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Red-eared sliders are small. How to determine the sex of a red-eared turtle, small or large. Other external signs

Red-eared turtles are big individualists. In aquariums, they like to live alone. But of course, many people would like to keep two reptiles at the same time in their house - a male and a female. And accordingly, such lovers of domestic animals often ask, among other things, the question of how to determine the sex red-eared turtle.

Biological features

They live less than the land. However, they can still please the owners with their presence for a long time. At home, their life span is approximately 20-25 years. Accordingly, and puberty in these reptiles it comes rather late.

Male redworts may begin to pay attention to females as early as about one year of age. But puberty in turtle boys usually occurs only at 3-5 years. The females mature even later. Turtle girls mature at about 5-7 years of age.

Thus, those who are interested in how to determine the sex of carno-eared turtles should wait for the onset of this particular age of their pet. Precisely tell who lives in home aquarium, it will be possible only when the length of the reptile's shell reaches about 7-10 cm.

How to determine the sex of a red-eared turtle: differences between males and females

In order to find out exactly who lives in the house, first of all, you should carefully examine the pet. The differences between male and female red-eared turtles are as follows:

girls usually have big sizes than boys;

the claws of the male are much longer than those of the female;

the boy's tail is longer than the girl's;

the male has a small notch on the plastron.

Large sizes of female turtles are needed in order to easily lay the number of eggs necessary for procreation. There is no special need for red-haired girls to grow too long claws. At the same time, they are necessary for the male in order to hold the girlfriend by the shell during mating.

For approximately the same purpose, turtle boys also need a notch on the plastron. With its presence, it is easier for males to stay on the female's shell during love games.

Main feature

How to determine the sex of a red-eared turtle by appearance is thus understandable. But you can find out who is in front of you, male or female, in another way - by the location and shape of the reptile's cloaca.

In female red-eared turtles, this organ is located closer to the root of the tail. At the same time, it has a star shape. In males, the cloaca is located towards the end of the tail. At the same time, it has an elongated shape.

Reptile behavior

It will thus be relatively easy to distinguish an adult male from a female by external signs. But how to determine the sex of the red-eared turtle by behavior? IN this case You should focus primarily on the degree of aggressiveness of the pet.

Boy turtles are usually much more active and mobile than girls. For example, when trying to pull an adult male out of the aquarium, he will most likely try to reach his owner's hand with his beak and bite. In any case, the boy will be very active in breaking out and trying to escape.

The girl turtle, pulled out of the aquarium, will most likely pull its head into the shell and will simply hang in the owner’s hand, waiting to be released back. Female redworts usually do not differ in special activity and even more aggressiveness.

How to determine the sex of a small red-eared turtle

Thus, it is not difficult to distinguish an adult male from a female in a pet store. Small turtles for keeping at home should still be bought one by one. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to determine the sex of such reptiles. Later, when the pet grows up, and it becomes clear who he really is - a male or a female, it will be possible to purchase an additional friend or girlfriend for him.

If you wish, of course, you can take a chance and buy two small individuals for the aquarium at once. In this case, in order to increase the chances that heterosexual reptiles will live in the house, first of all, you should pay attention to the behavior of future pets.

So how do you determine the sex of small red-eared turtles? As already mentioned, male reptiles are usually more active and mobile than girls. If the turtle tries to run away from the net or the hand of the seller trying to catch it, it may be a male. If the reptile hid and hid its head and paws under the shell, there is a rather high probability that it is a girl.

What conditions should a pair of turtles create

Thus, we figured out how to determine the sex and age of red-eared turtles. It will not be difficult to select an adult male and female for keeping at home. But getting offspring from redworts in captivity, even if guaranteed heterosexual individuals live in an aquarium, will still be quite problematic. Such turtles lay their eggs not in water, but on land, burying them in the sand.

