Tortoise fighting

[Sulcataman]

Hello everyone, so my 2 males, (100 and 200 lbs) do not want to get along. I introduced them without the female present, and they will not stop. I only tolerated this for an hour, in which i was constantly moving them apart the whole time. A reptile vet at a local zoo told me they will get over it eventually, but I am reluctant to believe that. Needless to say, I have a divider as you may have seen in my previously posted pictures. I would greatly appreciate some help. Maybe 2's a couple and 3's a crowd is true. Ha

 

[jaizei]

Something to keep in mind:
Hard Lesson Learned...Size does matter ***Graphic Images***

 

[Tom]

They will never get along. One of them will likely eventually succeed in killing the other. They need to be separated permanently RIGHT NOW.

Also having a male with just one female is also a bad idea. He will harass her endlessly. The constant stress will eventually cause her to become ill and possibly die. If you want more than one in a pen, you need a group of at least two or three females to one male and you need a large enclosure with lots of hiding places and visual barriers.

 

[Sulcataman]

Not sure if you saw my pics, Tom, bit I already had a divider on place and ready to go. I never let them alone when they were introduced to eachother.

---

Also, the male and female I have had for 7 years, have been together the whole time and he really doesn't harass her. Only a couple times a year does he mount her.

 

[Laura]

It varies greatly... It usually does not work. If they stop, its because one is dead or so stressed it gave up or?? there are some places that have Dozens together.. Why does that work, but two does not? Stress? Area? They don't bother? Why?
Iv'e heard of keepers flipping the aggressor, and that works for a while.
I have two larger males together.. no females. they were raised together.. They chase and pester. Nothing to bad.. Yet. They are in a 100x60 area with lots of grass and a few hides. They share the same heated house.. of course when it is cooler they slow down...Some nights when its warm, one stays out in the other shelter...it varies...
One time I saw them 'fighting' and one was pushed over.. and the other very gently nudged him and flipped him back.. I gotta watch them...

 

[Nixxy]

Unfortunately, like the others said, it's probably not going to get better.

Much like many animals, they are territorial.

Getting over it is just a dumb risk. You could potentially lose both of them that way from fighting.

 

[Sulcataman]

Thanks everyone, I was thinking the same thing, but hoping for a miracle. Oh well, I build a separate enclosure ahead of time, just in case this would happen. No worries, they are happy alone.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Hello everyone, so my 2 males, (100 and 200 lbs) do not want to get along. I introduced them without the female present, and they will not stop. I only tolerated this for an hour, in which i was constantly moving them apart the whole time. A reptile vet at a local zoo told me they will get over it eventually, but I am reluctant to believe that. Needless to say, I have a divider as you may have seen in my previously posted pictures. I would greatly appreciate some help. Maybe 2's a couple and 3's a crowd is true. Ha

The zoo guy is wrong...they will always fight. Just the nature of tortoises.

About the only way to avoid them fighting is keep them in a huge environment with several females...one female + one male is bad, as she'll constantly be "sexually harrassed", but one female + two males is much worse...or keep them in seperate enclosures.

Have you considered seeing if anyone might trade you another female for one of your males?

 

[Sulcataman]

I'll just keep them separated. I have had them for 7 years minus the 200lb er I recently got, and I wouldn't trade them. There was never a problem until I got the new large male. But they are separated, so problem solved. Thanks for everyones advise.

 

[DeanS]

Here's the thing...

I believe you said that your 100 pounder is the aggressor...yes?

If so, you might consider pulling the female altogether...i.e. add a third pen. If that's not an option, then you might consider housing her with the gentler 200 pounder...with a shelter only she can access!

 

[Sulcataman]

Yes the 100lb er is the aggressor, but only towards the other male. My female has been with my smaller male for 7 years and he doesn't agitate her. He tries to mount her a few times a year, but other than that, they don't bother each other. And I have a hide for the female that she can only fit in. I've done that just so he can't take over her spot. They have their own digs too.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Garett:

Your smaller male has been living in what he thought of as HIS territory for quite a while. Then all of a sudden another male appeared. Its only natural for the existing tortoise to try to chase the new, interloper out of the territory. About the only way you would be able to have them together would be to introduce them in a totally separate and new enclosure. An enclosure that neither tortoise ever thought of as HIS territory. And even that might not be dyed in the wool. They still might fight.

It would have been nice if you could have them all in the same pen, but that's not going to happen.