New behavior, please explain

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zoogrl

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Betty has started a new behavior over the last couple weeks, I'm not an expert in tortoise behavior so I thought I'd ask you all for advice as to what she's doing. There's a rock in her enclosure, my youngest stepson got the rock at school last spring. It's been in her enclosure for quite a while, she never seemed to care about it until recently. I'll post a video of a climbing, or mounting behavior that she's been doing for a couple weeks. She will just sit there for several minutes, then go off & explore, and come back & do it again. All day long. Tonight when I got home, she's ramming the rock! And biting at it. I've never seen her do anything like this before. What the heck is she doing? I removed the rock for now, but if you think it's ok I'll put it back in there. Thank you for your input!

zoogrl
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If you click on the picture it will pull up the video. It's Monday & football is on in the background, sorry! And I'm not a very good videographer, sorry about that too! :)
 

Laurie

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I would think she thinks it's another tortoise. Are you sure she is a she? Either way I would probably just leave the rock out.
 

Tom

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Your Russian is being a Russian. They can be mean little buggers.
 

zoogrl

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I took the rock out last night after I took the video. I didn't want her to hurt herself. It's just odd that the rock has been in there for months & she's just now started doing that. And we are not sure that she is a she.
 

devinsane

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Most likely it is a territory thing and she is prolly a he lol just check the tail if it's long a loops down to the hip it's a boy and if it's a little stub it's a girl but my male Russian does this all the time most of the time if you clean the rock the scent will wear off an it is safe to put it back in just put it in a different spot. When their environment changes the whole territory cycle will start over
 
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