# Red Foot Mating/Sexing



## Tortoiseme (Sep 14, 2011)

I have 4 Red Footed tortoises and they are kept in an outdoor enclosure that is 18x20 ft. Im located in Houston, Texas and the high temps are in the 100s and the lows are in the 80s. I water them regularly and feed them a variety of greens and fruits sprayed with a calcium supplement, and for protein, tortoise chow or hard boiled eggs. The temp reached below 60 so I brought them inside with a heated section for them to keep warm. Ever since I brought them inside about 2 weeks ago, the male has been constantly mounting (1-3 times a day) the other 3 torts. When they were housed outside the male didn't seem interested in the other torts.

Why is the Male so interested now that they are inside?
I was told that I have 2 Males and 2 Females, but I'm not sure.
I would appreciate any advice on Mating and Sexing.

Here are the pictures of Bottom and their tail:

9 1/2 Inch Proven Male (This the male that was mounting the other 3)






11 Inch Proven Female






8 Inch Unsure of Sex (I was told it was a Male, But the 9 1/2 Male mounted this one, twice. Could this be Male Combat?)





7 Inch Unsure of Sex (I was told it was a female and she also got mounted by the 9 1/2 Male 3-4 times.)





Thank you for reading this post!
Happy Breeding!


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## Yvonne G (Sep 14, 2011)

Hi Tortoiseme:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name?

I'm not good at sexing the redfoot tortoises, so I'll leave that up to others. But my guess on the first part of your question is that the outside habitat had more sight barriers and maybe was bigger than the indoor one, and the other tortoises are now more visible to the male.


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## Tortoiseme (Sep 14, 2011)

emysemys said:


> Hi Tortoiseme:
> 
> Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!
> 
> ...



Hello, My name is Max and my girlfriend, Eliana, uses this account also. Thanks for replying so quickly, you have a great point there.

Happy Breeding!


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## Madkins007 (Sep 14, 2011)

I'm with Yvonne. I suspect they are more 'in your face' now and the biggest is showing dominance over the others.

They also become more active in that way if it rains, etc., so the barometric pressure may have affected them.

9.5" 'proven male'- have you ever seen it expose its penis? That tail looks awfully short and the plastron looks awfully flat (female) to me but they have fooled me in the past.

11" looks female to me as well.

8"- I would not bet money on this but again, short tail, flat belly looks female.

7"- again, not 100% sure, but long-looking tail suggests male.


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## Tortoiseme (Sep 14, 2011)

Madkins007 said:


> I'm with Yvonne. I suspect they are more 'in your face' now and the biggest is showing dominance over the others.
> 
> They also become more active in that way if it rains, etc., so the barometric pressure may have affected them.
> 
> ...



When I got the 9 1/2 and the 11 Inch, the owner stated they were both proven and have been breeding for the past 5 years. But maybe he lied?

What color is the Penis suppose to be? I saw something dark in color and also I just compared the 11 inch with the 9 1/2, and the 9 1/2 is definitely concaved, way more than the 11 inch.

Also, to me the 8" tail looks long, but its slightly concave and the 7" is flat with small tail (I just compared with the larger female). This is confusing.

Thanks!


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## Tortoiseme (Sep 14, 2011)

Madkins007 said:


> I'm with Yvonne. I suspect they are more 'in your face' now and the biggest is showing dominance over the others.
> 
> They also become more active in that way if it rains, etc., so the barometric pressure may have affected them.
> 
> ...



Im sorry, I got the pictures Mixed up. I will fix edit them.

Sorry
Sorry


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## Tortoiseme (Sep 14, 2011)

Here are the *Correct *pictures of Bottom and their tail:

9 1/2 Inch Proven Male (This the male that was mounting the other 3)
View attachment 11356

View attachment 11357



11 Inch Proven Female
View attachment 11358

View attachment 11359



8 Inch Unsure of Sex (I was told it was a Male, But the 9 1/2 Male mounted this one, twice. Could this be Male Combat?)
View attachment 11355

View attachment 11354



7 Inch Unsure of Sex (I was told it was a female and she also got mounted by the 9 1/2 Male 3-4 times.)
View attachment 11360

View attachment 11361




Thank you for reading this post!
Happy Breeding! 

Read more: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Red-Foot-Mating-Sexing#ixzz1Xx7PSttk


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## Tortoiseme (Sep 14, 2011)

Here are the *Correct *pictures of Bottom and their tail:

9 1/2 Inch Proven Male (This the male that was mounting the other 3)






11 Inch Proven Female






8 Inch Unsure of Sex (I was told it was a Male, But the 9 1/2 Male mounted this one, twice. Could this be Male Combat?)






7 Inch Unsure of Sex (I was told it was a female and she also got mounted by the 9 1/2 Male 3-4 times.)







Thank you for reading this post!
Happy Breeding! 

Read more: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Red-Foot-Mating-Sexing#ixzz1Xx7PSttk


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## tyler0912 (Sep 14, 2011)

im guessing...not good at this...atall....
7'' - male longer tail and the hourglass plastron/carapace
8'' - female smaller stubbytail , No hourglass shape on plastron/carapace?

Oopss....i think i guessed wrong as you corrected the pics....i dont know now lol!


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## N2TORTS (Sep 14, 2011)

your 3rd pic 8".... is a female ..... and last pic is 7"male 
(from your original post ) 

JD~


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## Geochelone_Carbonaria (Sep 14, 2011)

Welcome !

I agree with JD.

And you would not miss a redfoot penis if it was exposed, believe me ! You'll understand later when the time comes.


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## kbaker (Sep 15, 2011)

How about some glamour shots of your tortoises? That one has a beautiful neck!


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## Tortoiseme (Sep 15, 2011)

Thank you everyone for your help!

Happy Breeding,
Max


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## matt41gb (Sep 15, 2011)

Hey, I wouldn't worry about bringing them inside until it's below 55 degrees. 60 is still plenty warm for them. 

-Matt


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