Breeding?

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Hi i have 2 russians and one is a little bigger than the other however it has started to be a bit aggressive and trying to mate with the other so what soil do you use for breeding and can two russian males be breeding in anyway since i dont know if it is 2 males or 1 of each
 

Yvonne G

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Well, first of all, you need to really KNOW the sexes of the tortoises, not just guess because of the activity. Mounting is a form of aggression, and it is done by males and females. If you have two males, one of them (or maybe even both) might end up seriously injured or even dead. They are terribly aggressive fighters.
 

TechnoCheese

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JoesMum

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They do need separating right now. Russians are solitary and very territorial, regardless of gender, to and things can get bloody.

The behaviour you describe is classic territorial.

We need clear photos of the underside of each, including the tail, to sex them.

If they do prove to be male and female and you want to breed them then you introduce them to mate and then separate. They don't get lonely and don't want or need company.
 
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They do need separating right now. Russians are solitary and very territorial, regardless of gender, to and things can get bloody.

The behaviour you describe is classic territorial.

We need clear photos of the underside of each, including the tail, to sex them.

If they do prove to be male and female and you want to breed them then you introduce them to mate and then separate. They don't get lonely and don't want or need company.

First should be both 2 to 4th should be the small one and 5th to 7th should be the big one just ask if you need a more specific picture of one and from what angle

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TechnoCheese

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Can you take a picture and show it to us?

A male will generally have a long tail that curls to the side, and a female will generally have a short one.

Regardless of gender, they absolutely cannot be kept together, even if you plan to breed. For breeding they should be put together just to mate, and then separated again once they’re done. Even with that, you need to do a lot of research, and make sure you have room for babies especially if you don’t sell all of them.
 
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Can you take a picture and show it to us?

A male will generally have a long tail that curls to the side, and a female will generally have a short one.

Regardless of gender, they absolutely cannot be kept together, even if you plan to breed. For breeding they should be put together just to mate, and then separated again once they’re done. Even with that, you need to do a lot of research, and make sure you have room for babies especially if you don’t sell all of them.
First should be both 2 to 4th should be the small one and 5th to 7th should be the big one just ask if you need a more specific picture of one and from what angle
 

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TechnoCheese

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Small one is male, large one is female. Remember, they still need to be separated and each given properly sized, 8x4 foot enclosures.
 

TechnoCheese

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Small one is definitely male, but I’m not sure about the large one. Females are generally larger and have short tails, but they usually don’t curl to the side. I would wait for a second opinion on that one.
 

Cathie G

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I actually read something once. It did concern if you had a boy or girl Russian. The girls have an :* vent and the boys a /. That's the only warning I had before I found out...it's a boy!
 

Yvonne G

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It is a male/female pair. In my opinion, unless they're outside in a good-sized yard, they should be in separate habitats. Then in the spring you can put them together to breed, then separate them again.
 
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It is a male/female pair. In my opinion, unless they're outside in a good-sized yard, they should be in separate habitats. Then in the spring you can put them together to breed, then separate them again.
okay thanks Yvonne this helps alot with my worries for them
 

TechnoCheese

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okay thanks Yvonne this helps alot with my worries for them

Just make sure you research a lot into breeding, and can house the babies if they don’t sell. You’ll need to buy an incubator, a very large enclosure(and maybe even multiple), and be able to provide a varied diet for all of them.
 
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