Spur thigh tortoise in need of female company

[yodathetortoise]

Hi all, we have a Spur thigh in desperate need of some female company, he has just reached sexual maturity and has become a little hump happy shall we say. We are in Newport in south Wales, Yoda is a good lad and I just want him to be happy and live a full life.

 

[Zamric]

I know of a female in Texas that NEEDS a good home
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/pet/2751381348.html

 

[Jacqui]

He can be happy and live a full life without ever knowing female's companionship too.

Do you have the room for two adult female sulcata? Or to build two separate outside enclosures to hold them? Reason I am asking is the male will often times pester and stress the female, if she can not escape his attention. She may become injured, sick, or even die. This means either two strong enclosures or adding a second female to the picture.

Then are you going to incubate those eggs? Or are we just using the female as a sex vessel and having her produce eggs, which take from her body's supply of nutrients. We won't even go into other health problems she may have.

For most folks, it just makes better sense to keep your one sulcata as a solitary creature and give him replacement items to use for his sexual needs rather then another tortoise.

 

[JoesMum]

Are we talking Testudo Graeca (Mediterranean Spur thigh) or African Spurred (Geochelone sulcata)?

They are very different!

Given your location, I suspect you have Testudo Graeca... and female company won't help a lot. Joe is not choosy about what/who he mates with and it can be very trying! Even when he's had female company, his lady friend has only distracted him for a while from other targets!

Male TGGs can't be kept with a single female as they bother the female so much that the female will become over-stressed and ill. They need loads of space and many females so the sttention is shared about.

 

[Jacqui]

Are we talking Testudo Graeca (Mediterranean Spur thigh) or African Spurred (Geochelone sulcata)?

They are very different!

Given your location, I suspect you have Testudo Graeca... and female company won't help a lot. Joe is not choosy about what/who he mates with and it can be very trying! Even when he's had female company, his lady friend has only distracted him for a while from other targets!

Male TGGs can't be kept with a single female as they bother the female so much that the female will become over-stressed and ill. They need loads of space and many females so the sttention is shared about.

Good point! I think it's just with the rash of new members from that general area with sulcata, I tend to forget the obvious alternative. Thanks!

 

[nikki0601]

How about making him a lady friend? Go get one of those very large heavy duty exercise balls, bury it half into the ground.. If u can imagine this correctly u could see how it may work.. I have seen the small species of tortoises making love to a boot, lol.. Of course in time he will pop the ball

 

[Zamric]

hehehe I can just imagine the look on his face when the ball pops!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi yodathetortoise:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name?

The little Mediterranean tortoises are very aggressive breeders. It would not be a good idea to get a female to put with your male. He would be very mean to her. And she would end up hiding all the time, not eating and becoming very stressed out.

If you are truly interested in breeding the tortoises, then it would be a good idea to get two or three females for your one male, and to have them in an outdoor habitat or a very large indoor habitat.

 

[tyler0912]

Like stated, your tortoise will still live an Awesome lifestyle to the max ( ) without a female friend.

 

[yodathetortoise]

Hi yodathetortoise:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name?

The little Mediterranean tortoises are very aggressive breeders. It would not be a good idea to get a female to put with your male. He would be very mean to her. And she would end up hiding all the time, not eating and becoming very stressed out.

If you are truly interested in breeding the tortoises, then it would be a good idea to get two or three females for your one male, and to have them in an outdoor habitat or a very large indoor habitat.

Hi my name is Nicola and i would like to thank you all for the advice regarding my horny little tortoise Yoda! he is a Mediterranean spur thigh and at the moment its like having a stroppy teenager in the house.

 

[JoesMum]

Hi my name is Nicola and i would like to thank you all for the advice regarding my horny little tortoise Yoda! he is a Mediterranean spur thigh and at the moment its like having a stroppy teenager in the house.

Unfortunately, I don't have good news for you... the stroppy over-sexed stuff is still going on aged 50 in our household with Joe! Yoda has reached his prime!

 

[JoesMum]

Seriously, you could try increasing the temperature in the enclosure. We have the background (room) temperature at around 30C by day (he still has a spot) and Joe is less intent on mating with everything in site than he was with lower background temperature.

He isn't aestivating (sort of heat induced hibernation), he's active and eating well... he is just less driven by testosterone.