Fighting Sulcatas?

[Tony the tank]

Well adopted my buddies female sulcata 9yrs old 65lbs.. She seems really laid back.. But Tony has issues.. He gets in front her and smells her.. Then he pushes her... She just tries to walk away..and he gets in front of her face to face...Like there sniffing each other... Then when she walked away he mounted her..

What are the chances this will resolve itself.. Or is this going to be an ongoing issue...

Is there a way to get Tony to relax??

 

[Laura]

first i would be sure your new one is a female.. and yes,, it could be a big problem.
If it is a female, he could pester her to death.. or they may work it out.. if its a male.. they will fight and
will need to be kept seperate. Two enclosures, two heated sheds...
pictures of the new one?

 

[Tom]

That's what sulcatas do. It would be very unusual to be able to house a pair together long term. Or short term either really. Sometimes two females will get a long, but usually two males will not. The only way I've seen it done successfully is in very large pens with larger groups. I like a ratio of 1.3 or more for sulcatas, if you want mixed sexes.

There is no harm in separating them. It is not likely that Tony will relax.

... of course you can always send that female my way, if you don't want to try to build another pen and house...

 

[Tony the tank]

I'm pretty sure it's a female... The rear plaston spurs are narrow compared to Tony and the plaston is flat..Not concave..

Im ot sure if this is a dominance thing with the female... He did mount her...Would he mount a male?

 

[Laura]

yes, males mount males.. its a dominance thing.. like dogs.. not sexual...

 

[Tony the tank]

Here are some pics of the plaston..Looks female to me..First two pics are of the female last pic is of Tony..

 

[ascott]

hmmmm, I don't feel hopeful about peacefully co habitating either. I have just never seen a truly harmonious space when two are together.

I believe that the newbie you have is indeed female

 

[Tom]

Honestly, I can't tell if the left two pics are female or not. It looks like it could go either way. I had one like that. Bert. I thought he was female up until he was almost 9 years old. He was flat, had a tiny head and gulars, tail was smallish and the anal scutes looked just like that. Here is a 35 pound adult female for comparison:

Look at the size of the tail. Females have almost no tail. I can't see the tail in your pics. Does it have much of a tail in comparison to your obvious male?

Either way, they are not likely to get along. I'll bet that Tony keeps on harassing him/her relentlessly. Your best bet is going to be to separate them.

 

[dmmj]

yes, males mount males.. its a dominance thing.. like dogs.. not sexual...

You know I tell my dates this all the time,but they never believe me.

 

[Tony the tank]

Honestly, I can't tell if the left two pics are female or not. It looks like it could go either way. I had one like that. Bert. I thought he was female up until he was almost 9 years old. He was flat, had a tiny head and gulars, tail was smallish and the anal scutes looked just like that. Here is a 35 pound adult female for comparison:

Look at the size of the tail. Females have almost no tail. I can't see the tail in your pics. Does it have much of a tail in comparison to your obvious male?

Either way, they are not likely to get along. I'll bet that Tony keeps on harassing him/her relentlessly. Your best bet is going to be to separate them.

The tail on the questionable female is shorter than Tonys but not as short as your pic... Maybe a 1" shorter than Tony but she/he is almost 20lbs (68lbs)heavier and 3-4" longer..

---

Well we had bloodshed this morning... So I put up a corral fence this morning..split the room down the middle..they can see each other but they won't have contact..it's removal so in a few weeks I will pull it and see.. If they go at it again it will go back up..funny they seem to ignore each other now..

 

[ascott]

Keep in mind, please. While we as caregivers would love all of our tortoise to get along, have a buddy, live in harmony....we have to remember that these guys are inch for inch gladiators...and most tortoise are not designed to be housed with another as a pair...and some can't even be with any at all....

If they can see each other they will likely continue to have tension building....and wham in a few weeks when you pull the gate....if there was blood this morning....there really should be consideration to them remaining nomadic in space and happy and safe.....In my humble opinion...