Forest Hingeback Compataility

[jpeck425]

Hi there,

I have a pair of LTC Forest Hingebacks. I am very experienced with other species of tortoises, but have never kept groups of hingebacks. I have someone offering me a LTC male and was wondering if males are combative. I can add a second female, if that helps. Does anyone have experience with male interaction of this species?

Thanks
Jeff

 

[Tim/Robin]

We don't own forest hingebacks, but here is what Tortoise Trust claims regarding hingebacks:

"Male Kinixys can be very aggressive and it may not be possible to maintain more than one per enclosure. K. erosa appear to be the most aggressive of all, and two males will sometimes inflict serious injuries upon each other if allowed to."
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/kandb.htm

Of course, that is just one opinion. Anyone else have some personal experience?

 

[egyptiandan]

Hi Jeff,
The best way I found to keep either species, Kinixys erosa or K. homeana, is to keep animals seperately.
I was never able to keep 2 animals together, one would always get sick. When I started to keep them seperately is when I was successful in breeding them and getting eggs.
So no I would never put 2 males together.

Danny

 

[Jacqui]

My three did well together. The only reason I seperated them was that two were a bit larger and were much less shy along with better eaters. Thought the smaller one could use more time with no competition for anything. The other two, still are housed together.

We had this discussion once in the Hingeback group, with one person having had problems and another one having no problems with them kept as a colony. So like with everything, it's going to depend mostly on the animals and then perhaps on how your set up is.

That being said, I would never personally keep two males in with a lone female. Even if the males do get along, think of the added stress on the female of two males actively pursuing her. I don't believe any of the folks above had just two males with a lone female.