No turtle loving

[Rob1985]

I have two EBTs, and after reading posts on the forum, and many websites, I'm unsure about both of their genders. I've had them both since last summer, and I was operating off the assumption that one was female and the other male. However, I'm beginning to rethink this assumption, since I've seen no mounting, eggs, or "fanning". They both seem to have a ho-hum attitude towards each other. They do eyeball each other sometimes, but there's no real chasing going on. I got them around a month apart, and when I introduced the "male" to the "female", "she" sniffed "his" rear end, and that was it. is it possible that I still have a male and a female, or is that extremely unlikely based on the lack of any sexual behavior? I would say the latter is probably the case, as everything I'm reading says that the males try to go at it any chance they get. Any input?

Rob

 

[jakskillz]

Post pics of them. To correctly identify sex we will need to see the tops, their faces and especially their undersides.

If it’s two females then yes they won’t be mating much.
Two males may get along but more likely will attempt to mount one another over dominance.
If it is male and female they may be mating when you’re not watching or just not tempted to mate quite yet while they settle in. I will say that a single female with a male will become stressed out and probably will not lay eggs if she’s in constant contact with him because once he starts mating he probably will harass her to illness.

 

[lisa127]

We need to see photos of vent areas.

 

[RumWeatherReptiles]

We need to see photos of vent areas.

Plastron indent is a good first go-to.

 

[ColleenT]

pics of the underside of the tails/vents. That is the best indicator.

 

[lisa127]

Plastron indent is a good first go-to.

I disagree. I find vent/tail a much better indicator.

 

[RumWeatherReptiles]

I disagree. I find vent/tail a much better indicator.

I agree. That is the best way to identify for sure. I just meant the indent, without much experience is a good first glance method. Very little interpretation. Never a 100% certainty tho.

 

[Rob1985]

Mystery solved? Never seen anything like this in the year I've had them, normally they just stare at each other and then pass by like ships in the night....

 

[wellington]

You need to improve their living condition. Straw/hay is not a proper substrate. They should not be kept as a pair. Now that there is possible matting going on, he will try to mate her to death. Even without matting, he won't leave her alone.
They need a humid environment with dirt as a substrate and something to hold enough water for them to get into. With warm weather here, or close, they need to be outside in their own enclosure there too.

 

[Rob1985]

A handful of tact goes a long way....

First of all, they are outside, in a 6x6 pen. Maybe because my camera phone is so old and crappy, that wasn't clear, although a more careful eye would have discerned that from the wire grill that is evident in the foreground of the photo.

Second, it just got warm here in the northeast, and it is still cold at night. There is dirt underneath the straw, and only part of their pen is covered with straw. When the temps warm up at night, I will take the straw out.

Third, they have a water tub in their enclosure. The dish to the right in the picture is one of their feeding dishes.

Fourth, I've never seen this "behavior" before, and this time I did not see any male turtle 'equipment', so I'm not 100% convinced yet it was even a mating attempt. Maybe I have two males. Regardless, after this episode, the "top" wandered away and burrowed into the straw. However, If I see this behavior continuing, I will put up a divider in their pen.

 

[PJay]

Mystery solved? Never seen anything like this in the year I've had them, normally they just stare at each other and then pass by like ships in the night....

That looks like mating behavior, but this time of year with the temperatures climbing and the hormones raging, could still possibly be one male expressing dominance over another. If he doesn't have a female to mount he'll find the next best thing. Post pictures of the underside of both turtles, with clear views of the tails so we can see the position of the cloacas (vents) in relation to the tail. It's good that you are not using the straw as their substrate but rather as cover to hide under, just be aware that damp straw will mold and mildew much faster than many other options. Oak and magnolia leaves are my favorites to use as cover for them to hide in. If you don't have access to the leaves you can also buy sphagnum moss at the garden store and use that too.