How Do you tell the Difference from a Male Or Female North American Box turtle ???

Question

Color,Spots anything what is it???

Answer 1

Look at the plastron, if it's concave it's a male, if it's flat, it's a female. There are a few exceptions (we've got a male three-toed box with a flat plastron) but they're few and far between.

That is by far, at least in my opinion, the easiest way to tell male from female with land turtles.

Answer 2

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. I have listed and illustrated each one starting with what I feel to be the most reliable to the least reliable. All images below are my personal photographs of my pet eastern box turtles.

1.
The tail - most reliable sex determining feature.
The tail of a male will have the cloaca (butt hole!) positioned farther down the tail located beyond the edge of the plastron and in most cases, beyond the edge of the carapace as well. The tail will also be obviously longer and thick at the base than that of a female.

A female's will usually be much smaller with the cloaca located close to the body.


2.
The Plastron
The plastron of a male is typically indented, some individuals more than others.

The plastron of a female is most often flat.

I believe this is because the female needs the room for eggs, and it makes it easier for the males when mounting a female to have that indentation.




Printer Friendly Version




3.
Coloration
This is the most obvious, and the first thing anyone notices about a box turtle.

The eyes of a male are usually bright red. Males will also tend to be brightly colored, especially around the head, neck and front legs.

Females will tend to have dark brown to reddish brown eyes, and are usually the drabber sex.

This is the least reliable method of sex determination.
I have seen females with red eyes, and some are quite colorful.

Please feel free to e-mail me any photos of any turtle that you may be having trouble determining the sex. Be sure that the photos feature at least 2 of the above features. Good Luck!

That was all from one of my most reliable sites,I'm not sure his e-mail though sorry. Hope it will help out with your turtle trouble and godd luck. :)And sorry bout the pictures there probaly impossible to see. :(

Answer 3

Although you have the basic turtle sexing descriptions already, different NA box turtles have different signs. 90% of the time, males will have red to orange eyes, whereas females have yellow to brown. In other species, the male has different colors along the head.

http://www.tortoise.org/archives/terrapen.html

This site lists different types of box turtles and general ways to sex them.

Pictures of a different species showing the "butthole" farther back on the tale, just to give you an idea of what to look for.
http://www.carettochelys.com/gender.htm

Good luck (I tried to find pictures, but couldn't. You should find your turtle a mate, then take pictures of the differences and put it online!)

Answer 4

male box turtles will have a concave plastron (bottom shell) and red eyes
female box turtles have a flat plastron and orange-ish or brown-ish eyes