Hi there! I have a pair of leopard tortoises, the older (and larger) one is the female, she was hatched in the summer of 2019 and is about 2500 grams. The smaller one is the male, he hatched in January of 2021. He weighs about 1000 grams. I know he’s male because the last few months, he has been showing his manhood almost every day he is soaked. They are in separate enclosures. But when the weather is nice they go outside in the yard. I have noticed the male butting into the much larger male. He seemed to be interested in mating her, but seems much to small, or young at this point. But yesterday I brought them in and put them in one enclosure as I was cleaning the other. And shortly after I found him mating with the female. I have posted the video of them in action from yesterday. What I’m wondering is if this is normal behaviour for a tortoise so young? Should I continue to let them have time together or should I keep them separate until they are much larger? Thanks in advance!
Mating/sexual maturity question
- Thread starter Novadog
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- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
Bullying and actual mating behavior is easy to get confused. Two males or even two females can often be seen mounting one another. It's an aggressive act to get the submissive intruder out of the dominant tortoises territory.
At that age this is just bullying and it is very stressful for both tortoises and it should be avoided.
At that age this is just bullying and it is very stressful for both tortoises and it should be avoided.
You should house them separately until the female is large enough to safely pass eggs. Allowing her to breed when she is too small can cause her to get egg bound. I separate males from females as soon as I can tell the sexes, which is usually around 18-24 months of age.
This is normal male behavior.
