Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok.. i wrote a while back about my new girl who wouldnt eat.. she is the bride to be for my Orange.. now shes finally eating regularly and even while im watching.. so i decided it was time to reintroduce her to Orange.. unfortunately she is quite the reluctant bride.. ive never bred boxies before so i dont know if this is normal.. she just tucked herself in her shell and stayed there for 5 hours... he tries as hard as he can to get her to come out, bites her shell and gets on top of her.. but she wont budge... i finally put her back in the tank with my younger one because i dont want a relapse with the not eating thing.. is this typical female behaviour? should i just leave her in there until she warms up to him or is that a bad idea? i guess maybe there has to be a getting to know you period but they are both being quite stubborn.. Orange wont leave her alone while shes in the enclosure with him and she wont come out while hes around... any suggestions?
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my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, red eye treefrogs, chameleon treefrogs?, mossy treefrogs, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, five cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.

It can be tough! This is a judgement call that you need to make. If she's eating well, a good weight, and healthy otherwise it shouldn't hurt her to put up with a little unwanted attention. Males are relentless, and that is how they eventually succeed. I've had males chase females for days until the female would finally give in. If she's never been bred before, it could be even worse. The older females seem to have a different attitude about it. It's like, "ok, let's get this over with". I think it's good that you remove her to her own enclosure. This will help to keep her feeling safe. NEVER put him in there. This will be her safehouse. Hopefully, she'll always feel like she can eat and chill out there. There's no harm in introducing her to the male a few times weekly. You may want to choose a neutral zone, though. Put her in an area and let her get familiar with it. Feed her extra special treats there. Help her feel comfortable. Then, add him in. Maybe she won't be so frightened when she's in an area where she feels more comfortable. When you seperate them, leave her in there for awhile and offer her some more treats. Always allow her back to her safehouse, though. Good luck.

How old is the female? Sorry I don't remember If she is an adult and has been hibernated then she may be ready to mate in the near future-but if she is young and never hibernated, her hormone levels may be such that she is not ready to mate-then what is the use to have her in with an aggessive male? Most females when they are ready are willing to mate-you may have to give this turtle a little more time, and if she is young...maybe another year or 2
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Tess
Kingsnake.com Forum Host

the guy who sold her to me said he had bred her a year or two ago.. so she has done this before.. he told me she is about 5 or 6 years old.. she was hibernated, he had to pull her out to send her to me.. i dont know if maybe that disrupted her biological cycle or something? the other concern i have is whether i should go ahead and build a separate pen for her in the yard? we are about to start working on one and it was going to be for both of them but now im having second thoughts.. i dont want her to always be trying to hide from him.. if she isnt ready i can wait to put them together until next year.. im more interested in her health and well being than i am having cute little baby turtles...
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my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, red eye treefrogs, chameleon treefrogs?, mossy treefrogs, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, five cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.

oh kensopher.. im glad you mentioned the safe place thing.. i was actually thinking maybe she would react better if he was in her territory rather than the other way around.. but since you put it that way, i will definitely keep him out of there.. it makes a lot of sense and i dont want to cause her stress.. thanks for pointing that out!
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my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, red eye treefrogs, chameleon treefrogs?, mossy treefrogs, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, five cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.

I have several breeding age females here, as well as several breeding age males.
Based on my observations of my group, I found that females can (apparently) be pretty particular about which male they mate with. Although several males are able and willing, only a few have been successful.
To give you an example, we have one female here who has repeatedly spurned the advances of every male except one...
Another female didn't mate for nearly 3 years, in spite of having a variety of suitors to choose from. She finally did last fall. Go figure.