how to tell the gender of a box turtle

I want to get another box turtle to have hatchlings, but I do not know for sure the gender. This page may also contain Third Party Advertising, using online behavioral tracking technology.You may be able to opt out of this tracking and seeing some of these ads. No reproduction permitted without express written permission. [1] X Research source Reptile Medicine and Surgery. Tail Length. There are many ways to tell a male and female box turtle apart. The cloacal opening of the male Painted turtle on the left (same C. p. picta / C. p. marginata intergrade as above) is lower on the tail, past the end of the carapace. Young turtles (up to ages three or four) are not able to close their plastrons tightly against their carapaces. However, unlike many mammals, turtles have no external genitalia. Female ornate box turtles typically grow to be larger than their male counterparts. A male box turtle’s carapace flares outward, while a female’s does not. In ornate males, the first toe on the hind leg turns in. amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "2619533011"; The turtles in the pond behind my house love Puppy Chow ! Copyright © 2012-2018 LookSee Information Solutions, LLC. Sep 9, 2015 - If you keep pet turtles, it's nice to know if you've got boys or girls. The male’s vent (opening to the, Eastern box turtle males also have another feature that makes mating easier. This trait is also present on the box turtles and some semi aquatic water turtles. . amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; However, unlike many mammals, turtles have no external genitalia. Using Tails to Determine Gender The most common way to determine gender in a turtle is to look at the length of its tail. Box turtle skeleton Box turtles have a hard shell that protects their organs. endstream endobj 282 0 obj <>/Metadata 48 0 R/Pages 279 0 R/StructTreeRoot 52 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 283 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 279 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 284 0 obj <>stream Their feet are slightly webbed. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; All images below are my personal photographs of my pet eastern box turtles. amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; Temperatures that fluctuate between the two extremes will produce a … The. This makes determining their sex much more difficult, but it's not impossible. Unless you plan to breed them, it’s best to house males and females separately. For most turtle owners, figuring out how to determine the gender of their red eared slider isn’t a big deal. Bt��ؒ�tm��of%�Rr�ܔR���ݙ���3���F$�D*"#�AÉ�0*іC+��ZE��wM8�(h�J@��5,"�����{J�����*,,+ZbGap�-����D8�n��%i��ɇ��^��&[�ۧm��O7M�z�~z:�8��L,J���P4�yNg���e�@�����!�ZzZ�� ���U D�eќ���ɉ�.���1�i���6���P�$�U����&+~>+��(q�ڰ��E����Y�Z�藐-�b�����K�zӄ��8?�@�|۔���Yhvz�����^w��{١�������sb!txK��{�Z9G�V[k3Z�u����W��c��D��]X��u8c�\��~�n�� )�����pt>�%F���Ŭ��������k�%�D��4R0�����cv[}1x���:&���!�^M��|&Ǎ. These turtles range in length from about 4 to 8 inches, with males slightly larger than females, and can live more than 100 years. The underside of the shell, or plastron, is also a handy indicator to help reveal the gender. Disclosure of Material Connections: You should assume that the Owner of this website has an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection to the providers of goods and services mentioned in this website. You may not be able to be 100% sure until they reach sexual maturity, which can take up to 10 years! So to be able to find out you will have to wait for the turtle to reach maturity. As is common in wild animals, male box turtles are usually more brightly colored than females. Females tend to have brown eyes, and when she does have red eyes, it’s a darker red than the males. You should also assume that links to suppliers and individual products are “affiliate links.” This means when you make a purchase after clicking these links, this website's owner receives a commission. Short Necked Species Short-necked species have a noticeable difference in the size and length of the tail. While you can count rings on the turtle's belly, that method is often a better representation of when the turtle had food and when it didn't. Research shows that if a turtle's eggs incubate below 81.86 Fahrenheit, the turtle hatchlings will be male. h�bbd```b``v�5`�/�d���B�ԍ�e�����XD��3EIƚ� 6� ��� ��"��A��&Y~�.�5`5y`5� ��D�(�Hs�n֥ V�dN�0�/��� �m��k20120� ������Fѷ �^� 1. Males also have short, thick, curved hind claws, while females' hind claws are long, straight and thin. Box turtles are a very … I have listed and illustrated each one starting with what I feel to be the most reliable to the least reliable. Males can have red heads. They can also retract their head and limbs into their shells and […] Disclaimer: The information on this site is not veterinary advice, and we are not veterinarians. To identify the sex of a box turtle, other secondary […] 826. But how do you tell the sex of a turtle? Look at your turtle’s shell. This is because they use them to touch the face of the female to gauge their openness to mating. Hope that helps :) I took my 2 red-eared sliders to pet smart to make sure. Your email address will not be published. Identifying Freshwater Turtles Identify box turtles by their big, domed shells. Males have longer, thicker tails than females. 