But be that as it may, the conditions for a pair of turtles in an aquarium, of course, should be created worthy. In this case, a container for keeping reptiles should be purchased with a volume of at least 150 liters. For each turtle, you need to provide your own raft on suction cups with a stand. Above the rafts, be sure to put an incandescent lamp to create a comfortable temperature and a UV lamp.

If the owners of turtles still expect to get offspring, in the aquarium, among other things, you will need to place a cuvette with sand or peat. Such a container should be installed so that the female can easily climb into it. The laid eggs of redworts are later allowed to be incubated in a conventional chicken apparatus at a temperature of 22-30 ° C.

To get offspring in a turtle, sex determination is especially important. But since these animals do not have a pronounced sexual characteristic, it is difficult to unequivocally say where is the “boy” and where is the “girl”. Therefore, being the owner of such an exotic animal and wondering how to distinguish the sex of a turtle, you will have to be especially observant, paying attention to the study of distinctive external characteristics his pet and the peculiarities of his behavior in a group of relatives.

How to distinguish the sex of a turtle: general nuances

No matter how much you aspire even when acquiring this exotic pet to find out its gender, it is almost impossible to do this, unless you are offered an adult. Usually, in most species of turtles, distinctive features that allow you to recognize the sex appear by the time they reach puberty. If there is only one turtle in your house, then you will have to focus on the standard differences inherent in these animals in appearance. If you have several of them or have the opportunity to compare your pet with similar pets of your friends, then the most accurate answer to what gender your turtles can be given comparative analysis the behavior of these animals.

How to distinguish the sex of a turtle by external signs

To find out the sex of a turtle, you should pay attention to the following features of the anatomical structure of these animals.

Carapace and plastron

The carapace of males is more elongated, elongated in comparison with the carapace of females. The ventral side of the tortoise shell (plastron) is one of the most characteristics, by which you can quickly and easily find out the sex of the animal. One has only to turn the turtle over - and there will be noticeable differences: the back of the plastron in the male is slightly concave, while in the female it is flat, which ensures the convenience of mating these animals. True, this applies only to sexually mature individuals, whose shell length reaches 11 cm. In most species of turtles, males are usually smaller than females.

Tail, cloaca and claws

Nature has endowed male turtles with tails that are longer and wider at the base than females. An additional definition will be the shape of the tail. In males, the tail is usually bent towards the ground, while in females it is very short and straight.

In the female turtle, the anus is located closer to the upper part of the shell and the tip of the tail and has the shape of an asterisk, while in males it is in the form of an oblong line. Another distinguishing feature of these animals is the claws. In males, on the front legs, they are usually much longer than in females (with the exception of panther tortoises, which are the opposite). In males box turtles claws thickened on the front and curved down on the hind legs.

Head

Male carolinian box turtles have red irises, while bog turtles in females have yellowish and dark brown eyes in males, which in this type can also be distinguished by a whitish upper lip. TO distinctive features female turtles also have more developed jaws than males. Male red-eared turtles have a pointed muzzle with a longer nose than females.

How to find out the sex of a turtle: behavior analysis

To determine the sex, it would be ideal to observe your pet in the company of his relatives. Male turtles are more active and pronounced, especially during the mating season, aggressive behavior, and females usually tend to hide their heads in their shells more often. In the company of their own kind, male turtles show increased aggression: they bite the paws of females and fight with shells with other males. During the mating season, the male actively flirts with the female: he scurries in front of her muzzle and specifically shakes his head.

In all turtles, the sex is laid during formation in the egg. In some species of turtles, it is. But most often, sex is determined in turtles when they become sexually mature according to secondary sexual characteristics. This usually occurs in nature at the age of 6-8 years, at home at the age of 2-5 years and a shell length of 9-11 cm. The larger the turtle, the longer it takes to grow and mature. It is most convenient to determine the sex in comparison with other turtles. Turtles living in captivity become sexually mature faster than natural ones.

