Turtle Male or female? AND what species?

Question

I have two turtles both are Identical exept one has a long tale the other's one is about half the size. I know that males have long tails females have short ones but the pet shop employee said they are both males. Also... the man who sold them to me said they are GRASS TURTLES but I haven't found such thing on the internet. They have yellow stripes on the heads green and yellow shell, and have reletively flat shells. They have 5 claws and are semi aquatic. What is the SPECIES and what is the SEX of one of them. Can I trust this small store owner?

It isn't a red eared slider because I saw them in the next tank at the store+ Sliders are fully aquatic.

Answer 1

Can you take a pics of the heads, the carapaces (top shell) and the plastrons, (bottom shell) and the tails and front claws for me and post them either here or at a forum I belong to and we can help you, (see link under sources)also here is some info on sexing besides going by their tales, but you can't determine the sex until they reach sexual maturity, usually after they've hit 5 inches.


This will be a general instruction on sexing. However, not all turtle species can be sexed this way.

Sliders, Painteds, Maps and Cooters can all be sexed usually after they have reached 5 inches. Hatchlings cannot be sexed accurately. To sex a yearling, you can look at the tail. If it is long and thick, with the cloaca being closer to the end of the tail rather that toward the shell, you probably have a male. Next you can look at the front claws. Males will have rather long claws which are used to court the females. Sometimes males will have a more concave plastron which is used for mounting the female.

Ok so post the pics either here or in the forum (Turtle Exchange) and I can help ya better! A lot of times the pet shop doesn't know what they are talking bout, they either tell you what they were told to say, or they just make stuff up, remember their job is to BOOST sales. Email me with any questions, and I will be glad to help. I hope you have the proper set-up for them!

Edit****
Hey, I was reading another question about easy reptiles and I saw an answer you posted. You said you have a heat lamp, but made no mention of having a UVA/UVB lamp. THis is very important, you need to get one ASAP! Your turtles need it. It needs to say UVB on the box and you should get one that emits at least 5% UVB but 10% is better. I want to give you some more info to just in case!

1., take them to a Herp Vet to make sure they are healthy http://www.nytts.org/nytts/helpnet.htm.....

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vets_for_h...

2. get them the largest tank you can afford. A good rule of thumb is 10 gallons per inch of shell BUT they will get larger so it just makes good sense if you buy big. If you can't afford a traditional tank, get a rubbermaid bin. For substrate, use river rocks larger than the turtles head or nothing. It's imperative we get your turtles identified becuase some turtles, Sliders for instance, need deep water, while others like Musk and Muds need shallow water.

3. Filtration is a must turtles need a clean habitat, they produce lots of waste. Try for a filter that is made for at least twice what size tank you have. For example, you buy a 20g tank, then get a filter for a 40g tank.

4. Basking, turtles need to be able to come completley out of the water to dry off. You will need to make them a spot to sun themselves. You can use a variety of things, driftwood, rocks piled up, a dock. a log. etc. You will need a special light for your basking spot to simulate the sun, its called a UVA/UVB light you need one with an output of at least 5%, but the higher the better. You also need a light for warmth, buy a clamp lamp and use a household bulb for this. Your water should be mid to high 70's with the basking spot 10 degrees higher. If you can't regulate the water temps, you will need to buy a submersible heater.

Ok now for feeding. Turtles need a varied diet. IMPORTANT***Water Turtles Need to be Fed In The Water***

Hatchlings
Hatchlings should be fed everyday for the first year of their lives. They should be given as much as they can eat in 10 to 15 mins time or as much as you could fit into their head if hollow. You can feed them all of it at once or you can slit it up into 2 feedings.

Hatchlings tend to be more Carnivorous than adults, so make sure to check out the suggestions of live and protein-rich foods below for how to supplement accordingly. (Make sure you still give fruits and veggies at this stage!)

Juveniles/Adults
Once your turtle reaches the 4" mark, we recommend that you change their feeding schedule to every other day. Giving them greens or live plants in between.

Adults tend to become more Omnivorous, so make sure to check out the suggestions of fruits and vegetables below.

Vitamins and Calcium
You should supplement your turtle's diet with both vitamins and calcium, every third feeding or once a week. To give them vitamins many people will give them a Vitamin Bath once a week. You can also either soak the pellets in a liquid vitamin or dampen them and roll them in a powder vitamin before feeding.

It is recommended you have a light that supplies UVA and at the very least a 5.0 UVB output. The UVB is necessary for the absorption of calcium and vitamin D3. Turtles need both calcium and Vitamin D3 for strong bones and shells.

**Feeding Tip Feedings should be done in a separate container so that you do not have to frequently change the water nor the filter media.