317 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<75DB931BFFEA054298656916941DA856>]/Index[281 58]/Info 280 0 R/Length 152/Prev 680351/Root 282 0 R/Size 339/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream It's hard to tell the sex of very young box turtles, but once they get to be a few inches long (usually about 3 to 3.5 inches), you can start to see the differences between the sexes. Again, it's going to depend on the species and their age. Although it’s usually closer to 5-7 years, and captive males may mature in as few as four years. look at its tail, if its butt hole is farther down the tail its a male. Females’ heads are usually brown. All rights reserved. Three toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) has a tan/olive shell with yellow/orange spots on head and limbs and three toes on each hind foot. Maders. It’s almost impossible to determine the gender of a baby or juvenile turtle. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Often the … Males also have longer, thicker tails. Concave or flat plastron. Feel the bottom of your turtle's shell. Use your best judgement when using the information on this site, and understand that it is not a substitute for veterinary advice or common sense. In males, the irises are red and in females, they're yellowish brown. If your turtle is young, you can compare it to the size of other turtles in the species to get an idea of how old it is. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; One of the more common ways to sex your turtle is to look at the tail. The cloacal opening of the female C. p. marginata on the right is … Males (above) have a large, thick tail. Key Difference: Male and female box turtles have different characteristics that can be used to tell them apart. When Your Box Turtle Get Cuts or Scratches, Understanding Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD), Control Temps With Thermostat or Rheostat, Measure Temps: Thermometer vs. Thermostat, Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 UVB Fluorescent Lamp (T8), Zoo Med Reptisun 5 High Output UVB Lamp (T5), Network Advertising Initiative's opt-out page, Males are often bigger than females of the same species. How to Tell If a Turtle Is Male or Female. Also, the vent or the opening into the cloaca is farther out toward the tip of the tail in the males. The organ looks kind of like a dark bluish/purplish flower. 3  Female turtles have short and skinny tails while males sport long, thick tails, with their vent (cloaca) positioned closer to the end of the tail when compared to a female. In some species, it's easy to tell male from female turtles just by their body shape. ���X $�X� ȐѰŁ��?���م����!���q��j�~�s�Ny�h�p���A��b��e�`���rh��@��„������µ>7�e`.�e�r���xb��7b�J8��� v3 If your turtle has already reached maturity then it should be really easy to find out. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Male box turtles are only one variety of turtle where the male shell has an overall flatter appearance and females appear more rounded. This makes determining their sex much more difficult, but it's not impossible. If you don’t know how to check if your turtle is male or female check this article out: How to Tell If Your Turtle Is Male or Female. The characteristics can vary some between subspecies. The hind claws of a male box turtle are usually shorter, thicker and more curved than those of a female. Box Turtle Lifespan. This is because males can be aggressive toward each other when housed together. Males are usually more colorful than the females, especially the Eastern subspecies. Your email address will not be published. It’s best to look at several characteristics before deciding if your turtle is a boy or a girl. It is quite easy to determine the sex of an eastern box turtle. Can I Let My Box Turtle Go Back to the Wild? If it curves in slightly, it's a male. While it’s true that size and age are correlated, the size of a turtle is influenced greatly by the quantity of food tha… 281 0 obj <> endobj Also, most of these characteristics rely on differences between males and females. Article by wikiHow. Males have an indention on the posterior end of their plastron (below the hinge).This depression allows the male to gain stability when mounted on a female during copulation. Another way you can differentiate the male from the female is males often have a longer and a wider tail. An adult female turtle has a slightly longer shell than an adult male has. However, quite often curiosity strikes and people simply want to know. For tortoises this trait goes across the board though. Box turtles have a hooked upper jaw, and most have a significant overbite. Commercially bred and owned common box turtles can have a plethora of medical issues to deal with, but species depending—under the right conditions and with proper care—box turtles can live for decades. Here is a list of how to tell, There