# How long will it take a russian to impregnate a female?



## Blastoise (Jul 20, 2014)

Here's my situation. I have a female russian tortoise I am trying to get pregnant. I also have a male russian tortoise. I put them in an outdoor enclosure two weeks ago. Today I noticed the first signs of mating. The male was very agressive but I don't know if he was successful. The female kept running away, he would cut her off, bob his head like crazy, give her a couple bites on the leg, and go mount her again, and she would run off. I had to leave for work and left them to do their thing. How long should I leave the male in the enclosure with the female to get the highest chance of successful mating?


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## johnsonnboswell (Jul 21, 2014)

How much abuse do you think she should take? She's had more than enough. Separate them now. Don't reintroduce them to each other again until next spring on a sunny day. 

Have you considered getting more females for a breeding colony to protect your female? Spread the love...or aggression... around. 

Tortoises become gravid. Why is it so important to breed now? Hatchlings are delicate and need to be well started. It might be better to slow down and take more time with your tortoises before taking on breeding and hatchlings. Of course, getting those eggs to hatch is another issue.


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## Yvonne G (Jul 21, 2014)

You can't just put them together and hope for a successful mating, because the female has to be receptive to the mating. And it really doesn't matter when the eggs are fertilized. The female nests when the time and conditions are right for HER.


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## Yellow Turtle01 (Jul 21, 2014)

She might not be ready to lay fertile eggs. Allsoo, more females are great, because then your bachelor has more to herd around, and they equally get picked on
.


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## Blastoise (Jul 21, 2014)

She's not taking that much abuse, there hasn't been a lot of mating activity and there's plenty of space to get away. Johnson I'm not some ten year old with two tortoises, how about you slow down until you can actually answer my question. I'm putting two tortoises together for a week and hoping the female gets pregnant. I'm just wondering if anyone with a female russian tortoise has bred a single male with a single female in this manner.


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2014)

Russians can be a tough one. Some people keep them as a group with one male and several females, see breeding activity year after year, and never get a baby. Other people have a pair running loose in a back yard, hardly ever see them and get babies every year. There is no way to predict who will succeed and who won't. Its an odd thing.

So to answer your question, there is no way to know. When the female is ready, she's ready. If she's not ready, it ain't gonna happen. Most tortoises don't breed much or lay much during the hot summer months. Russians typically do their thing in Spring, which is what JohnsonBoswell was getting at. If you leave them together now, the male will keep harassing the female, but it probably won't accomplish anything other than torturing her. Better to separate them and then introduce them for a day or two at a time in the Spring.


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