Common Diet Errors

Feeding Cat or Dog Food
Despite what some pet store employees may tell you, turtles should not be fed dog or cat food (Sounds insane, but we've heard it!)

Pellet Only Diets
Pellets provide many benefits, but variety is key!
Supplement their diet with veggies, live foods and some fruits. Check out our safe list below.

Giving in to Beggars
Turtles will always beg whether you give in or not- they know you are the supplier of food!
Supplement between feedings with greens or live foods they have to chase to eat. ( Iceberg lettuce is a common filler that doesn't contain much nutritional value, but will keep them content.)


Safe Feeding List

Commercial Foods (This is just a few of them on the market)
* Tetra Reptomin
* ZooMed's Aquatic Turtle Food
* Exo Terra
* Wardley's Reptile Premium Sticks
* HBH Turtle Bites

Frozen/Canned (For treats)
* Spirulina-enriched Brine Shrimp
* Bloodworms
* Plankton
* Krill
* ZooMed's Can O'Crickets, Grasshoppers, or Meal Worms

Live Foods (Carnivorous)
* Guppies or Rosies Reds (no goldfish they are too fatty and have very little nutritional value)
* Crickets (Gut-Loaded)
* Pinhead Crickets (for smaller turtles)
* Earthworms, Night Crawlers
* Ghost Shrimp
* Aquatic Snails/Apple Snails
* Slugs
* Wax Worms, Super Worms

**Be careful about Wild-Caught foods, they can carry parasites that can be transferred to your turtle. Freezing Wild-Caught foods for a month will help to kill off some parasites.

Fruits (small amounts for treats only)
* Apples
* Bananas
* Grapes
* Melon
* Tomato
* Strawberries

**Should be cut up in small, bite-size or match-like sticks that will be easy for the turtle to bite into and not choke on.

Veggies
* Squash
* Zucchini
* Carrots
* Greens- Red Leaf, Romaine, Collards, Kale, Dandelion Greens

**Stay away from Spinach. Make sure to cut the veggies in bite-size or match-like sticks so your turtle can eat them easily. Iceberg lettuce is a good filler, but contains little/no nutritional value!

Aquatic Plants
* Anacharis
* Duckweed
* Water Hyacinth
* Water Lettuce
* Water Lily

*Salmonela-To keep down the risk wash your hands after handling like you said, don't put them in your mouth and keep the water clean.

Ok I think I covered everything, make these corrections and see what happens. If you have additional questions you may email me, or you can find me at http://www.turtleexchange.com/forum/inde... It's an awesome turtle and pet forum. Great people who are happy to help. I am julia23608 on there, come check us out. Good luck with your turtle!

Answer 2

1. There IS NO SUCH THING as a 'grass turtle'. If they got the name wrong, why trust them on gender?

2. You are right about the tails.

3. I'd guess you have a Yellow-belly Slider, or a closely related species. This is sort of like a Red-ear slider without the red 'ears'.

4. If it is a Yellow-belly or any other slider or cooter, it is a 'pond turtle', semi-aquatic, like the Red-ear or Painted. There is no land turtle that looks like your description.

Try the sites below for care info and photos:

Answer 3

In some species of turtles males have a longer tail, red eyes, longer front claws, or a concave plastern (belly shell). Reeves turtle males have a much longer tail than the females. http://turtledaddy.naool.com/home/image/turtles/reevesturtle_04.jpg Without a pic it is very hard to be of any help to you. A lot of species have yellow stripes. Sometimes you can trust the store owner and sometimes they just want to sound like they have a clue to you can make a sale. I've been lied to twice by pet shop owners and their employees but luckily I knew the answer to what I asked already. I only asked to see if they were honest and could be trusted in other things they were claiming about their animals.

Answer 4

Look here:
http://www.allturtles.com/species.php
It has a bunch of pictures of turtles. See if you can find the one that looks like yours.
Mostly small pet store owners know what they are talking about, but there are idiots all around us, and you never know where one will turn up.
It's really good that you are trying to find out about them. That's the best way to learn how to take care of them properly.
Determining the sex of turtles varies by species. Tail length may not be the deciding factor for your turtles. Find out first which kind you have and go from there. Usually you look at the underside of the shell, males shells curve inward, while female shells are flat.

Answer 5

Maybe painted turtles? Or a cooter? have to see a pic to know for sure... A male will have long claws on the frount feet(for holding on if ya get the point....) and a male will also have a concave under shell, looks like a indent (also to help with mating) I've heard tail lenght doesn't help if they are young. Hope that helps!!!

Answer 6

maybe a red eared slider