why is that happening ?

ahmed helmy

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Joined
Apr 14, 2015
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cairo , egypt
this female do all the mating behaviour with a male !!!!
the female is up and the male is down
they are my tortoise
any one knows why ?
i couldn't take the all scene because the camera wasn't with me
 

GBtortoises

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With Testudo species successful copulation takes place only when the female is ready. In a situation where a female is ready and the male is not mounting her the female will often take on a dominant role by acting like a male by mounting other females, ramming them and sometimes as far as biting at their limbs and chasing them as a male would. If that isn't working, or there isn't other females present (there should be) the dominant acting female will often mount the male. This is all designed to antagonize the male into defending his territory and harem and ultimately mate with the female. It is not aggression on the part of the female and there is no need to separate them unless the male is so submissive that he is being injured by biting and ramming. Simple mounting is not aggression. If it were two males going at it the result would be different because it would be a territorial battle, not for reproduction as in this case. The female is most likely doing what she is doing because she is ready to breed. Only in extremely rare cases is a female territorial. One in millions. Males are always territorial with few exceptions. It could be that your female is young and just now beginning to want to breed. Young females will sometimes also mildly act like a male when young and "confused". It could also be that your male is still too young and hasn't realized his role yet too. Or it could be that conditions within their environment (light, temperatures, etc...) are not yet correct to trigger true breeding conditions for them and the female is just young and just starting to get the urge. It is definitely not just aggression. Tortoises don't display aggression just for the sake of doing so. Males often aggressively defend their territory against other males to protect resources and their breeding rites within their territory. Females may be mildly aggressive during breeding and egg laying season but never to the extent of a territorial male.
 

dmmj

The member formerly known as captain awesome
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CA
With Testudo species successful copulation takes place only when the female is ready. In a situation where a female is ready and the male is not mounting her the female will often take on a dominant role by acting like a male by mounting other females, ramming them and sometimes as far as biting at their limbs and chasing them as a male would. If that isn't working, or there isn't other females present (there should be) the dominant acting female will often mount the male. This is all designed to antagonize the male into defending his territory and harem and ultimately mate with the female. It is not aggression on the part of the female and there is no need to separate them unless the male is so submissive that he is being injured by biting and ramming. Simple mounting is not aggression. If it were two males going at it the result would be different because it would be a territorial battle, not for reproduction as in this case. The female is most likely doing what she is doing because she is ready to breed. Only in extremely rare cases is a female territorial. One in millions. Males are always territorial with few exceptions. It could be that your female is young and just now beginning to want to breed. Young females will sometimes also mildly act like a male when young and "confused". It could also be that your male is still too young and hasn't realized his role yet too. Or it could be that conditions within their environment (light, temperatures, etc...) are not yet correct to trigger true breeding conditions for them and the female is just young and just starting to get the urge. It is definitely not just aggression. Tortoises don't display aggression just for the sake of doing so. Males often aggressively defend their territory against other males to protect resources and their breeding rites within their territory. Females may be mildly aggressive during breeding and egg laying season but never to the extent of a territorial male.
I do not know about all y'all but if a females trying to mount me I consider that aggressive :)
 
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