Jacqui's Captive Bred Tortoises

Male or Female tortoise

To be honest if you are only having one tortoise then the sex does not matter. If you are having more than one, then it can be a bit more complicated. Tortoises are “sexed” during incubation and it is temperature sensitive. 20-27 degrees Celsius will provide males, 28-31 degrees Celsius will be a mixed clutch and 31-32.5 degrees Celsius will provide females. Within a narrow range of temperature, the critical period, both males and females, will be produced. Generally, this threshold lies between 28°C and 31°C.

Chelonia (i.e. tortoises, terrapins and turtles) males will develop at cool temperatures and females at warm temperatures. Generally, among most chelonians incubation of eggs at cool temperatures will produce males and incubation of eggs at warm temperatures will produce females, although there are a few exceptions, and it is never a concrete guarantee, as the critical period is quite finite.                

               
                 

 

 

 

Tortoises are happy living a solitary life but can be equally happy in pairs and groups providing some rules are adhered to. Tortoises from the same clutch incubated at the same temperature should in theory be the same sex. However, if buying tortoises from different egg clutches or breeders, then the advisable ratio is one male to four females, or more than one female together. Two males can ram and bite each other (particularly noted in Herman’s tortoises) once they reach sexual maturity and one male with a single female will cause her stress by pestering her, trying to mate with her all of the time. This is not a concrete rule but a general consensus, as the writer of this information has known and indeed had situations where two males have lived happily together and two females have competed initially for dominance. However, two females tend to sort it out and get down to living happily together!