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This article was co-written by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Elliott is a veterinarian with more than thirty years of experience in veterinary surgery and pet treatment. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary surgeon. She has worked at a veterinary clinic in her hometown for more than 20 years.
This article has been viewed 87,003 times.
If you have a tortoise, it is quite interesting to know if it is female or male. However, unlike other mammals, turtles do not have external genitalia. This makes determining their sex more difficult, but by no means impossible. You can easily tell the difference between male and female turtles if you compare two turtles of the opposite sex. If you only have one turtle, collect as many clues as you can to determine its sex!
Steps
Check out the Tortoiseshell
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Observe the turtle shell. There is a difference between the carapace of the female and the male. The shell of an adult female tortoise is slightly longer than that of a male. [1] X Reptile Medicine and Surgery Research Source . Maders. Saunders
- This method of sex determination has limitations because you need to make sure the turtle is fully grown. You may mistake a turtle for a male because it is smaller in size while it is still in its development stage.
- There will be size confusion between a large male tortoise and a small female tortoise, so sex cannot be determined based on size alone.
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Check the turtle’s bibs. The part below the shell, which covers the belly of the turtle, is called the bib. To check the bib, pick up the turtle carefully. Turtles don’t like to be touched so it will probably bite, so hold on to the turtle’s tail, it won’t be able to turn around and bite you. Gently turn the turtle upside down and observe the underside. If it is a male turtle, the bib is slightly concave (curved inward), if it is a female turtle, the bib will be flat. [2] X Reptile Medicine and Surgery Research Source . Maders. Saunders
- The concave bib construction allows the male tortoise to fit over the female’s shell during mating and not roll out.
- The flat bib construction of the female creates more space for the eggs to develop.
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Check the turtle’s tail groove. Males usually have a small ‘V’ or groove at the end of the carapace. This gives the tail the ability to adapt when the tortoise mates. Otherwise the tail will be crushed by the underside of the carapace. [3] X Source of Reptile Medicine and Surgery. Maders. Saunders
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Observe the specific characteristics of each species. Some species of turtles have obvious sexual characteristics. Some species can determine sex through color:
- American box turtles: about 90% of male turtles have red or orange irises while female turtles have brown or yellow eyes. In addition, the female’s carapace is more dome-shaped and rounder, while the male’s carapace is lower and looks like an oval or rectangular shape.
- Solar Turtles: If the underside of the turtle’s belly is green, it’s male, if it’s not green, it’s female.
Check the details
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Check out the turtle’s claws. Male turtles use their claws during mating with female turtles. They also use their claws to fight, to mark and defend their territory. Therefore, the claws on the forelegs of males tend to be longer than those of females. Again, this feature becomes more apparent if you compare two turtles of the opposite sex. [4] X Reptile Medicine and Surgery Research Source . Maders. Saunders
- Red-eared turtles show a distinct difference in claws between males and females.
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Observe the turtle’s cloaca. Both males and females have a cloaca located on the underside of the tail. This is the vent and it is located in slightly different positions depending on the sex of the turtle. [5] X Reptile Medicine and Surgery Research Source . Maders. Saunders
- The female’s cloaca is rounder and more star-shaped than the male’s. It is located closer to the turtle’s body, right at the junction of the turtle’s tail and body, almost inside the turtle’s shell.
- The male’s cloaca is longer and resembles a slit. It is located in the last third from the tip of the tail.
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Determine the size of the turtle’s tail. The male sex organs are located in the tail, so the tail is longer and thicker. The female turtle’s tail is shorter and thinner. [6] X Source of Reptile Medicine and Surgery. Maders. Saunders
- Be careful as there may be coincidences between the normal sizes of males and females, so this is only a suggestion, not an accurate way of determining the sex of turtles.
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Combine multiple signs and draw conclusions. The best approach to determining the sex of a turtle is to combine the suggested steps and draw the closest conclusion. Keep in mind that some methods are not very reliable in determining the sex of turtles.
- If all the signs come to the same conclusion, then you can determine the turtle’s sex more accurately. However, if the signs are not obvious, you should take your turtle to the vet to be sure. [7] X Research Sources
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- You need to understand that you may have to wait many years for the turtle to fully develop and be able to determine its sex more easily.
Advice
- A diagram of the vents on the turtle’s tail may help. Bartlett’s book “Totally Master Your Turtle” is a great tool for doing this.
- There are several variations of sea turtles (especially the Kemp Ridley species, possibly adding a few more) that have no external markings to determine their sex. Talk to a marine animal veterinarian to find out the sex of your sea turtle.
Warning
- Wash your hands after each time you touch the turtle. Some turtles carry salmonella bacteria, which do not affect turtles but are harmful to humans. [8] X Source of Study Do not bring your hands near your mouth or nose until you have washed your hands with warm water and soap. Make sure the kids also wash their hands after playing with the turtles.
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This article was co-written by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Elliott is a veterinarian with more than thirty years of experience in veterinary surgery and pet treatment. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary surgeon. She has worked at a veterinary clinic in her hometown for more than 20 years.
This article has been viewed 87,003 times.
If you have a tortoise, it is quite interesting to know if it is female or male. However, unlike other mammals, turtles do not have external genitalia. This makes determining their sex more difficult, but by no means impossible. You can easily tell the difference between male and female turtles if you compare two turtles of the opposite sex. If you only have one turtle, collect as many clues as you can to determine its sex!
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