Tortoise mating

[Rahul karva]

most of the question on this platform are food related but couldnt find anything related to mating. I have a male star tortoise more than 10 yrs of age, he has been showing his private part more often these days which i guess is maybe a sign of him wanting to mate. For dogs you can go to vets for this but what about torts. Any Idea.? pls reply

 

[JoesMum]

Male torts as adolescents tend to flash their private parts with alarming regularity.

It's caused by surges in testosterone. He'd love to get a girl, but she wouldn't enjoy the experience - a male in that mood will bother a female to the point where she will withdraw, eat less and could become very sick indeed.

It's perfectly normal and your tort may grow out of it eventually. Just don't be surprised if he's doing it for a few years yet.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

most of the question on this platform are food related but couldnt find anything related to mating. I have a male star tortoise more than 10 yrs of age, he has been showing his private part more often these days which i guess is maybe a sign of him wanting to mate. For dogs you can go to vets for this but what about torts. Any Idea.? pls reply

You mean getting him sterilized?
Being a sexual adult is new to him. The novelty should eventually wear off and he'll settle down.

 

[BrianWI]

There was a thread on here where a tort got an implant to reduce his urges. I don't know that I'd do that just for flashing, though. Just think of it as a really odd game of peekaboo.

 

[JoesMum]

There was a thread on here where a tort got an implant to reduce his urges. I don't know that I'd do that just for flashing, though. Just think of it as a really odd game of peekaboo.

That was my Joe, but Joe went way beyond persistent flashing.

He stopped eating and drinking due to excessive testosterone levels, lost one third of his bodyweight and made himself very sick with a URI and then liver infections.

He received a testosterone implant to sort him out.

Flashing doesn't warrant that type of intervention.

 

[BrianWI]

That was my Joe, but Joe went way beyond persistent flashing.

He stopped eating and drinking, lost one third of his bodyweight and made himself very sick with a URI and then liver infections.

He received a testosterone implant to sort him out.

Flashing doesn't warrant that type of intervention.

I would certainly agree. Your situation was VERY different. Hopefully it remains that way for the OP.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, Rahul, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
Don't do anything drastic, you'll both get used to it and he'll get over it soon enough hopefully.
Boys will be boys.

 

[Rahul karva]

You mean getting him sterilized?
Being a sexual adult is new to him. The novelty should eventually wear off and he'll settle down.

NO i definitely didnt mean " getting him sterilized". I just meant where can i find female for him to mate coz in India its not allowed to keep star tortoises as pets so cant really go to a vet, like we do in case of Dogs. But since everyone is saying it will wear off. I'll just let him Show it off.

 

[Rahul karva]

Male torts as adolescents tend to flash their private parts with alarming regularity.

It's caused by surges in testosterone. He'd love to get a girl, but she wouldn't enjoy the experience - a male in that mood will bother a female to the point where she will withdraw, eat less and could become very sick indeed.

It's perfectly normal and your tort may grow out of it eventually. Just don't be surprised if he's doing it for a few years yet.

Dont they have any kinds of needs that they must breed or mate after a specific period Coz in case of other animal they tend to become aggressive due to increase in level of testosterone if they dont mate.

 

[JoesMum]

Dont they have any kinds of needs that they must breed or mate after a specific period Coz in case of other animal they tend to become aggressive due to increase in level of testosterone if they dont mate.

No they don't. Torts are opportunist breeders. They are solitary. They live alone, roaming for miles in search of food. If they meet another they'll mate and move on.

What happened to my tort is very much the exception, not the rule. There are hundreds of years tortoise-keeping experience between the members of this forum and nobody had ever heard of a case like this before.

Your tort definitely does not need a girlfriend. Having one is likely to make him worse not better and the poor female would be harassed so much that she would become sick.

 

[JustRacey]

Dont they have any kinds of needs that they must breed or mate after a specific period Coz in case of other animal they tend to become aggressive due to increase in level of testosterone if they dont mate.

As an experienced breeder of all sorts of livestock and pet animals, that perception is backwards. The more often young males are allowed to breed the more aggressive, unruly and harder to handle they become, even if it is through A I collections increased frequency = more aggression.