Do sullys play role reversal?

[melwood513]

I have two sulcatas and one we have had for about five years now and the other we have had about a year and she was given to us. we were told Shelby was a girl but she has been pacing and grunting and the other day I went out to the enclosure and found her mounted on top of what we think is a male we call "House". Can you guys help me verify their sex and is it common for these guys to display traits common for the opposite sex? Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Melinda:

What looks like breeding activity might also be domination activity. If you'll post nice, clear pictures of the undersides of each tortoise, we might be able to tell you their sexes.

 

[Tom]

Do you just have the two? It is time to separate them. If they are opposite sex, the male will not stop harassing the female. If they are the same sex, the dominant one will not stop trying to drive the subordinate out of his "territory".

 

[melwood513]

Shelby

House

I did read about that online but the odd thing is they are getting along better now than before. we used to feed them separately and you would never see them even near each other in their enclosure. now they pal around and Shelby gladly shares food. I have seen House trying to climb up on Shelby now too. i am so confused, lol. would the separation be a permanent thing? i didnt realize they could not coexist like that. the enclosure is huge but i would still hate to split it in half.... here are some pics, hopefully i uploaded them correctly.



What looks like breeding activity might also be domination activity. If you'll post nice, clear pictures of the undersides of each tortoise, we might be able to tell you their sexes.
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