The Tortoise Table

Hi there, a year and a half ago we got two young tortoises, they were roughly four months old when we got them. When we got them the breeder said they should both be girls due to the temperature at which they were incubated.
They are now about 2 years old and one of them is demonstrating some unusual behaviour and we wonder if this may be because they are actually male.
The tortoise in question is called Kiwi and they are much larger in size that our other tortoise and her sister, Leia. Kiwi also has a much larger tail and currently is constantly trying to dominate Leia via biting her back legs and trying to mount her in a way that appears to be mating.
I have attached some photos and be great if anyone on this forum may be able to help sex Kiwi so we can see what would be best to do with her and help her stop dominating her sister We also understand that most tortoises cannot be fully sex’d until 7 years old but the way she is dominating we want to get an idea now so we can look after them both as best we can.

Hi Louis.
As you say kiwi is a little young to sex but he is certainly displaying the tail of a male. I would say you are right in your thoughts.
Best of luck in their future care, and if there’s anything we can do for you then please do ask.

Lin

I agree with Lin that the tail -- and also the anal scute -- looks male, although it is a bit early to be positive. Females can also exhibit the same sort of behaviour that you are describing, but in that case it is one female trying to establish dominance over another female, and once that is sorted out the problem pretty much disappears. That isn't the case with males, and they will be relentlessly aggressive and can't really be stopped. The general rule is that if you have one male, you need at least two females (and lots of hiding places), so that one of the females can have a bit of respite while the male is pursuing the other female. Having one male and one female usually proves too stressful for the female and you might have to separate them.

As for now, if the female doesn't seem too stressed, and the male isn't drawing blood when he bites, then you can just leave them and monitor the behaviour, but you might need to plan for future. Good luck and let us know how you get on!

Nina

Perfect thank you both for your replies that’s really useful information and confirms what we were thinking. Thank you!