Help! I just brought home a 5-inch female to my 5 inch male Greek he sniffed her face and then snapped at her. She turned and walked away and then he followed and began to ram her. I'm not sure if this is an aggression behavior or a mating behavior. I already removed the female from the pen...Can I keep them together or should they be separated? Any advice would be great.
Thank.
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Greek Tortoise aggression
nhribar
May 11, 2006 09:35 PM
Replies (3)
shimmercat3
May 12, 2006 05:24 AM
Your male is probably trying to mate. I have a male Greek tortoise that will continuously chase and ram my female if I don't keep him separate.
I only keep the male with the female when I am intentionally breeding them, and when they are outside. Otherwise, I keep them separately so that my female doesn't get stressed out. If you have a really large place to keep them in, you could try adding some half logs and sticks to break the line of sight.
nhribar
May 12, 2006 11:03 AM
Thanks so much, how do I know when they are ready to breed?
shimmercat3
May 12, 2006 09:02 PM
It's hard to determine the age of Greek tortoises, so you're better off going by overall health and size. If your tortoises are about 6 inches in length, feel heavy, and have been cleared of health problems (worms, runny noses, watery eyes, etc.) then they are probably all set to breed. Since your male is already showing breeding behavior, it probably won't take long. Make sure you have a deep soft, bedding or digging box for your female so she has a place to dig herself a nest when she's ready to lay eggs.
