Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I've had a 13" redfoot male for a few years. This summer I got him a 10" female.
I had read that redfoots breed more readily in captivity. I keep them outdoors in the summer. Now that it is cold, they are indoors and have plenty of heat & light to get those love juices flowing! - Not to mention, they are in closer quarters (a smaller indoor enclosure)
The male doesn't even seem to pay her any attention. He acts lazy and uncaring. I am fed up! She is beautiful, active & a pig.
Don't get me wrong, he is perfectly healthy as well, but he just doesn't seem to have a clue or the drive to get things steamed up a bit! (ha, ha)
What can I do to entise him? Why haven't they mated yet or even given those signals? Should I bathe them together in warm water a bit more...let them soak in the tub a bit more often?

Thanks!
Christine...desperately wanting eggs!

sorry, i just had some funny imagery when you mentioned their warm baths together... are you sure that you have a male and a female? maybe one of the breeders who hang around here can help you out...

Oh, she is definitely a female. She's got a convex plastron, and all the other characteristics, including her privates! She even has the cute, feminine look.
Yes, maybe I should advise him to pick up a box of gourmet chocolates?! Chocolate turtles, perhaps?

you reminded me of this cute picture that mayday posted a while back! aren't they precious?

I hope you dont take this wrong but its funny, his face is kinda reminiscent of the starwars character...My kids thought so too...
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acclimate. I also bought an extra male to bump it to 2.1. I get a dozen hatchlings a year. The adults are outside all summer (May - September) and then I bring them in and she lays eggs up until Christmas. Usually around 20 eggs.

Redfoots breed best in small herds. More than one male is essential imo. If wild caught they can take from three to ten years to acclimate to the Northern Hemisphere. This is especially true if you bring them in for the winter. They benefit from a cooling period. If you put them outside in the Spring when night time temperatures are in the 50's they'll get the cooling. They breed in the rainy season so if you get spring rains where you live it will help. If not running a sprinkler might help. Breeding tortoises of any kind takes a lot of patience. It took me 8 years and dozens of infertile eggs to get my first hatchlings. Back when I started with them the only people having success where those that lived in warm climates. We know a lot more now.
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Tim Madsen

Nobody cares how much you know,
Until they know how much you care.