how can you tell how old a turtle is?

Answer 1

cut him in half and count his rings

Answer 2

Unless you saw it hatch, you are just guessing. Animals don't receive birth certificates, so with any animal, aging it is just a guesstimate.

People will tell you count the rings off growth on the scute (outer coverings) on the carapace or plastron, but that is highly inaccurate. Turtles add many rings each year and as they get older, like 10 years, their shell start getting smooth and lose colour. This counting rings method is a myth only.

A fair way to estimate age is measuring the overall size. This would depend on the species, since they grow at different rates. for most common pond turtles, 1-1.5" SCL (straight carapace length) is szie of hatchlings. Yearlings will be around 2-3" SCL. Juvis will be 3-4" and above 5", it will be considerd a semi-adult. Turtles kept in captivity grow faster than turtles in the wild b/c they receive more food, heat and no hibernation in captivity. these are general figures for most common turtles, like painted, sliders, and cooters. If you have a specific turtle you want to know, feel free to email me pics or questions.

Answer 3

The only absolute way is to know when it was born.

You can guess the age by counting the rings on the belly plates (the scutes on the plastron, to be technical).
Count the rings you find on several scutes, and you can approximate the age based on the average number you find.
Turtles usually add a ring as they grow, not automatically 1 per year.
That's all ...............

Answer 4

by looking at the marks and size of the shell.

Answer 5

the marks and size of the shell.

Answer 6

just like how you tell how old a tree is. cut it in half and see how many rings there are

Answer 7

the marks on his shell

Answer 8

by the marks on its shell