Posted by:
kensopher
at Thu Jan 24 18:27:52 2008 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by kensopher ]
Bill, female box turtles' shells, in general, ARE taller and more dome-shaped. Think of it as an adaptation for holding eggs. Males are more flat or laterally compressed. This is a general trend, and can vary amongst individuals.
Firm secondary sex characterisitcs(all very well laid out by the previous poster) haven't shown up in my triunguis until they were at least 4 inches...some later. In my opinion, this is the most difficult T.c. to sex. You have to examine several dozen individuals in person before you can make any sort of accurate prediction. Watch for "grooving out". The centermost plastronal scute growth will begin to recede into the body of the animal, forming a very slight groove in the very center of the plastron. The problem, some females can groove a bit and some males(especially triunguis) don't have much of one.
It can be tough. Good luck. Maybe it will fan its penis during a nice warm soak. That should settle it.
Keep posting pictures. Some of us can determine sex fairly easily.
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RE: determining sex in a young three-toed - kensopher, Thu Jan 24 18:27:52 2008