Fighting torts

fidsunited

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Hi below are my 2 horsfileds which we believe are boy and girl can any one confirm that please ??
They got on like a house on fire for 3/4 years , never a cross word but over that last few days have started fighting !! Head bobbing , mouth open trying to bite each other & head butting each other with quite some force , If we have sexed them right the female seems to be the aggressor .

a - Is this a mating thing ? A seasonal thing ? A territorial thing ? Or do they just not like each other any more ?

b - might they get over it or will I definitely have to separate them ?
Cheers
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cmacusa3

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Separate them, that's what MUST be done.
 

dmmj

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Once they reach sexual maturity it never stops, sad to say but you must separate
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Martin:

They're both female. Females frequently get along in pairs, but it sounds like either a territorial issue or one of them is ready to be bred. Females wanting to be bred sometimes get quite grouchy.
 

wellington

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They do need to be seoarated. Or you could try a much bigger enclosure then whatever they are in now and add lots to sight barriers, couple different hides, food stations and water dishes and see if that stops it. Otherwise separate.
 

Tom

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Tortoises should not live in pairs. Especially not russians. Regardless of the sexes, they each need their own enclosure, one way or another.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Welcome.
It's fantastic that you learned about Russian behavior before one of them got badly damaged.
You have one of the scrappiest breeds there.
 

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