Dumb question?

[animalfreak]

Okay this is going to sound dumb but my brother and I both got 2 sulcatas each about 5 months old in October. He is hoping and says his is a boy and me a girl. Mine is noticeably bigger than his so maybe mines a boy and his is a girl I don't know yet. But I was wondering that when they get older and it is a male and female if they could mate? I know it sounds dumb but some animals do I just wasn't sure. Also what age can they mate? Thanks and I wil post pics of our enclosure soon of right now and after I put them into their new tortoise house just to check and get advice in their care. Thanks again!

 

[Tortoise Hub]

If they do turn out to be a pair then yes they will eventually mate, although it's usually not a good idea to keep one male with only one female. Sulcatas can start mating as early as four years old but it really depends on how fast they grow.

 

[animalfreak]

If they do turn out to be a pair then yes they will eventually mate, although it's usually not a good idea to keep one male with only one female. Sulcatas can start mating as early as four years old but it really depends on how fast they grow.

So it's okay for them to mate? And how long/ how much should they weigh maybe instead of age? Are they hard to breed I've heard Russians are but it seems sulcatas aren't. I know I have a while before they can mate but I'm curious on the process and things I will need to do, learn, and have.

 

[Tortoise Hub]

If they do turn out to be a pair then yes they will eventually mate, although it's usually not a good idea to keep one male with only one female. Sulcatas can start mating as early as four years old but it really depends on how fast they grow.

So it's okay for them to mate? And how long/ how much should they weigh maybe instead of age? Are they hard to breed I've heard Russians are but it seems sulcatas aren't. I know I have a while before they can mate but I'm curious on the process and things I will need to do, learn, and have.

Yes it is ok for them to mate. For breeding tortoises it really goes by size rather than weight or age, females start around 15-16" and Males 13-14".

 

[cemmons12]

Not to sound like a jerk, but what are your plan's for all the baby's once they do start mating, if they indeed turn out to be male and female? And if you only have 1 female I wouldn't keep them together all the time once they get breeding age as, from what I've been told and read, males tend to be "love machines" and one female will prolly get humped to death. Best of luck tho.

 

[Yvonne G]

I've said this before and got jumped on telling me I was wrong, however it has been my experience that clutch mates are all the same sex. Now if you each got your tortoise from a different source, they might be opposite sexes, but if they came from the same clutch, they're probably both the same sex.

 

[animalfreak]

Yes it is ok for them to mate. For breeding tortoises it really goes by size rather than weight or age, females start around 15-16" and Males 13-14".

Okay thanks!

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Not to sound like a jerk, but what are your plan's for all the baby's once they do start mating, if they indeed turn out to be male and female? And if you only have 1 female I wouldn't keep them together all the time once they get breeding age as, from what I've been told and read, males tend to be "love machines" and one female will prolly get humped to death. Best of luck tho.

Well I'm going to separate them soon anyways. And it's kind of up to my parents if they even mate and what we do with the hatchlings. But don't worry we will do all we can for them! Maybe they'll even let me keep 1!!!!

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I've said this before and got jumped on telling me I was wrong, however it has been my experience that clutch mates are all the same sex. Now if you each got your tortoise from a different source, they might be opposite sexes, but if they came from the same clutch, they're probably both the same sex.

Oh okay. Well don't I have to wait until they are about 6 in. If not longer until I can even tell? Right now the only difference between them is mine being bigger. But she was bigger than most of the other hatchlings when I picked her/him. Does that mean anything about her growth speed or possibly weight when she gets older or is she simply just bigger? Thanks for all your help!