Why do tortoises pace?

[jake]

Why do tortoises pace?

 

[JustAnja]

Is it a female and has she been exposed to a male in the past? That would be my first question. If not then I would say boredom.

 

[jasso2]

if caged up he wants to get out. if its a female maybe u have eggs in the making, looking for a spot to lay them.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Or it could be enclosure is too small.. or they can see out which makes them want to get out which is very stressful.. so they pace!

Any of this fit?

nerd

 

[Laura]

large tort that is used to walking long distance in search of food? No place to hide? Looking for something it doesnt have..
Too bad they cant tell you, but if you could post some pics of the torts and thier living area,, people here might give you some clues..

 

[jasso2]

estan horny!

 

[terrypin]

Why do tortoises pace?

hi there several reasons im sure, my females do pace and climb the walls when gravid and at other times they can be calm unless trying to get away from an ardent admirer,talking of which my adult male leopards tend to spend a lot of time paceing thats when they arent annoying the girls.i dont think they are just looking for love i think it is terrortorial as my dominant male will run towards me when i enter the enclosure then stops in front of me when he realises how much bigger i am than him and barely pulls his head in if i step over him.he is fearless when wound up like this and when i pick him up his legs go like a wind up toy he can be difficult to carry at times.all my males pace the perimeter at times and my enclosure is large enough i can hardly see across it myself.
terry

 

[drgnfly2265]

Why do tortoises pace?

hi there several reasons im sure, my females do pace and climb the walls when gravid

What is gravid???

______________________________________________________

1 Sulcata (Bowser)

www.myspace.com/bowsertortoise

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Why do tortoises pace?

hi there several reasons im sure, my females do pace and climb the walls when gravid

What is gravid???

______________________________________________________

1 Sulcata (Bowser)

www.myspace.com/bowsertortoise

Pregnant = with eggs

nerd

 

[stells]

Gravid = with eggs

 

[terrypin]

Gravid = with eggs

thanks Kelly, of course you are correct. i never thought to explain that when females are full of eggs they will often pace and generally become restless this prompts them to search for new ground in an effort to make sure they get the best nest site availabe.many if not most gravid females become dominant towards other tortoises, male or female. acting aggressively and often mounting them and acting like a male.
terry

 

[tortoise_dude]

If she is a girl and fully developed, It would suggest eggs, is she showing aggresion towards other tortS?
I have one who is climbing, pacing and bashing with no attempts to lay!

 

[terrypin]

If she is a girl and fully developed, It would suggest eggs, is she showing aggresion towards other tortS?
I have one who is climbing, pacing and bashing with no attempts to lay!

hi Josh you have my sympathy i have a leopard and also one of my hermans.are acting gravid the leopard in particular she is a wrecking machine and i have had to seperate her she is in one of the greenhouses at the moment climbing the walls.
terry

 

[jake]

I think I might have solved the mystery. I caught him humping (for lack of a better term!) another sulcata (who is MUCH too small to have eggs yet!) I felt so bad for the little one. After he was done, she left for their hideout. I do have another girl who might be big enough for eggs and babies. But she's a tad bit larger than him.

In your experience, how large does a Sulcata need to be to have fertile eggs?

Thanks!
Autumn