Ummmm…this tortoise has laid eggs. I have posts, on this site, about this tortoise’s eggs. I’ve heard that in many places, but I’m pretty sure it’s a secondary indicator to tail size and shape, as well as the size of male and female tortoises of about the same age (my girl and boy are only about a year apart, but my girl is much bigger).
Ummmm…this tortoise has laid eggs. I have posts, on this site, about this tortoise’s eggs. I’ve heard that in many places, but I’m pretty sure it’s a secondary indicator to tail size and shape, as well as the size of male and female tortoises of about the same age (my girl and boy are only about a year apart, but my girl is much bigger).
She's had four so far, one might've had twins but unfortunately that and another one were infertile. The other two are really behind developmentally but seem to have chalked, so we're still waiting on those. And yeah, especially with younger tortoises, determining the sex of a tortoise can be really hard. We had a class pet named Dribble, a sulcata tortoise, and we generally assumed they were a girl but we still have no idea. Attached is a lil' chart I use when showing how to sex Russian tortoises; you can see that it's kinda ambiguous when the tortoise is very young, but steadily becomes more and more obvious. The basic rule for Russians is that girls' tails are short with an asterisk-shaped "cloaca" or vent, and boys' tails are long with a longer cloaca and sometimes a hook at the end. Don't know what happened to my boy Prism's hook, he used to have one but no longer does. Anyway, here's the chart: Russian TortoiseHow To Tell Between Male and Female Russian Tortoise Sexes? [2021]
Oh, boy. I heard they fight a lot, but maybe that's only when there's a girl around to fight over. Unfortunately at this point, you'll have to get at least two females to start breeding, since if there's only one your boys will fight and the girl will be freaking out all the time, which is good for absolutely nobody's mental health. Even now, with only one boy and one girl, Crystal is pretty frazzled during mating season and I think Prism was the only one in this household who enjoyed it (lol). So keep that in mind I you want to give breeding another go, and until then keep hanging out with your boys!
I like your comments. My one younger male is constantly territorial against the larger male tort. The little one bites the larger in the legs and face. I would love to give another try, but living in an condominium apartment with space for two enclosures, limits my hopes to be a breeder. We love the two male torts and will not give one up for an adoption to get a female tort. Good luck with your tort family!
I like your comments. My one younger male is constantly territorial against the larger male tort. The little one bites the larger in the legs and face. I would love to give another try, but living in an condominium apartment with space for two enclosures, limits my hopes to be a breeder. We love the two male torts and will not give one up for an adoption to get a female tort. Good luck with your tort family!
Aw, thanks! Yeah, I think the little boy is trying to make up for his smallness by being more aggressive. Just make sure they don't hurt each other too badly, and separate them if the fighting gets too crazy. (Our torts live in one enclosure, but it has two rooms, so I put Prism in the other room when he bites.) Good luck with your boys too! I'd love to see a couple pictures.
