# Breeding my herman



## tortoiselover+breeder1234 (Apr 29, 2012)

*Is my tort trying to find a mate? *

My lovely tortoise George, (unsure of gender) is roaming around his cage, all around the outside, and keeps looking lonely. I have been told it's a he, since males do that when searching for a female mate. Is it true? I might get another tortoise with him, and would they breed?


----------



## tortoiselover+breeder1234 (Apr 29, 2012)

* Mating*

When is the best time to try and breed my Herman tortoise, George?


----------



## tortoiselover+breeder1234 (Apr 29, 2012)

I have a Herman tortoise, and I have a feeling he is trying to find a mate. He is about two and a half. How old do they have to be to mate? I'm a beginner. Also, what time, how and when should I breed? 
(even if in a couple of years)


----------



## Yvonne G (Apr 29, 2012)

Hi tortoiselover+breeder:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

What would you like us to call you?

...and may we know appx where in the world you are?

In the first place, because all of your questions pertain to breeding the tortoise, I've merged the three separate threads into one.

If that's a picture of your Hermann, then you should know that its a Russian tortoise, not a Hermann's tortoise. Russian tortoises don't play well together. They fight rather rough. Even male/female groupings fight rough.

Your tortoise isn't lonely. He probably just wants outside.


----------



## JoesMum (Apr 29, 2012)

At two and a half, your tort's gender is no certainty. They cannot be sexed reliably until 5 or more years old.

They are solitary in the wild and roaming is more an indicator of wanting more food and/or territory than a desire for company. They do not get lonely.

If in the company of others, they protect their territory and food violently, sometimes drawing blood, with the subordinate tort declining, becoming ill and possibly dying.

Any new tort must be kept entirely separately in quarantine for a good 6 months. After that you must accept that they may need separating permanently apart from brief mating introductions.

Larger groups of 3 or more can work where there is plenty of space (a garden) to escape from harassment.

If you don't have room for 2 separate enclosures, please don't get another tort.


----------



## tortoiselover+breeder1234 (Apr 29, 2012)

emysemys said:


> Hi tortoiselover+breeder:
> 
> Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!
> 
> ...



Call me HD. I'm in Tunbridge wells England. Ok, I will consider those ideas, except we do often give it a good run. And are you sure? We were told by the pet shop owners it was a herman, and one of my friends has a Herman, and it looks the same. But thank you for your input! I really will think. 



JoesMum said:


> At two and a half, your tort's gender is no certainty. They cannot be sexed reliably until 5 or more years old.
> 
> They are solitary in the wild and roaming is more an indicator of wanting more food and/or territory than a desire for company. They do not get lonely.
> 
> ...



Ok, thanks. I will wait a couple of years! 
Alright, I will give it a bit more food at each meal, and is there anyway to get another tortoise in the same enclosure?


----------



## dmmj (Apr 29, 2012)

It also looks russian to me, they are often mis IDed.
As for being lonely russiand are not the type to get lonely, most of the time they prefer to be alone. I have 3 myself and I keep them separate.


----------



## JoesMum (Apr 29, 2012)

Hello HD. I live just up the road from you in Tonbridge  (For everyone else about 4 miles)

If you post a good close up of your tort from underneath (including the tail) and the front, we'll identify it positively for you


----------



## tortoiselover+breeder1234 (Apr 29, 2012)

dmmj said:


> It also looks russian to me, they are often mid IDed.
> As for being lonely russiand are not the type to get lonely, most of the time they prefer to be alone. I have 3 myself and I keep them separate.



Ok, I have confirmed now it is a horse field/russian. Is there any way 2 have them together?


----------



## JoesMum (Apr 29, 2012)

Russians are the worst at sharing unfortunately. They fight bad. You can't make them share nicely.


----------



## tortoiselover+breeder1234 (Apr 29, 2012)

JoesMum said:


> Hello HD. I live just up the road from you in Tonbridge  (For everyone else about 4 miles)
> 
> If you post a good close up of your tort from underneath (including the tail) and the front, we'll identify it positively for you



Very nice to know you live close!! Ok, I will just get a photo 

My tortoise is only 2 yrs and a half


----------



## dmmj (Apr 29, 2012)

The only way is to have a large and I mean large outside enclosure, anything besides that is just taking to many chances, and remember they don't really want company.


----------



## tortoiselover+breeder1234 (Apr 29, 2012)

dmmj said:


> The only way is to have a large and I mean large outside enclosure, anything besides that is just taking to many chances, and remember they don't really want company.



Ok. Would they breed naturally?


----------



## dmmj (Apr 29, 2012)

Based on the tail right now he is def. looking like a male.

As long as the weather is right they should but I would still stress the importance of separate enclosures.


----------



## JoesMum (Apr 29, 2012)

I'm not sure what you mean by naturally? Your tort is a long way from breeding maturity... or even from being definitely male.

If you put two torts of the same species together and they mate the female will lay eggs given the right conditions. She may not do so immediately. 

Mating is an aggressive affair. Quite violent, bordering on rape. In the wild this is a passing encounter before they move their separate ways and, when conditions are right, the female will find somewhere to lay... effectively abandoning her eggs. In captivity we intervene, dig up the eggs and incubate them.

While I think of it... our nearest reptile vet is Trinity Vet Centre just off Hermitage Lane in Maidstone, should you ever need it!


----------



## Tom (Apr 29, 2012)

Horsefield tortoises are very scrappy. One of, if not THE worst. He his pacing and roaming because that is what tortoises do. Because he(?) has never bred and is sexually immature anyway, he doesn't even have a concept of what a "mate" is. When he is older, instinct, hormones and pheromones will certainly kick in and tell him what to do, but that is not a factor right now. All of us here love tortoises and many of us have lots of them. The secret is having lots of enclosures and knowing how to mix them. The quarantine period that Joe's mum mentioned is a must. Separate quarters need to be up and running in case of the almost inevitable problems. Trying to keep just two together is a recipe for disaster. The usual and best way to mix them, IF you must have more than one, or wish to breed them, is to have one male and several females to divert and distract his "attention", all in a very large elaborate enclosure with lots of nooks and crannies and hiding places where they can get away from each other. Even then, some males are just too aggressive and violent and must be separated. Often the strategy is to keep the male by himself and briefly introduce him the the females for breeding at the right times of the year.


----------



## tortoiselover+breeder1234 (Apr 29, 2012)

dmmj said:


> Based on the tail right now he is def. looking like a male.
> 
> As long as the weather is right they should but I would still stress the importance of separate enclosures.





Ok. I will do what you say!! Thanks. I thought it was a male 



JoesMum said:


> I'm not sure what you mean by naturally? Your tort is a long way from breeding maturity... or even from being definitely male.
> 
> If you put two torts of the same species together and they mate the female will lay eggs given the right conditions. She may not do so immediately.
> 
> ...



Thank you soo much! All this information is brilliant! Ok! I will separate them x


----------