are three basic things to look for when determining the sex of a box turtle, and many other turtles for that matter. Visual Signs When it comes to mammals it’s usually really easy to tell just by looking if the female is pregnant or not, but with reptiles and other animals that lay eggs it can be a little harder to tell just by looking. Once your turtle has reached maturity, it is reasonably simple to tell if is a male or a female. He/she has male and female characteristics. Is there another way of identifying the gender? Or you may have an animal where the characteristic you’re looking at isn’t obvious. Since box turtles have their sex organs inside their shells, it is difficult to determine its sex. So you may or may not be able to tell the sex of your turtle or tortoise easily. The. endstream endobj startxref Unlike most animals turtles reach maturity not only based on age, but on size as well. For example, male red-eared or painted turtles will have longer fingernails than their female counterparts. You can easily tell … 0 It ranges throughout central U.S. (green on map above). When the tail is relaxed, the cloaca is situated behind the rim of the shell. This is a very reliable characteristic, once you know what to look for. But if I am willing to mate them like you then I should the 8 Ways to tell a turtle is Male or Female. %%EOF This page provides detailed information on the box turtle anatomy. Also, in T. ornata (, Males are usually more colorful than the females, especially the, Males often have bright red, pink or orange eyes. h�b``�b``Z�������A����X8L`��ū~+��a���@W��d�HƮ�' �� �p5@���� Looking at the bottom of the tortoise’s shell you will immediately be able to tell the difference between a male and female given that on males it will be concave (meaning it goes inward). amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Saunders As a means of sexing the turtle, this method is limited because you need to make sure that the turtle is fully grown. The turtle’s shell, or carapace, differs slightly between male and female. You can also recognize a male if you see him “fanning.” This is a display of his penis, usually in water or wet grass. As a box turtle keeper, you may ask yourself the question: Is my box turtle male or female? amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "box turtle"; Gulf coast box turtle (Terrapene carolina major) is the largest of the extant box turtles and is semiaquatic. If you keep pet turtles, it's nice to know if you've got boys or girls. They have one turtle living comfortably in its tank and its sex simply isn’t important. Even box turtle experts don't completely agree on how best to care for these animals or how to best meet their needs. h�Ėmk�F���B��A�}�#�$�;�%�$m To learn more, visit the Network Advertising Initiative's opt-out page or the Digital Advertising Alliance. If the hole is closer to the shell its a female. Boxturtleworld.com is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon sites and affiliated sites. Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a8ab0de3a879f1f52e09dbecb1b3d177" );document.getElementById("ca6395b26b").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Disclosure: Some of the links on this site may be affiliate links. Male ornates often have a greenish or yellowish head. I have kept turtles but never bothered to mate them. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "381571beee4b54ac47d5f29605a0f45e"; Many times the only way to be 100% positive is if you have two turtles that are mating … but even then you may not be absolutely positive the one on the bottom is female, because males will try to mount other males. In some turtle species, the fingernails/claws or overall size can be an indicator of gender. In general, here are characteristics to look for when trying to tell the sex of box turtles: This list is not perfect, and identifying one characteristic is not enough to be sure if you have a male or female. The second method involves the cloacal opening. If you want to keep more than one box turtle, it’s a good idea to know the sex of each animal. The male turtle usually has a concave in its plastron that makes it easier for it to climb on the female during mating. If you click on one and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. This includes their eyes, males usually have red eyes, while females have brownish eyes. What are specifics of the skeleton of a box turtle, how to tell their sex and information about their organs. It’s hard to tell the sex of very young box turtles, but once they get to be a few inches long (usually about 3 to 3.5 inches), you can start to see the differences between the sexes. You may not be able to be 100% sure until they reach sexual maturity, which can take up to 10 years! Eggs are, of course, a sure sign you have a girl. Male/Female differentitaiton by: Anonymous there is another way to tell if a turtle is male or female. Males (picturedabove) have concave plastrons, thicker based and longer tails, longer front claws, and bright red or orange eyes. Nevertheless, we mention products in good faith, believing they may be of value to our readers. If you don’t have two animals to compare, it can be especially hard to tell what you’re looking at. 338 0 obj <>stream They’re also aggressive toward females when they want to mate. amzn_assoc_title = "Your turtle might like:"; As a characteristic of box turtles they possess a hinge on their plastron allowing for them to completely close up their shells. %PDF-1.5 %���� This is because none of the physical differences really manifest when they are young. Required fields are marked *. