will they breed?

[Mr.Ryan]

Hello im gettting 2 red footed tortoises and i was wondering if i was to get a male and female would they end up breedning? also if was to get to males would they end up fighting? what would be the combination?
all help appreciated =]

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't have redfoot tortoises, but I DO have some Yellowfoots. I THINK that if I had two male tortoises together they would probably get along ok, however, I have two males plus a female. The larger male is always after the smaller male. I've had to make a separate area to put the smaller male into when the fighting gets too physical (which is almost every day).

It seems that when you get two tortoises at the same time at a young age, they get along for a longer period of time together than if you have one for a while then add another at a later time. I have kept young male desert tortoises that were hatched together and raised together without incident until I could find homes for them. But every tortoise is different.

Are you interested in breeding? Have you thought about how to keep babies until you can find buyers? How expensive it is? More equipment to buy, etc.

Terry Kilgore has commented that his redfoots like to sleep together and they all pile up in one corner with each other. And you might also have this kind of luck. But you have to be prepared that they MIGHT NOT get along, and have enough space where you can build another area so you can separate them.

Chances are that if you are getting two babies from the same source, they are probably from the same clutch, and they WILL get along for a long time, maybe even forever.

Yvonne

 

[Madkins007]

Based on the experiences of a lot of keepers and reports, it seems...

In general, Red-foots from the northern part of the range, those with the mostly pale plastrons, get along fine in most combinations (although there are always exceptions).

Red-foots from the southern parts, with mostly dark plastrons, seem to fight amongst males. Some keepers have had NO problems, and others have had nasty fights. The difference may be things like sizes, space, number of females, presence of UV lighting (many animals are reported as being more aggressive under UV light, possibly showing more natural behaviors.)

My herd of 5 Northern Red-foots has two known males, who occasionally do things like head-bob, shove, or follow each other, but nothing more violent than that as far as I have seen.

As far as breeding- you would certainly have a chance, although most keepers seem to report that most of their success comes from having more of a breeding herd. If you are getting young'uns, you'll have some time to research breeding this species before you have to worry about it.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

I have adult and young adult Northerns and Brazilians in their respective outdoor enclosures [ with females ].. with virtually no encounters - EVER! ( I tell about the intro. of a male early on in the "Breeding notes on G. carbonaria" link here.. http://www.turtletary.com/redfoot.htm )

Redfoot torts are like teen-age boys.. they're buddies until a girl comes around!!!

I have 6 males [ alone ] in their winter enclosure.. ranging from 6" - 12".. Northerns and Brazilians. No problems. Imagine what would happen if I were to put an adult female in with them..........................

Actually I see more "dominance" amongst the females in their winter enclosure! I've seen the smallest adult female 'ride' a few of the younger/smaller females quite often - and she "sounds" very similar to one of the young males!

There you have it... not to worry.

Terry K