There are several other ways, but they are rarely used. This is the definition of hormones in a blood test, radiography, ultrasound. On x-rays, you can see the bones of the hemipenis (in some monitor lizards and geckos). Ultrasound is often uninformative due to the small size of the testes and ovaries. The female can be recognized by ultrasound during the formation of follicles. Analysis of hormones is informative in sexually mature individuals, but five there are fluctuations in the level of the hormone depending on mating season(during the rut, testosterone levels rise sharply).

"Ultrasound - informative in adults and requires serious interpretation skills. X-ray - can only be used to a limited extent. Endoscopy - adults and young, expensive, requires serious skills, hardly suitable for very small animals. Blood test for hormones: requires interpretation skills, values vary , dear, applies more to adults. In general, each method makes sense, using a combination of methods can increase accuracy (as well as increase costs)." (S. Kutorov)

“Theoretically, there are mechanisms for suppressing sex - after all, everything is tied to hormones. Hormonal background because it consists of many interconnected hormones. And this background also depends on the central nervous system. And if the dominant male constantly suppresses the other, then the background can shift towards female hormones. The length of the claws probably depends on the amount of male hormones produced." (Rud)

Of the secondary signs for determining the sex of turtles, they analyze the tail, the shape of the shell, the color of the eyes, skin, claws, and head size. Before puberty, all turtles look like females.

Determination of the sex of turtles by the tail

Tail length and size. In males, the tail is long and thin, in females it is short and thick due to the placement of the oviduct in their cloaca, without thickening.
Protruding penis in males. Males periodically invert the penis when defecation or manipulation of the back of the body. It looks like a rose, when you touch it with your hand - it is removed. Sometimes a cloaca or intestines can fall out of turtles, but then they do not retract. In this case, it is necessary to contact the veterinarian until necrosis has begun.
Location and type of cloaca. In females, the cloaca is near the end of the carapace and looks like an asterisk, while in males, the cloaca is further from the edge of the shell (located in the last third from the tail towards its tip) and looks more like a longitudinal line.

Determination of the sex of turtles by shell

Shell shape. In males, the carapace is more elongated and narrow compared to the shorter and rounded carapace of females.
Plastron concavity. The lower carapace is concave in males and flat in females. This shape of the shell helps to hold the body of the male on the convex carapace of the female during mating. Usually turtles with medium height and high shell (marsh, Mediterranean, star-shaped, radiant, and others).
Carapace size. Males are often smaller than females, which need to bear eggs. males larger than females Galapagos (Geochelone nigra), South African beak-chested (Chersina angulata), desert, box turtle (Terrapene carolina), Mullenberg marsh turtles (Clemmys muhlenbergii), American marsh (Emydoidea blandingii), caiman and yellow mud (Kinosternon flavescens) turtles.
The rear end of the plastron. It has a more pronounced V shape in males, in females it is more rounded and forms a hole, the diameter of which is slightly larger in females.
Shell color. Have a painted turtle: if the turtle's plastron of blue color, this is a male, and if the plastron is of a different color than blue, then this is a female.

The length and thickness of the claws.
Many males have fresh aquatic turtles the claws on the front paws are long. They need them to care for females and hold on to their shell during mating (Trachemys, Pseudemys, Chrysemys and Graptemys). Male box turtles have thickened, curved claws on their hind legs on the inside, with which they help themselves when mating. Sexually mature female panther tortoises ( Geochelone pardalis) also have elongated claws on their hind feet, which are used when laying eggs. In males sea turtles the claws on the front feet are long and curved to hold on to the female during mating.
Hip spurs. In males of some species land turtles femoral spurs are better expressed than in females.
Scales. Male snapping turtles have enlarged scales on the inside of their hind legs.

Determination of the sex of turtles on the head

Eye color. In European bog turtles (brown m / yellow w), Carolina box turtles (red m / hazel w), mountain Spengler turtles (blue m / hazel w), the eye color of females and males is different.
Upper jaw color. In male European marsh turtles, the upper jaw is whitish.
Nose color. Males of Indotestudo elongata have a red nose, while females have a yellow one.
Glands in the lower jaw. Male gophers have well-developed glands in the lower jaw that serve to mark the site.
Head size. Male closing turtles have an enlarged head.
Head color. In callaghurs (Callagur borneoensis), the head of males during the mating season changes color from gray to white with a bright red stripe between the eyes.
Nose length. In red-eared turtles, males have a more pointed nose than females.