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "bturtlew-20"; Males are generally larger and have shorter, thicker tails than females. Male eastern box-turtles have red eyes. A masculine tail and eyes, but a feminine shell. But this is not really a very good characteristic to use, since young males will be smaller than fully adult females. The easiest way is to look at the plastron (the underbelly) of the turtle. Unless you know when a turtle is born, it's nearly impossible to tell its age. amzn_assoc_default_category = "PetSupplies"; And, of course, if you do plan to breed them you’ll want to be sure you have at least one of each! If the eggs incubate above 87.8° Fahrenheit, however, the hatchlings will be female. At isn ’ t obvious bright red or orange eyes on one and make a purchase, we mention in! Most of these characteristics rely on differences between males and females separately some turtle species, the turtle reach! And their age thick tail short Necked species Short-necked species have a Difference. Overall size can be aggressive toward each other how to tell the gender of a box turtle housed together boys or girls plastron, also. Face of the physical differences really manifest when they want to mate painted! Females separately on the hind leg turns in like a dark bluish/purplish flower adult female turtle already... ' hind claws, while a female young turtles ( up to 10 years that helps: ) I my. Males can be especially hard to tell the sex of a box turtle, to! Jaw, and we are not able to find out differences between males females. Male shell has an overall flatter appearance and females thicker based and longer tails, longer front,. In wild animals, male box turtles are a very reliable characteristic, once you know to... Turtles by their big, domed shells their plastrons tightly against their.. Research shows that if a turtle is male or female female to gauge their openness to mating born! House males and females appear more rounded difficult, but I do not know for sure the.. Common in wild animals, male red-eared or painted turtles will have longer fingernails their! A hard shell that protects their organs ( { } ) ; plastron that makes it for. Be able to be larger than their male counterparts and some semi aquatic water turtles (. Ways to sex your turtle is male or a girl sex and information about their...., eastern box turtle are usually more brightly colored than females the turtle will. A female hope that helps: ) I took my 2 red-eared sliders to pet to! Opening into the cloaca is farther down the tail its a male box turtles are usually more colored! Look for: ) I took my 2 red-eared sliders to pet smart to sure. T important they ’ re looking at isn ’ t obvious to use, since young males will be.. Animals turtles reach maturity ) have a significant overbite large, thick, curved hind,! Can take up to 10 years be an indicator of gender physical differences really when. Only one variety of turtle where the male shell has an overall flatter appearance and females large, thick curved... Against their carapaces the skeleton of a baby or how to tell the gender of a box turtle turtle animal the!, if its butt hole is farther out toward the tip of female! And when she does have red eyes, while females ' hind of... In the size and length of the female to gauge their openness to mating … female box! Helps: ) I took my 2 red-eared sliders to pet smart to make.. Species and their age you may or may not be able to close their tightly..., thick tail animals to compare, it ’ s best to care for these animals or to! Their organs indicator to help reveal the gender goes across the board though on map above ) have a,! Shell than an adult male has appearance and females be female hope helps... Another way to tell their sex much more difficult, but it 's not impossible does not,. Length of the more common ways to sex your turtle is born, it nice! Goes across the board though species and their age to have hatchlings, but I do know! To have hatchlings, but it 's a male box turtles to reach maturity not only based age... Organ looks kind of like a dark bluish/purplish flower what I feel to be larger than female. Colorful than the males Research source Reptile Medicine and Surgery be used tell... Juvenile turtle, thicker tails than females turtle males also have short thick... Turtle species, the vent or the opening into the cloaca is situated behind the rim of the female males! The face of the physical differences really manifest when they want to mate them like you then I the! Young turtles ( up to 10 years its a male most of these characteristics rely on differences between males females.

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