leg and arm issuees

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Raymond23

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i got my russian tortoise a two days ago from petsmart and i just relize that she got black specles all over her leg and arms
 

WithLisa

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Wait, how many tortoises do you even have? :rolleyes:
 

wellington

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well withlisa i got a male and a female
You do know they can not live together right? The male will try to breed the female to death. She will also get too stressed out and not eat and will get ill and possibly death that way too.
They need to be kept separate and only put together with supervision to breed and then separated.
 

tortoiseplanet

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You do know they can not live together right? The male will try to breed the female to death. She will also get too stressed out and not eat and will get ill and possibly death that way too.
They need to be kept separate and only put together with supervision to breed and then separated.

I somewhat disagree.
It depends on the personality of the male if he is aggressive or calm. My males are very calm and one male has only mated with a female once, and they don’t ram or do anything life threatening. I though went through many tortoises to configure the right group to be housed together. None of mine fight or mate to the point of irritating the female. Though in most scenarios you are correct (because most males are aggressive). It though depends on the personality of the animal.
 

TechnoCheese

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I somewhat disagree.
It depends on the personality of the male if he is aggressive or calm. My males are very calm and one male has only mated with a female once, and they don’t ram or do anything life threatening. I though went through many tortoises to configure the right group to be housed together. None of mine fight or mate to the point of irritating the female. Though in most scenarios you are correct (because most males are aggressive). It though depends on the personality of the animal.

Key word in your statement: Group. Pairs just don’t work, because there is always a dominant and a subordinate :)
 

wellington

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I somewhat disagree.
It depends on the personality of the male if he is aggressive or calm. My males are very calm and one male has only mated with a female once, and they don’t ram or do anything life threatening. I though went through many tortoises to configure the right group to be housed together. None of mine fight or mate to the point of irritating the female. Though in most scenarios you are correct (because most males are aggressive). It though depends on the personality of the animal.
How long have you had yours? Give it time. Russians are one of the very scrappy ones. If they are ina very large enclosure, yard size not aquarium or table size it could work with lots of sight barriers and hiding places etc.
However, this should be with the more experienced that know what they are doing and what to look for in the bullying. This is a kid New too tortoises. Always should try and take that into account. Also, keep a close eye on yours as you may be missing the signs too.
 

wellington

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Key word in your statement: Group. Pairs just don’t work, because there is always a dominant and a subordinate :)
I missed that he said group. Hopefully a newbie doesn't miss the group part of this, they will think a pair is fine together.
 
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Raymond23

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I somewhat disagree.
It depends on the personality of the male if he is aggressive or calm. My males are very calm and one male has only mated with a female once, and they don’t ram or do anything life threatening. I though went through many tortoises to configure the right group to be housed together. None of mine fight or mate to the point of irritating the female. Though in most scenarios you are correct (because most males are aggressive). It though depends on the personality of the animal.
i never sae him being aggresive or trying to mate
 
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Raymond23

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Most aggression is mental, and they are likely too stressed by each other to do anything about it. Separate them before it’s too late.
in know but i see other russian tortoise being together and there just fine
 

TechnoCheese

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in know but i see other russian tortoise being together and there just fine

But they aren’t fine. Groups can work, but pairs never will. You likely just didn’t see the it happening, and what you have to remember is that most bullying is mental. “Cuddling” is really crowding, and “following” is really chasing. There are other signs we can see.
 
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Raymond23

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But they aren’t fine. Groups can work, but pairs never will. You likely just didn’t see the it happening, and what you have to remember is that most bullying is mental. “Cuddling” is really crowding, and “following” is really chasing. There are other signs we can see.
so should i return the tortoise or what
 

tortoiseplanet

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in know but i see other russian tortoise being together and there just fine

It’s your decision. I say leave your Russian’s together if they are working out and keep a very close eye on them. If you see any signs of aggression, then move them. It isn’t necessary to separate them without reason. Before I built my outdoor inclosure I had the same pair housed together for 6 years - indoors in a kids pool setup. I’m going to create a new thread to debate this topic.
 

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