Update on forstenii pair

[Turtlepete]

A couple recent shots of them, enjoying their new enclosure.

 

[tortadise]

They look content. Did you ever see better adjustment and eating with them?

 

[Turtlepete]

They look content. Did you ever see better adjustment and eating with them?

Absolutely. They've been digging in to whatever I give them. Surprisingly liking Mazuri, which I didn't expect, haha. The female has a liking for mulberry leaves, and they both eat all the papaya I give them.
They've been really active lately. Florida summer brings thunderstorms every afternoon, which they absolutely love. I find them marching around their enclosure every afternoon in the rain .

Those red dots I told you about originally are long gone. Assume they were just regular ant bites. They had faded in the first few days.

Now I'm still confused as to their compatibility of being a pair….The only aggression I saw was once, when the female had the male pinned and was ramming him. Fifteen seconds later he was eating and didn't even care….I separated them until they were let in their new enclosure. They've been glued at the hip since they were introduced to the new enclosure, which seems a little strange. I haven't seen any breeding behavior with them, so I don't know what it's all about. They can still be separated easily if needed, but it's not, for now.

 

[tortadise]

Good deal. Just know though they can be very territorial in small spurts when your not watching them. When my bigger pair gets conjugal visits they seem to get territorial over the hides. My elongata are doing the same right now. Not as aggressive as forstenii but very similar. It's indotestudo breeding season for sure.

 

[Turtlepete]

Good deal. Just know though they can be very territorial in small spurts when your not watching them. When my bigger pair gets conjugal visits they seem to get territorial over the hides. My elongata are doing the same right now. Not as aggressive as forstenii but very similar. It's indotestudo breeding season for sure.

I'm definitely looking out for it. I imagine they could possibly get more territorial once they are more established in the new enclosure, and start picking and choosing their "spots".
The thing that confuses me, is I did expect them to be territorial over hides. Thats why there are half a dozen of them, plus some logs and a ton of plants to hide under. Their favorite spots have been behind the two huge ferns in the back. They have only used about three of the hides in total. Thing is, doesn't matter which one they go to, they are always at the same one. I won't call it being "social", I'm just trying to figure out what exactly to call it. They have plenty of choices for their hides, but for some reason always choose the same one. And right butted up against each other in the same hide, or under the same plant, every time.
I was pretty sure these guys would be breeding mature, they are about 7 - 7 1/2 inches, but I haven't seen any breeding activity. Again though, that might be because they aren't comfortable enough yet, possibly. Hopefully next year .