Determination of the sex of turtles by behavior

Voice. It was believed that only males could squeak during mating, but it has recently been found that females can imitate the behavior of males and mimic mating and squeak.
sexual behavior. Sexual behavior is manifested in turtles only by males. They can chase females, flirt with their claws, show aggression, bite them on the neck, nod their heads. Females sometimes imitate this behavior during childhood.

Determination of the sex of aquatic turtles

red-eared turtles

Males have a long and thick tail, females have a short one.

red-eared turtles

Males have long nails, females have short ones.

marsh turtles

Males have a whitish upper lip. Brown eyes. The females have yellow eyes.

marsh turtles

Males are thick and very a long tail, notch on the plastron. Females have no notch, thinner and slightly shorter tail.

trionics

In the female, tubercles remain on the shell with age, while in the male they are smoothed out. From the age of three, the male grows a rather long tail with a light longitudinal stripe on top, while the female's tail remains small. Females are usually larger than males.

painted turtle

The front claws of males are longer than the front claws of females. The tail of males is longer than that of females.

pig-nosed turtle

The tail of males is larger and longer than the tail of females.

common musk turtle

Males differ from females in having a short plastron and spiny scales on the inner sides of the hind legs. The scales are used by the male to hold the female during mating.

long-necked turtles

Males of these genera are characterized by a thick and long tail compared to females.

caiman turtles

Males are larger than females, the tail is longer and thicker, the cloaca is located further from the base of the tail.

Determining the sex of tortoises

Central Asian turtles

Greek turtles

star turtles

The males have a thick and long tail, while the female has a short one. Males have a notch on the plastron.

fringed turtles

In males, the tail is much thicker and longer than that of the female, the cloaca has the shape of a longitudinal strip. The tail, due to its length, often bends under the shell, while in females it simply sticks out. Also, the shell above the tail is bent to the ground. The females have a small short tail, and the cloaca is shaped like an asterisk.

yellow-headed Indian tortoises

The males have a thick and long tail, while the female has a short one. The nose of males is red.

radiant turtles

The males have a thick and long tail, while the female has a short one. Males have a notch on the plastron.

elastic turtles

The males have a thick and long tail, while the female has a short one. There is no recess on the plastron.

Everyone who decides to have an exotic pet at home is later faced with the question of how to determine the sex of a red-eared slider themselves. And accordingly, how to call it. Here you will find out at what age you can determine the sex of a turtle, what gender characteristics correspond to boys and girls. I want to note one detail, if one copy lives in your house, then it should be understood that gender does not play a role. Your pet will feel great without a companion.

In fact, the sex of red-eared turtles is not difficult to determine if you have an adult. At the age of 4 to 7 years comes puberty. And according to the main features, we will now find out how to distinguish a boy's turtle from a girl's.

Tail

This is the very first sign of gender. In boys, the tail is longer and thicker at the base, since there is a mating organ. The tail of the girls is small and has a uniform thickness. The anus in turtles is located in the tail. But in males it is closer to the tip of the tail and looks like a slot, while in the female it is closer to the beginning of the tail and has the shape of a pentahedron.

shell

The upper shell of the male has a more oblong shape. And in the tail area there is a notch in the form of a tick, which is necessary for mating games. In females, on the contrary, it is rounder and does not have clearly defined dents. For convenience during mating, males have a recess on the lower shell (plastron), which is located closer to the genitals, i.e. closer to the tail. Females do not have this, on the contrary, the plastron is more convex.

claws

Another sign that determines gender is the claws. Girls have a short and neat manicure. Boys, on the contrary, have long sharp claws, on the front and hind legs. It is desirable to determine by the claws, only in adulthood, in young turtles the nail plates are not yet fully developed.

