How do you know when/if your tortoise is pregnate?

Question

My Sulcata tortoise is about 6 years old and had a male friend over a couple of days ago for about 2 1/2 weeks (he was a friends, same kind). So now we are starting to wonder if they had any interaction and if shes pregnate.

and please dont give me any comments like "When the eggs are coming out" or something stupid like that

Answer 1

At 6 years old, she is not mature enough to breed yet.

Answer 2

1. Tortoise courtship rituals and mating processes take some time. You probably would have noticed some part of the process.

2. They would usually lay eggs about a month after mating- but this varies by age, size, temps, diet, humidity, etc. You will not see anything to warn you until the eggs are developed enough to be felt or sometimes seen in the soft tissues around the rear legs.

3. Sadly, it is more likely that the 'guest' and your tortoise traded infections, germs, and parasites than mating.

4. However, these giant and moderately hard to care for tortoises are sold for such misleadingly cheap prices because they do indeed breed almost like rabbits- so keep an eye on your girl and research nesting, egg care, and hatchling care ASAP.

Http://www.tortoisetrust.org and http://www.tortoise.org are good starting places.