How can I tell if my tortoise is pregnant?

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Hi guys,
I need your help! I have a male and female Russian tortoise. I see them mating all the time but I'm not sure if my female is pregnant. Help me!!!

 

[T33's Torts]

Males very often mount females, and the odds of the female becoming gravid is very rare. Russians very rarely reproduce in captivity.

 

[WillTort2]

You may need a separate enclosure for your female. In the wild the male has to search to find a female and he then courts her (with great aggressiveness) until the mating occurs. Then the female rushes off to find a private place where she can be unbothered for a day or two.

Russian males will bully a single female to the point of stressing her into a state of poor health.

If you wish to keep Russians together, you need a great deal of space and many areas for them to hide and a lot of sight barriers. A ratio of 3 females to every male is also advised.

Good luck.

 

[T33's Torts]

^^^^^^ Perfectly stated. A male will basically annoy her to death


*little kid voice* BOYS HAVE COOTIES

 

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Thank you guys this really helps! I do have a pretty large outdoor enclosure. But I will keep an eye on my male.

 

[Yvonne G]

If a female tortoise is "gravid" (meaning carrying eggs and ready to lay), she gets restless. She paces the enclosure, even trying to climb the walls. She may dig (with her back legs) several test holes before finally digging a nest in which to deposit the eggs. If the male is pestering her during this time it might be a good idea to remove him until the nesting is finished.

 

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She's doing all of that except for test digging. Does that mean she doesn't like the place?

 

[Yvonne G]

It just means she hasn't yet found the ideal spot for her eggs.

 

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Ok thank you so much! Also this is her habitat and lives with many other friends!

 

[T33's Torts]

Is that a sulcata in the enclosure? Does the sulcata live with the russians?

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And its a nice area, but not quite as large as you'd aim to have for a pair of RTs. I have a 10'x7' area for my fve torts. Its big, but not anywhere near how big it should be.

 

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Yes I actually have 2 Russians,1 Sulcata, and 4 eastern box turtles in there. And yes that's why I'm putting the Russians and Sulcata here. I just need a lot more fencing and other equipment to finish it.

 

[T33's Torts]

I really, really do not advise you to cohabitate different species. And sulcatas need much, much more humidity than russians. Also, maybe adding a cover to the enclosure may help protect them from hawks. I am not a fan of open topped cages.

 

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Yeah but they actually get along very well. Also it is ok about the humidity because I live in Hawaii so it is very warm here for them!

 

[hunterk997]

Yeah but they actually get along very well. Also it is ok about the humidity because I live in Hawaii so it is very warm here for them!

But those species should not be mixed. They are all entirely different. It doesn't matter if they "get along." I think everyone would agree that you need to separate the species into their own enclosures. It may be more convenient for you, but it is not good for the tortoises.

 

[Yvonne G]

It's not the "getting along" part of the equation, it's the Russians-are-going-to-make-your-other-turtles-and-tortoise sick part. Russian tortoises are gathered together in bunches of hundreds, packed in small pens where there is no room for moving. They get pooped and pee'd on and have to live in there with dead and sick tortoises for however long it takes them to be shipped to the U.S. Then they live in pens containing hundreds of tortoises at the wholesaler until the pet shop buys them.

Please read the care sheets at the top of the Sulcata section and at the top of the Russian tortoise section. Your baby sulcata requires very much different care from the adult Russian tortoises.

And the box turtles need to be in a more lushly planted, humid environment.

 

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Wow guys this really helps thanks a lot!