I had a pair of Hermann's tortoises, owned both for about 30 years and they were owned by another family before me, so both at least 50 years old. The male was constantly trying to mate the female and over the years, she has laid eggs sometimes.
Last month, she laid a couple of eggs, then one day when I went to check they were all in their bed (they have free run of my enclosed garden), I was horrified to find she had a large prolapse.
I took her to the vet, who kept her over the weekend and tried to shrink it, then told me to take her to another vet the other side of the country. At this stage, Rosie was still quite lively and eating.
The second vet gave her antibiotics and after 2 days, local anaesthetic before amputating the prolapse. They said they would let her recover before opening her shell to take out a dozen eggs that could be seen in the x-ray. Unfortunately, Rosie became very weak and she had to be put to sleep. I was heart-broken. I fetched her home and buried her in my garden.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48986945@N03/5970260063/in/set-72157626974062805
Her mate, Henry, missed her and spent a fair amount of time seemingly looking for her. The problem now is that he is looking at my other tortoise, a really elderly spur-thighed female. He is circling her and peering into her shell and inspecting her back legs, as if he is considering mating her.
My vet told me that his constant mating of Rosie may have caused her reproductive parts to have weakened and made the prolapse more likely. I really don't want Henry to turn his unwanted attentions to Peggy and cause problems for her as well.
It would be difficult to separate them, and I don't want to have to rehome Henry after all these years, so please could someone tell me if Peggy is safe from being mated by Henry, or whether I need to think of rehoming him.
Last month, she laid a couple of eggs, then one day when I went to check they were all in their bed (they have free run of my enclosed garden), I was horrified to find she had a large prolapse.
I took her to the vet, who kept her over the weekend and tried to shrink it, then told me to take her to another vet the other side of the country. At this stage, Rosie was still quite lively and eating.
The second vet gave her antibiotics and after 2 days, local anaesthetic before amputating the prolapse. They said they would let her recover before opening her shell to take out a dozen eggs that could be seen in the x-ray. Unfortunately, Rosie became very weak and she had to be put to sleep. I was heart-broken. I fetched her home and buried her in my garden.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48986945@N03/5970260063/in/set-72157626974062805
Her mate, Henry, missed her and spent a fair amount of time seemingly looking for her. The problem now is that he is looking at my other tortoise, a really elderly spur-thighed female. He is circling her and peering into her shell and inspecting her back legs, as if he is considering mating her.
My vet told me that his constant mating of Rosie may have caused her reproductive parts to have weakened and made the prolapse more likely. I really don't want Henry to turn his unwanted attentions to Peggy and cause problems for her as well.
It would be difficult to separate them, and I don't want to have to rehome Henry after all these years, so please could someone tell me if Peggy is safe from being mated by Henry, or whether I need to think of rehoming him.
