Aldabra Addition

[Tortoise name Bailey]

Hello everyone

I have had a male aldabra for about 17 years and I'm not exactly sure how old he was when I got him, I'd estimate 3ish so 20 years old and 160-170 lbs. So long story short he has come of age and I figured I'd get him a female mate, a 17 year old 100lb female was located and brought to his just under 4,000 Sq ft area that he stays in. Now comes the issue, the male is bumping the female every chance he gets and now the female doesn't want to come out of the heat house. I have separated the pair and have a crew coming to make her a area that will be hers or until things change.

My real question in all this is this

1 is this normal behavior for aldabras. I have seen this in sulcatas but honestly my first go around with aldabras this size.

2 If this is normal, is it seasonal or weather triggering. Could this be something that has to be seperated during say spring and they can go back as a pair during summer?

Any good input is appreciated

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

@ALDABRAMAN Might be able to help...

 

[TammyJ]

Cute picture! Like they're dancing - but they're not. I would absolutely separate them and if possible, with no sight or smell of each other. For now anyway. @Tom

 

[wellington]

@dd33 might be able to help
I personally would not have just one female with one male, pairs are not good. He will always only bug the one where having a couple spreads the attention.
It's is likely going to be worse during their breeding time. Spring is definitely one of those times.
If your male is 20 years old, he hopefully weighs more then 170. He should be 250-350 at least. The female being 17 is a bit light too.

 

[wellington]

Cute picture! Like they're dancing - but they're not. I would absolutely separate them and if possible, with no sight or smell of each other. For now anyway. @Tom

They can be next to each other in separate enclosures, just not seeing each other without risk of busting thru. If they couldn't smell each other, everyone would only be able to have one tortoise.

 

[Tom]

Hello everyone

I have had a male aldabra for about 17 years and I'm not exactly sure how old he was when I got him, I'd estimate 3ish so 20 years old and 160-170 lbs. So long story short he has come of age and I figured I'd get him a female mate, a 17 year old 100lb female was located and brought to his just under 4,000 Sq ft area that he stays in. Now comes the issue, the male is bumping the female every chance he gets and now the female doesn't want to come out of the heat house. I have separated the pair and have a crew coming to make her a area that will be hers or until things change.

My real question in all this is this

1 is this normal behavior for aldabras. I have seen this in sulcatas but honestly my first go around with aldabras this size.

2 If this is normal, is it seasonal or weather triggering. Could this be something that has to be seperated during say spring and they can go back as a pair during summer?

Any good input is appreciated

Tortoises should never be kept in pairs. Adding a smaller female into the established territory of a male is about worse case scenario.

You need a group, or you need to house them separately. For a group, the pen would need to be around a half acre or more.

 

[Tortoise name Bailey]

Just to update, the female just needed some time to settle into her new enclosure. She comes out, grazes and drinks like normal now. The male still makes advances as butting his shell on hers is part of their process. She has her defenses to his advances, turning and twisting her shell to get him off. This does not go on for long though, sometimes a half hour to an hour a day and the male goes back to whatever he was doing. She has some time, years probably, if at all, to go before she will be ready to cooperate.

 

[wellington]

You are making a mistake keeping them together. The stress on her could be detrimental. Tortoises should not be kept in pairs. One male with one female is a constant stress on her. Separate them and when the time comes out them together only to mate. The other solution is get at least one more female, two more would be ideal.