umm..HELP!!..mating??

[jojodesca]

ok..so a few days ago..i put Ninja in with the other ttbt..and I thought she was agressive..so i moved her out...so today I thought I would try it again...i let them interact..and then Ninja MOUNTED the other turtle....I thought she was female..since she laid an egg..atleast i think it was...it was long..white...sorta the size of a tampon....this was years and years ago tho..right after i got "her"...so maybe this act is a confused turtle..or maybe its a boy...but here are the pics....an i have a short video....but dont know how to load that

 

[Yvonne G]

I think Ninja is just being aggressive and telling the new turtle that this is NINJA'S domain! If you look at the last picture, Ninja's back toes are NOT hooked inside the other's shell. If they were really mating, her/his toes would be inside the shell hanging on for dear life.

 

[jojodesca]

when i tried to lift Ninja...the feet were tucked oner and clamped on....but then i just let them do it..and waited for them to separate....i feel sorta schooled by my turtle...but it could just be domination?....btw ninja was in lefty's vivarium

 

[bubbles01]

You gotta love Ninja's facial expression on that second pic!

 

[turtlemann2]

i would say congradulations youve got a boy!, remind me if im wrong but didnt we sex ninja a while ago or was this sexing the two new ones while they were still living at there old home? because the facial expression in photo number two PLUS the white coloring followed by orange makes me think we did not look at ninja. so congradulations ninja is FOR SURE A MALE TTBT : ) at least your name for him isnt sweet heart or rose or shelly lol ninja works both ways

go to billsboxturtles.com and click the courting tab on the left, when they mate the male (ninja...) climbs on the back like in your pictures and then eventually he leans back as noted on billsboxturtles.com this is when copulation happens...

as far as ninja biting her face as was told in a previous post this is common with some males as aggressive mating behaviour.

in responce to your PM eggs may or not be laid boxies can mate anytime and subsequently can lay anytime when in captivity and awake year round. but if you choose to hibernate it is not only easier to know when but it is generally more fertile. : ) so one day you may have eggs especially now we know that you have 1.2.0 : ) i suggest some light reading on the subject of hatching your own eggs although it may never happen just be ready when and of it does : )

Gratsy!


be happy though because you have a nicly colored female of whom we thought was a male : )

 

[jojodesca]

yes you are right Scott...i was asking the gender of my new ttbt (pics of the tail on feed) and when i put Ninja in there was a biting aggression from "her".so I removed Ninja..until today i tried it again....I thought that Ninja was a girl because when i first got her and put her in a vivarium a few days later there was what appeared to be an egg sitting in there..it was the size of a "tampon" but the pet store said it was a boy..so I thought it was an egg and they were wrong.

But when Ninja mounted the new ttbt, I was in shock..I actually was shooting a video of them for the first 2.5 minutes...then i stopped filming to take pics.....this lasted almost 20 minutes....during that time I put my hand near Ninja and they wouldn't move...I could see Ninjas' feet underneath the other ttbt and the claws sorta dug in holding on and "flexing" of the leg sorta like a thrust...so i waited for them to separate..when the new ttbt moved away, Ninja proceeded to follow quickly..that's when I scooped in and picked Ninja up before "she" got close again...

so now i am confused...hahaha...and i have mixed feelings....i'm not an expert apparently..lmao!!

 

[JoesMum]

While Ninja is certainly behaving male, there are no guarantees about the gender of what he chooses to mate with... a male in full hormone mode is rarely fussy.

I've seen them go for the wrong end, the wrong gender and objects that bare no resemblance whatsoever to another tortoise.

 

[turtlemann2]

somtimes especially when big changes occur such as moving they can secrete somthing called nitrate in their feacal matter im not an expert in this subject but it has somthing to do with their diet and etc this comes out as a white mass sometimes gelationious in consistancy it is possible you mis took this for an egg. when i first saw one come from my ttbt penny i thought OMG what have i done!!!

you could have an overly eager male (ninja) attempting to mate with your new ttbt (whom could be male or female, what did we decide in the other descussion? one thing i can say is ninja is a male and the ornate is a female. im out on the other ttbt between the tail, high coloring and the incedent with ninja : ) for its sake i hope it turns out to be a girl... : )

 

[Laura]

post more sexing pictures.. we can try again...

 

[jojodesca]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68XNLF1adQM&feature=youtu.be


here the first 2.2 minutes of interaction...i didnt know until it was obvious what was about to take place

 

[jojodesca]

Just an update...I am taking all 3 turtles to the pet expo..where i can have them physically examined by professionals...hahaaha.....this forum needs instant messaging....but i was also wondering..in i placed them in a clear box if they'd try it again and this way i could see without the substrate in the way, but i dont want to harm either of them.....any advice?

 

[dmarcus]

Make sure the expo allows outside animals, because most don't....

 

[jojodesca]

Make sure the expo allows outside animals, because most don't....

yes they allow them...i just have to sign a waiver so they are not at risk..alot of ppl will be bringing their dogs, and other pets...my turtles will each be secure in their own travel repti box....

 

[dmarcus]

Thats good then...

 

[jojodesca]

I have done some research which is hard to find articles on my topic, however there were a few. This is a head scratcher b/c I swear Ninja laid and egg..it was the same shape and color as the ones I have seen online, also my knowledge of incubation was not very keen 10 years ago. When I saw it sitting in the tank i put it in a bowl and covered it with light gravel. and placed it on a shelf (I know, horrible and stupid), needless to say it never hatched and I threw it away. I did not know at that time that females could store sperm for up to 4 years, and I had just gotten her from a pet store.

The pet store did tell me Ninja was a male, but after the egg was there I figured they were wrong. Since then there has never been another egg..over 10 years now...

Then today when I saw the mating scene I thought about that egg...and now have read a few articles that some females do mount and act out the part of mating. I will admit that Ninja has never been to a vet for anything, she has never been sick, has always eaten and is active, but she loves her naps.

I sound like a broken record on this forum, but I am just a concerned turtle owner. I still refer to Ninja as a "her" until i have actual confirmation from an expert, but 99.9% its a female...eggs don't lie. And both ttbt's have male/female traits, so it is hard to tell.... Anyway I will keep you all posted...alot!

thanks for reading...
Jojo

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

Gotta be a male.

 

[fbsmith3]

Just my two cents. I have two female three toed box turtles, they are not too aggressive but they do mount each other occasionally.

I think it's a dominance thing. Now they are each active at different times of the day and bury themselves when not active.

Ninja might be a very agressive female.

 

[Neal]

Going for broke here...In your pictures the one who is mounting is a male, the one who is being mounted is a female.

 

[Tccarolina]

Was Ninja alone when he/she laid the egg? An egg is pretty hard evidence. Could we see some shots of Ninja's plastron and tail?
On the other hand, most ninjas are males, according to the movies I've seen!

 

[turtlemann2]

if ninja whom i really believe to be a male laid an egg we are all wrong... but i too have seen female dominance and when this has happend she would not attempt to get her legs into the back end of the mouted female. this is IMO strickly a male attribute (fenagleing his legs to prevent her from closing up on him while mating.) the egg though if your sure obviosly cannot come from a male. take them to the """pro's""" and we will see what happens... although keep it warm and try not to let them get chilled in the winter air : )

On the other hand, most ninjas are males, according to the movies I've seen!

Muahahahahahahahahaha

on another note i was going to post a picture of a female ninja, its one of those things i regret googling ... so please imagine a fully armored or cloaked female ninja a swords and throwing stars. not scantly clothed well you get it : (