Hello & question from Glastonbury, uk

[Bryan70]

Hello all
I'm very excited to be able to join you all. I have 5 adult horsefield tortoise, we separated our males from the 4 ladies last year with the arrival of 2 new additions. Since the girls have been out in the garden now the weather has warmed up, one of large female's has decided to chase and bite one of the other females. And this weekend I caught one of the smaller girls being aggressive to the same female. Can anyone tell me why this may be happening after they've cohabitated happily for more the 5 years? Thank you

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome! We are glad to have you here and asking questions.

Yours is a good question but has an answer that may be hard to hear. Tortoises are not pack animals; they see other tortoises as competition for food and territory. This is especially true for horsefields, they are quite aggressive.

It could be that your tortoises are becoming more aggressive as they become sexually mature or it could be that earlier aggression has been subtle--something a human might not notice. Horsefields are master manipulators. It could also be the result of changing the composition of the group.

At any rate, it doesn't matter the cause, your tortoises are at risk of harming each other or being harmed. You'll need to find a way to separate all or some of them in their own enclosures.

Take a look at item (9) in our beginner's mistakes thread: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

I only have one Russian (whew!) but other owners of multiples will be happy to give you additional specifics and help. Please keep asking questions!

 

[daniellenc]

It's because some have matured......tortoises, turtles, snakes, lizards-reptiles in general are not pack animals. They do not need and more importantly want a friend. The bigger ones have come into their own and instincts kicked in. They have to share food and space and realize those are commodities. You can use cinder blocks or 2x4's to split the garden into individual areas for them. Indoors they'll need their own set-ups because the only other option if kept together is one or more will seriously injure or kill the other. They are solitary animals is all. When they were younger and ate and slept together that wasn't comradery it was the start of fighting for boundaries but will become worse.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi Bryan