and responded, even if they couldn't help, relieved the anxiety a little. Usually after that first response, the answers would start pouring in.

 

[Cian mg]

Hi guys,
Thanks for the responses and sorry for the long delay anyway I have had clutch of 3 eggs layed in the last few days so here is some more detailed pictures