Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

If you have a turtle it is also interesting to know if it is a female or a male.However, unlike other mammals, turtles do not have external genitalia. This makes it more difficult to determine their sex, but by no means impossible. You can easily tell the difference between a female and a male if you compare two turtles of the opposite sex. If you only have one turtle, collect as many clues as possible to determine its sex!

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Examination of Tortoise Shell

1. 

   Observe the turtle's shell. There is a difference between a female's shell and a male's shell. The shell of an adult female turtle is slightly longer than that of a male.
   • This sex determination method is limited because you need to make sure the turtle is fully developed. You can mistake a turtle for a male because it is smaller in size while it is still in its development phase.
   • There will be size confusion between a large male tortoise and a small female, so it is impossible to determine the sex by size alone.

2. 

   
   
   Examine the turtle's bibs. The part below the shell, covering the turtle's belly, is called the bib. To check the cover, carefully pick up the turtle. A turtle does not like to be touched so it will probably bite, so hold the turtle's tail, it will not be able to turn around and bite you. Gently turn the turtle over 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.
   • The concave camper structure allows the male tortoise to fit snugly against the female's shell during mating and not roll out.
   • The female's flat overalls create more space for the eggs to develop.

3. 

   
   
   Examine the turtle's tail groove. Males often have a small 'V' or groove at the end of the shell. This helps the tail to adapt when the tortoise mates. Otherwise the tail will be crushed by the underside of the shell.

4. 

   Observe the specific characteristics of each species. Certain species of turtles have clearly visible sexual characteristics. Some species can be sexed through color:
   • American Box Turtle: Approximately 90% of male turtles have red or orange irises while female turtles have brown or yellow eyes. In addition, the female's shell resembles a taller and more rounded dome, while the male's shell is lower and looks an oval or rectangular shape.
   • Temporal tortoise: If the lower part of the tortoise's belly is green, it is the male, not the blue it is the female.

Method 2 of 2: Check Details

1. 

   
   
   Examine the turtle's claws. Male turtles use their claws during mating with female turtles. They also use their claws to fight, mark and defend territories. Therefore, the claws on the fore legs of males tend to be longer than that of females. Again, this characteristic will be more pronounced if you compare two turtles of the opposite sex.
   • Red-eared turtles show distinctly different claws between males and females.

2. 

   Observe the turtle's hole. Both males and females have acupuncture holes 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.
   • Females are round and more star-like than males. It is located closer to the body of the turtle, right at the tail and body, almost inside the shell.
   • The male's hole is longer and resembles a slit. It is in the third paragraph from the tip of the tail.

3. 

   Determine the size of the tail. The male genital organs are located in the tail, so the tail is longer and thicker. The female's tail is shorter and thinner.
   • Be careful as there may be a normal size coincidence between male and female, so this is only a suggestion, not an exact way of sexing turtles.

4. 

   Combine multiple signs and draw conclusions. The best approach to sexing turtles is to combine suggested steps and draw the most accurate conclusions. 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, you can better determine the turtle's sex. However, if the signs are not clear, you should take the turtle to the veterinarian for sure check.

     

   • If you are unsure of conclusions, wait until the turtle has grown and try again. It's really difficult to determine the sex of a small turtle.
   • Understand that it may take years for the turtle to fully develop and be able to determine its sex more easily.

Advice

• Observing the layout of the air vents on the tail may help. Bartlett's "Totally Own Your Turtle" book is a great tool for this.
• There are some variants of sea turtles (notably the Kemp Ridley, and a few more species) that have no outward signs of sex determination. Talk to a veterinarian who specializes in marine animals to explore your sea turtle gender.

Warning

• Wash your hands after each touch the turtle. Some tortoises carry salmonella bacteria, which do not affect turtles but harm humans. Do not place your hands near your mouth or nose without washing them with warm water and soap. Make sure the kids also wash their hands well after playing with turtles.