I am going to soon get a male Russian tortoise hatchling and my best friend has a Female that's about 1 year old. If I was to look into breeding, how old would my little guy need to be? Furthermore is there too much of an age gap between the two? Just trying to get a baseline.
Want to try my hand at breeding?
- Thread starter Atlas325
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Hi Atlas325:
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I wouldn't think about breeding Russian tortoises unless you have enough room for a very large pen. Male russian tortoises are aggressive breeders and are quite capable of injuring the females. I have seen females with their eyelids bitten off, bloody front legs, etc. It works best when they can be outside in a large pen with lots of hiding places. I'm not saying it can't be done any other way, it just works better outside.
Male russian tortoises reach sexual maturity at around 5" SCL, and females at a bit bigger.
Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!
What would you like us to call you?
May we know appx. where in the world you are?
I wouldn't think about breeding Russian tortoises unless you have enough room for a very large pen. Male russian tortoises are aggressive breeders and are quite capable of injuring the females. I have seen females with their eyelids bitten off, bloody front legs, etc. It works best when they can be outside in a large pen with lots of hiding places. I'm not saying it can't be done any other way, it just works better outside.
Male russian tortoises reach sexual maturity at around 5" SCL, and females at a bit bigger.
Hello and welcome.
The males are generally just very aggressive all the time. Trying to keep just one male and one female usually ends in injury or worse. They are best housed alone or in groups with one male and several females in a large outdoor pen with lots of nooks and crannies and visual barriers. Even then close supervision is necessary. Some people keep the males separate and only introduce them to the females a few times year in the spring for breeding. Personally, I think that this is a good strategy for this species. My buddy has had a group for 8 years and still no babies. Others get babies the first year they put the adults together. They are an enigmatic species in this respect. Some people have great success breeding them while others have none. All aspects of housing have been covered by both the people with success and those without. There just does not seem to be any consistent factor to explain why some get nothing and others get lots of babies.
Good luck with your babies. You will have many years before they are ready to breed. I hope you enjoy them.
The males are generally just very aggressive all the time. Trying to keep just one male and one female usually ends in injury or worse. They are best housed alone or in groups with one male and several females in a large outdoor pen with lots of nooks and crannies and visual barriers. Even then close supervision is necessary. Some people keep the males separate and only introduce them to the females a few times year in the spring for breeding. Personally, I think that this is a good strategy for this species. My buddy has had a group for 8 years and still no babies. Others get babies the first year they put the adults together. They are an enigmatic species in this respect. Some people have great success breeding them while others have none. All aspects of housing have been covered by both the people with success and those without. There just does not seem to be any consistent factor to explain why some get nothing and others get lots of babies.
Good luck with your babies. You will have many years before they are ready to breed. I hope you enjoy them.
Age difference doesn't matter. However it will be a few years before they are large enough to breed. Good luck and welcome to the club!
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Tortoise breeding = luck, dedication and patience!
Welcome to the Forum ...... and Happy Tort~N
JD~
Welcome to the Forum ...... and Happy Tort~N
JD~
they arent like dogs, were you take them and have a 'play date'.
just enjoy what you have, dont stress yourself or the other torts out by trying to breed..
just enjoy what you have, dont stress yourself or the other torts out by trying to breed..
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