their shells are about the side of a half dollar.. anyways i was wondering.. one turtle is far bigger than the other and more muscular, he has longer nails and tail, so im guessing he's a male, and since the other is a female, i want to know what will happen? [i know what will happen.. lol] but i mean, how big or how old do they get before they start mating, if so?
2007-06-26 14:23:47 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
First off, they are FAR too young and small to sex. The only true way to sex them is to look at their cloca (anus) once they are 4 inches in diameter. A male will have his cloca about 1/2 way out on the tail while a female's will be near the body. Muscular in turtles doesn't mean a thing. Females are bigger than males but this trait doesn't completely show until they are nearly sexually mature. A male grows to be 9 inches in diameter and a female grows to be 12. They must be about 5 years old before they start to mate and at least 5 inches in diameter. In the meantime, the female may ley eggs but they will be infertile. If she ever lays eggs in water, these are also infertile. I hope you prepare a large enclosure for them as they both need TONS of room (10 gallons per inch per trutle). For an idea, my adult male is in a 120 gallon tank and my adult female is in a 180 gallon tank.
2007-06-27 04:18:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Females are the larger of the sexually maure, and the males grow long claws to hold on to the females' shells. They're too small right now, but they reach sexual maturity is just over a year or so. They usually keep size with the aquarium they are in, so if you want them bigger, give them more space.
I have second Gen RES in my tanks, they are the sweetest of the turtles in my own opinion.
2007-06-26 16:36:13 · answer #2 · answered by Psy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately, you can't determine gender with RES until their straight carapace length is over 4 inches. Generally they become sexually mature between 2-4 years in captivity, or at 4 inches for a male, and 5-6 inches for a female. You've got a little while before you need to worry about your babies' babies.
2007-06-26 15:35:17 · answer #3 · answered by scripta_elegans 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They won't start mating until at least 4" long, or almost 4 years old. It is also impossible to tell their sex until they are sexually mature. For one thing, in RES, the females are the bigger ones!
2007-06-26 17:04:32 · answer #4 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the bigger one is the female. females are always the bigger ones.
i have two Res. i got them today one year ago. that makes them one. i have one girl (pickle) and one boy(mango).
2007-06-26 16:23:51 · answer #5 · answered by tayfrog8 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
They are just too small to tell.
2007-06-26 14:58:17 · answer #6 · answered by markwedloe 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