Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've got a friend whose male sulcatas are starting to fight.
He wants to cut off their gular scuts, so that they don't kill each other. I told him to give them visual barriers, or separate them, but he's thinking they'll be ok if he just takes a hack-saw to them.
Any thoughts? Anyone done anything like this? How 'bout gluing a tennis ball on there?
Constructive advice is welcomed
Thanks,
Max
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"There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line."
Oscar Levant

Umm not a good idea...just not going to stop them from fliping themselves over or other wise hurting themselves. During breeding season males will mount each other and the bottom one no matter what size the gulars will flip the one on top. Expecially if he mounted backwards as they like to do! Your on the right track with the visual barriers. Also make sure there is plenty of food and grass to graze on i notice other than when they want to mate the other thing that triggers aggression is food. If they picked their pen clean you can get a bagging mower and mow a field they like it when it is fresh and full of wild weeds. If you just dont have the room for several males then down sizing might have to be what you have to do. These guys get huge and for me that is what draws me to them. I dont like to ever think about selling any pet i have raised and gotten attached to but what are you going to do if you have two or more spurthighs havin a hoedown at high noon? Any how maybe there is some more answers out there for you. happy herping!! P.S. dont ever get down close face to face like this I had a little hoedown myself after this pic was taken and trust me he won!!!

Thanks. Nice pic!
I use the mower & bagger for my torts too - Works great!
The issue my friend is having, is that the two males will come face to face, jamb their gular scut into the other's clavicle area, lock fore-limbs, & push while hanging on. He's thinking they may kill each other.
He really needs to separate them, but doesn't have the space & doesn't want to get rid of them.
I needed more opinions to back up what I've been trying to tell him.
Thanks,
Max
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"There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line."
Oscar Levant

Your friend is really confused or perhaps this is just trolling? That is an absurd way to deal with a natural behavior in these often territorial animals. Probably he should get rid of one of them rather than resorting to mutilation? Even if he did this barbaric act, they would still keep ramming and after awhile, do more damage since they no longer have the gulars. I really hope you can guide him to a more effective solution. vic h.

No, not trolling...
Just frustrated with my friend. He doesn't have the space to house his group of 5.4
He is considering getting rid of two of the males, but will still have issues.
I pretty much posted this so that I could get more responses & advice, other than just me telling him what to do.
Personally, I'd keep two males & have separate pens.
Thanks,
Max
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"There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line."
Oscar Levant

Hi Max,

Tell him the best thing to do would be to re home or sell the other male. If he needs help giving him up, let me know and I’ll direct you to some folks that would be happy to do it, when I say the word “hacksaw”..lol

Like anything else, if he were to compromise the integrity of the animal, it will figure out another way to accomplish the task that it has ingrained into its instinct (if it lives), just like you or I would do if we lost an appendage (think about the drummer of Def Leppard).

King Karl Cruiser will tell it best to him. Just show him this

Leave my Gular alone, HOMO!

Carl,Your alive! Can you send a wise guy to this guy's house? I know your connected! Vic

Haha indeed! Yeah Vic Cruiser is doin great, but he eats way too much. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to hacksaw his head off so he would diet a bit. What do you think, good Idea??..GEEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..lol

Cutting off the gular scutes will cut through the bone which exists underneath the horny covering and will result in lots of bleeding, very probable infection (septicemia), and probably even the ultimate death of the tortoises. If the tortoises are younger rather than older, and they are still growing, there will be a LOT of blood in that bone to promote the growth. They could even bleed to death before the infection entering the bone can kill them. This is definitely a bad idea.

Tell your friend that that would be braking some animal crulity laws that might land him in jail.If that doesnt stop him beat him up! unfreekin believeable! Vic

I'll pass along your input & sentiments.
I hadn't thought about telling him about the bleeding; I had mentioned that there is bone in there & that an infection could ensue.
I'll keep you posted on his decision - I'm hoping he'll sell three of the males & figure out a way to keep the other two males apart most of the time.
I sold him these tortoises as hatchlings - he knew they'd get big - I wish people would think things through a bit more, before getting into stuff.
Thanks again,
Max

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"There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line."
Oscar Levant

My two males fight it out every day during breeding season, but then they each have a female to go spend time with after the event. I have only had one event where a male was flipped over by the other, as they are evenly sized. Luckily I found him and re-righted him before any damage was done. Certainly visual barriers will help. A reduction of the male number will help even more. As far as mutilating the male or males in question I could not be more horrified. And I have seen lots of tortoise on tortoise aggression. Live with it; work with it, or don't work with species that are aggresive to one another. But seriously cutting off the gulars? Wow not a good idea. I have seen one that it was done to; and he was no less aggressive than any other adult male, just without gulars. Very sad to say the least. Best wishes to all Douglas