"First off, the male turtle usually tends to have a concave plastron (bottom shell). The reason for this is because he has to stay on the female's carapace (upper shell) to breed. It would be rather hard to do this task if the shell was flat. He would be slipping and falling off of her. Another attribute the male has is a much longer and thicker shell, then that of the female. The anal hole is also usually past the carapacial rim (end of shell). He must slide his tail under hers to copulate. On some species, longer foreclaws are prevelant. .
Some species that have them are Painted, Sliders, Cooters, and Map turtles. These claws are used in some sort of breeding ritual. The male will show the appearance of caressing the females cheeks. Of course they have more purposes than just breeding. They are used in showing dominance to another turtle, stating "This is my territory, I'm telling you to stay out of it," or just a simple "Hi, how are you doing?" Coloration in some species is also an indicator of sex. In male Box turtles, the male tends to have red eyes. In Spotted turtles, males have tan chins and brown eyes.
There are also ways to tell if your turtle is a female. The first of course is to look at the plastron, females are flat or slightly convex. The reasoning behind this is because, she has to hold the eggs, and she wouldn't have enough room to do so if she was like the male and it was concave. The tail of a female is short and the anal opening is before the carapacial rim. In most species of turtle, the female's front claws are short, they do not have to show breeding rituals because the female doesn't have to convince the male who she is. The one that says who breeds is the female. Coloration is also an indicator in this gender as well. Female Box turtles usually have brown eyes.
Male turtles also will have their reproductive organs come out of their opening on the tail . This is commonly known as prolapse. This condition is perfectly normal, and is most often confused with an organ prolapse. It doesn't hurt much, but it is very annoying. It's a normal occurrence and we don't know why it happens. Make sure you watch your turtle so it
goes back in. If this happens a lot, it may cause distress. You might need the help of a veterinarian. If your turtle is on dry land when this happens, put us in luke warm water to help keep it moist. Occasionally, the erect reproductive organ remains fully engorged and cannot be retracted. This condition is called paraphimosis. Veterinary intervention is necessary in these cases to prevent permanent damage to the reproductive organ.
Those are the easiest and most basic ways to tell if you have a male or female turtle. Almost all species follow these rules, but not all. Some female Box turtles have red eyes, while some males have brown eyes. Some male specimens have shown a short tail. The above is what the majority show. Baby turtles do not usually display these characteristics until they mature."
2006-07-06 16:19:12
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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Male turtles have a slightly concave plastron while a females is flat. Plastron is the bottom of the shell. I don't know if this holds true for all kinds of turtles. I am not a turtle expert, but I am a turtle owner. He is a water turtle. I verified that my turtle is a boy by accident when I wanted to see how he would react to his reflection in a mirror. Suddenly appendages appeared that I hadn't seen before! He doesn't always react this way to his reflection. Sometimes he gets aggressive - thinking "the other turtle" is another male.
2006-07-06 16:26:26
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answer #2
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answered by petlover 5
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I see from the pattern on their bellies.. I was told that (for red-ear sliders) a turtle with thick dots and lines is a male, and a turtle with thin dots and lines is a female
PS: bjoyhead, mabe some female turtles are more aggresive and dominant than males? U never know~ ;)
2006-07-06 16:17:55
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answer #3
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answered by a V a 4
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rub the bottom of the shell males have an indent underneath...its so they can steady themselves on the female, so they do not slip off. A female turtle will be flat underneath. Rub your finger towards the back underneath part of the shell. You will probably want to flip the turtle upside down.
2006-07-06 16:21:21
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answer #4
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answered by Nena_555 2
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If your turtle is a red ear slider, they must be at least 4 inches before you can sex them. A male will have very long claws and a long tail (usually over an inch) Females have very short claws and very short tails.
2006-07-06 16:22:30
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answer #5
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answered by daredevil_girl013 3
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You wont have the skill to tell till that's a pair of 12 months old. the backside of this is shell will curve slightly if this is male, women persons are flat. adult males even have lots longer tails than women persons and even have longer claws.
2016-12-08 16:38:10
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answer #6
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answered by ? 3
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the ones that try to get on top of the other ones - are the males!
2006-07-06 16:17:17
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answer #7
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answered by bjoybead 2
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their stomachs are different
2006-07-06 23:25:06
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answer #8
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answered by Hill 2
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