African Spur mating

Question
Our male and female have been mating since Dec. and over the last 2wks we have noticed a brownish secretion coming from the male. Today the turtles were in their normal mating stance, but the male was not moving and spit was dripping from his mouth. I removed him from her and the end of his penis was swollen like a baseball! is this normal?? i put him in the yard sprinkler, he ate a little and walked around. his penis has gone down and is "back in his tail". my qts is this normal? do i need to take him to a vet???

Answer
The end of a male sulcata's penis flares out, almost in a cuplike shape.  If he was able to retract it, it should be fine.  If at any time the penis does not retract and the tortoise is dragging it around, you should see a vet immediately as a prolapse is an emergency situation.

I would advise you to separate your male from your female.  He will harass her constantly and may eventually injure her, or she may become ill due to stress.  In the wild, females aren't subject to constant advances from males the way they are in captivity.  You should also consider what to do with any eggs, because finding good lifetime homes for sulcata isn't easy and they are prolific breeders.  Most people aren't prepared to keep a tortoise that can reach 200 lbs. and live for decades, and many of those cute hatchling sulcata eventually end up in rescues.