Size

The red-eared female can also be identified by the size of the shell. Provided if we compare turtles of the same age and grown in the same conditions. The female will be larger than the male. So laid down by nature, so that she endures and safely lays her eggs.

Behavior

By observing the behavior of turtles, you can also find out which sex this or that individual belongs to. The red-eared turtle leads a quiet life until the mating season begins. In females, the behavior practically does not change, but the behavior of the male becomes very interesting. Calm thoughtfulness disappears, and incredible mobility appears. The groom becomes faster, shows great curiosity about things that he used to be indifferent to. He always walks with his tail for his chosen one, even shows tenderness for her, slightly biting where he gets it. Calling the female to mate, he can make movements with his head that attract attention, as if letting her know that he is ready. If an outside male is nearby, our groom can show on him all his bad character.

Age

Dealt with gender. And what if you got a turtle as a gift. After all, it is necessary to balance the diet, choose an aquaterrarium. Now we will figure out how to determine the age of a turtle. Age is determined in several ways.

Method one

This method applies more to turtles that live at home, but not to those that live in wild nature. Because domestic specimens grow faster than their free counterparts. Before determining the age, it is necessary to know the sex of the red-eared turtle. And we already know how to distinguish a female turtle from a male, and we remember that the female is larger than the male. You need to measure your pet's shell. During the first year of life, both boys and girls grow in the same way and grow from 5 to 7 cm. In the second year of life, ladies overtake gentlemen and stretch up to 9-10 cm, and gentlemen, respectively, 8-9 cm. In each subsequent year, the shell turtles grow by 1.5-2.5 cm. They grow intensively for 6-7 years and they begin sexual activity. By this time, the size of the female reaches 20-25 cm, and the male 17-19 cm. The growth of turtles slows down to 1 cm per year, and by the age of 9-10 it stops completely.

Second way

Here we will pay attention to the shell, or rather to its inimitable pattern. Its uniqueness can only be compared with a human fingerprint. On it are stripes in the form of rings. They appear with age, counting them you can find out how old your redhead is. Until the age of three, they appear 2-3 pieces per year. Then one per year.

Third way

This method is the easiest. It must be remembered that in young turtles the color of the shell is bright and a pretty pattern is clearly visible. With a hand, every notch is felt. reptiles old age the shell becomes almost black and smooth without any roughness.

In conclusion, I can add that it does not matter what gender or how old your pet is, the main thing is that you live in harmony and joy. Do not regret the time spent on your friend and he will gladly surprise and inspire you.

If you are not going to breed red-eared turtles, it may not matter to you at all which of the red-eared turtles - a boy or a girl - lives in your aquarium.

For everyone else, I will now tell you how to find out the sex of the red-eared turtle with a high percentage of accuracy. This can be done when the male and female reach sexual maturity - as a rule, at the age of 6-8 years, with a body length of 9-10 cm. Until this time, it is very difficult to understand who is who. Guided certain features of a particular sex, a male from a female can be distinguished by the following features.

First of all, look at the tail of the animal. It is longer in males than in females. Turn the turtle upside down. The cloaca of the male is located further from the base of the tail, and the cloaca of the female is at its very base, right under the shell. Now pay attention to the shell. Its abdominal part, called the plastron, has in the female red-eared turtle almost flat surface. The male has a concave shape, which allows him to stay on the female during mating.

Photo from Turtles.ru

Another sign that will tell you how to find out the sex of a red-eared turtle is that that the muzzle of the male has a more pointed shape, and its claws are much longer than those of the female, which again is associated with mating. However, this fact should not be considered indisputable, since the male can grind off his claws on pebbles or stones of the terrarium.

You can accurately determine the sex of the red-eared turtle during mating games. The male actively flirts with the female, “looms” in front of her muzzle, stretches her paws forward and upward, and often shakes her head from side to side.