housing 1 male and 1 female togehter?

[matt581]

Will a 8inch female sulcata and a 11inch male be ok? I got 2 males now there doin ok but future prolly wont be good the bigger male eats all the food now and the little 1 hasent ate as much anymore The guy i bought him from said i could bring him back and get that female im thinking about going that way rather than 2 males.

 

[Laura]

the male will most likely pester her to Death when they are old enough.. how big is the area you are planning to house them in?
This is one of the reasons there are so many sulcatas in rescues... housing more then one can be tricky...

 

[wellington]

There are way more experienced out there then me. However what I have read. No, unless you have a very big enclosure with a lot of visual barriers. Other than that, when they are breeding age the male will bug the female non stop and even to sickness or death. Wait around for the others to join in.

 

[Yvonne G]

I recently took in two 4 year old sulcatas. They're both right around 12, 13lbs. One is male and the other is female. The male bothers the female so much that she never comes out of the house. I finally had to put her into a different pen so she could eat.

 

[Jacqui]

It can be done, but really it will be hard work to keep a lone female from being harassed so much that it stresses her. If you do try it, a huge enclosure, lots of visual barriers are a must. Even then having the ability to separate them is always a must. Now if you actually have that much room, why can't you make two enclosures? Then you can keep the two you already have. Two enclosures is easier on both you and the tortoises, cheaper in the long run, not to mention just an entirely much better idea.

 

[Laura]

if you want or plan to have more then one sulcata.. then plan on housing them seperately.
Although,, there are some places who house dozens together and t seems to work.. im not sure if they are just so stressed or overwhelemed they just cope or what..
Maybe they just learn and cope and 'get over it'

 

[wellington]

Sorry Laura. I see we posted at the same time. Didn't mean to say you weren't experienced.

There are way more experienced out there then me. However what I have read. No, unless you have a very big enclosure with a lot of visual barriers. Other than that, when they are breeding age the male will bug the female non stop and even to sickness or death. Wait around for the others to join in.

 

[matt581]

wow! I'm really lost now lol. The 2 males are in a 9x6 for now.... ik its 2 small for 2. Im buying my own house in the Spring Time so i dont really wanna build another pen then rip it down and have to rebuild it again. But i will have it 18x6 if i house a female and male together? Is that enough room? or should i just keep both males ? im so lost now thanks guys for the info. The female i might get is only 3yrs old 9inches or so and my male is 10yrs old 7lbs. How long can they be before the Male wants to mount her? either way could make another pen i guess for her might be ok together till she gets a little bigger?? HELP GUYS LOL

thanks

 

[JoesMum]

Torts don't naturally cohabit. Two males will fight for dominance. A male will bother a female into decline.

By large enclosure people mean an entire back yard. 18x6 isn't enough space to get the separation you need.

You would be better off returning one completely and getting a second when you are able to have 2 enclosures.

 

[matt581]

Torts don't naturally cohabit. Two males will fight for dominance. A male will bother a female into decline.

By large enclosure people mean an entire back yard. 18x6 isn't enough space to get the separation you need.

You would be better off returning one completely and getting a second when you are able to have 2 enclosures.

thanks joes for the help your right

 

[Tom]

Separate the males. If you get the female keep her separate too. There are always weird exceptions, but the info everybody spelled out above is the general rule. Males will fight and or intimidate each other. Males will harass a female to death even in a giant outdoor enclosure with lots of hiding areas and different places to go. They are best kept as singles or larger groups with one male in really big, full time outdoor enclosures if you want to breed.

 

[Shelly]

How about housing 2 females together?

 

[matt581]

ok thanks. so i have 2 males i rescued 1 idk what to do with the other 1 now? Hes a good tortoise id like to see him go out west whare he can eat sleep have fun yr around MI is just not the state for sulcata's i feel bad. Any ideas anyone?? yes i know rescues have sooooooo many of them already people breed breed breed for easy $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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How about housing 2 females together?

I have 2 males but 2 females should get along fine

 

[ascott]

I would make two enclosures and keep the males that you have....I would imagine that you are not looking to breed them so two males would be aok....especially since if you get the female in lieu of the male you already have ===you will have to have two enclosure just the same anyways....you know?

