# Horsefield breeding



## katmk10 (Jun 10, 2012)

Hi I have a nine month old baby horse field an was wanting to get him a friend the lady we bought him off suggested getting him a female friend...was wondering if anyone could shed any light on the breeding process how old they have to be before they will mate and what is needed in order for them to breed successfully thanks .... Another thing my horse field had a very soft white poo the other day but hasn't had one since does anyone know why this is ?


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## JoesMum (Jun 10, 2012)

The white poo is called urates and it is perfectly normal.

Horsfields, like many tortoises, are solitary in the wild. the meet up to breed and move on. They don't want company and don't get lonely.

In captivity, two Horsfields rarely share an enclosure nicely for any length of time. As they mature, they become jealous of territory and food and start fighting... regardless of gender. The males become hormone driven as they mature and constantly harass the females. groups of 3 or more can work in very large enclosures outdoors where they can escape the attention.

Fighting, Horsfield style, involves butting, biting and mounting... exactly the same as the males do in pursuit of the females. Blood is often drawn. The subordinate tortoise becomes withdrawn, ill and may die.

If you wish to breed Horsfields, it is better to keep them entirely separately and introduce them to mate before splitting them again.

In any case a new tortoise must be kept entirely separately from yours for a good 6-12 months to ensure that neither makes the other ill.

You should only get another tortoise if you can keep them separately for quarantine and are prepared to accept that this may have to be permanent.


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## katmk10 (Jun 10, 2012)

Okay thanks for the advice


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## JoesMum (Jun 10, 2012)

The other problem is that at 9 months there is no guarantee what sex your tortoise is.

They can 'be bred to be' a particular gender, but it's not an exact science. There is no way of telling accurately until your tortoise is 5-10 years old... it's guesswork until then!


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## katmk10 (Jun 10, 2012)

Really ?!? I never knew that ...why is that


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## JoesMum (Jun 10, 2012)

They all look female to start. There's no easy way of looking inside for the bits that define their gender.

Males sometimes reveal themselves by 'flashing' their penis (once seen never forgotten). There are other ways of telling by looking at their tail and plastron, but these don't become defined until the tortoise is 5-10 years old.


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