My russian tortoise?

Question

i posted a question about this yesterday and i got some answers from people that say my torts behavior isnt agression, but i completely disagree. heres the situation: i just bought another russian tort. my old one has always been unfriendly and it hisses and rams the new one. when i go to pet the old one it hisses and tries to ram me as well. why is it so agressive towards everyone?

and for other russian tort owners does yours act like this at all?

Answer 1

yes this is a sign of aggression, now either the one you think is female is actually male or the female is rejecting the new males advances, two male tortoises will fight they are very territorial, it sounds like the one that is aggressive is a male and is showing the new male and you who's territory you are both in, if the new tortoise is getting rammed then you need to separate them both, as the new tortoise can become stressed at being beaten everyday, if you do not separate these two tortoises you might look in one day and find one of them injured or dead, your old tortoise is not happy at being invaded and wants its space the aggression will only keep on, this is aggression the male and female will but each other when they are getting ready to mate but there is a difference between the two forms

Answer 2

it is agression and your tort views you as a threat.

feed it by hand if you can. that will train the tort to realize you mean well, and you won't hurt it.

seperate the two torts so the mean one doesnt hurt your new one.

Answer 3

It is aggression.  How big is the enclosure?  I'd say for two male russians it would at least need to be in something over 4ft by 4ft.  If you can't provide that, and the aggression gets worse, where one turtle is likely to get injured put them in separate cages.  You could also try adding more hiding places for them, if it's an indoor enclosure fake plants work well.  Mine doesn't act like that, he's rather friendly but I only have one.

Answer 4

Yes, male Russian tortoises can be very aggressive with each other.  It's best not to keep two males together.  Some males can be kept together in a large enclosure if they have plenty of room.  I actually keep three males together, and two of them still ram each other occasionally.  (I've had to find homes for two other males that just couldn't get along.)  Ramming isn't a big deal unless they are knocking each other over in the hot sun.  If they are biting each others legs and making them bleed you will definitely need to separate them.  Good luck to you and your torts!  :)