I vote keep the males and set up two enclosures...and you know that you are moving soon so the digs you set up for them now are temporary....perhaps you can split the current enclosure with a board down the middle???? I do not know what indoor set up you have due to the cooler weather at present????

Just my opinion

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

There is a common misconception here... Females will pester each other as well, so will any species of animal. There will always be a level of pecking order regardless of sex. Yes the males will butt heads more often. Also with this being said, I have my adults together 24/7 and I don't have any issues. They work out their own social structure. Yes the male will want to mate with the female every so often... It's natural. We as humans, men especially (myself included) have bugged the crap out of women at some point in our lives. Doesn't mean we should segregate ourselves. This is nature at its finest people and things have gone great for millions of years without our interruption. I think they'll be just fine together!

 

[Tom]

There is a common misconception here... Females will pester each other as well, so will any species of animal. There will always be a level of pecking order regardless of sex. Yes the males will butt heads more often. Also with this being said, I have my adults together 24/7 and I don't have any issues. They work out their own social structure. Yes the male will want to mate with the female every so often... It's natural. We as humans, men especially (myself included) have bugged the crap out of women at some point in our lives. Doesn't mean we should segregate ourselves. This is nature at its finest people and things have gone great for millions of years without our interruption. I think they'll be just fine together!

To compare the behavior and desires of a human primate to a chelonian reptile is much too far of a stretch for me to let it lie. Tell us, how many times have you seen two adult male sulcatas successfully cohabitating as a pair? How many times have you seen it not successful?

Two male sulcatas in a backyard is not nature in its finest as it has been for millions of years. For millions of years adult males would attempt to drive rival males out of their territory. Whichever one was weakest would lose and leave the area. No where to go in someone's back yard... Debilitating stress, injury or death is then substituted for the normal departure of the area.

Common misconception? Really?

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

To compare the behavior and desires of a human primate to a chelonian reptile is much too far of a stretch for me to let it lie. Tell us, how many times have you seen two adult male sulcatas successfully cohabitating as a pair? How many times have you seen it not successful?

Two male sulcatas in a backyard is not nature in its finest as it has been for millions of years. For millions of years adult males would attempt to drive rival males out of their territory. Whichever one was weakest would lose and leave the area. No where to go in someone's back yard... Debilitating stress, injury or death is then substituted for the normal departure of the area.

Common misconception? Really?

Not once did I say I recommended two males in the same area. Also stated that EVERY species of animal has their own pecking order, yes including humans which is a fact. Tell me a species that doesn't. What I referred to as a misconception was that two females won't live in complete harmony either. They too will have a pecking order and bicker every so often just not as much as males. As for my own experience I have had adult sulcatas living together in harmony for nearly 10 years with zero problems whatsoever. Everything you just stated was completely taken out of context.

 

[matt581]

To compare the behavior and desires of a human primate to a chelonian reptile is much too far of a stretch for me to let it lie. Tell us, how many times have you seen two adult male sulcatas successfully cohabitating as a pair? How many times have you seen it not successful?

Two male sulcatas in a backyard is not nature in its finest as it has been for millions of years. For millions of years adult males would attempt to drive rival males out of their territory. Whichever one was weakest would lose and leave the area. No where to go in someone's back yard... Debilitating stress, injury or death is then substituted for the normal departure of the area.

Common misconception? Really?

Not once did I say I recommended two males in the same area. Also stated that EVERY species of animal has their own pecking order, yes including humans which is a fact. Tell me a species that doesn't. What I referred to as a misconception was that two females won't live in complete harmony either. They too will have a pecking order and bicker every so often just not as much as males. As for my own experience I have had adult sulcatas living together in harmony for nearly 10 years with zero problems whatsoever. Everything you just stated was completely taken out of context.

how big is your area that you have yours in? and how many males do you have and how many females?

thanks everyone

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

One male, 4 females. They are in about half an acre most of the time. I do have a smaller area I put then in if I get irragation and a large area when I don't have cattle in my pasture. So it changes but like I said 90% of the time about half an acre.

 

[matt581]

One male, 4 females. They are in about half an acre most of the time. I do have a smaller area I put then in if I get irragation and a large area when I don't have cattle in my pasture. So it changes but like I said 90% of the time about half an acre.

ok. what do u guys do out west when they say sulcata's dig holes at night time and so on? id like to leave mine outside in summer kinda nervious tho from preditors and so on...