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Eye Color?

easternlvrs10 Sep 29, 2006 09:27 PM

Have a four or five year old Eastern Box Turtle...eyes have started to change from dark brown to a light red color. Also, has indent on bottom of his shell, does this mean he's a male?

Thanks
Melinda

Replies (1)

streamwalker Sep 30, 2006 04:40 AM

Most males boxies have red eyes; with the exception of the Florida subspecies. Both male and female floridas have brown eyes.

Eye color by itself is not a good sex indicator; as there are some eastern females with red eyes. However combined with a concave plastron; it's a sure sign of a male.

The definitive way is to note the distance of the cloaca from the body. In males the cloaca will extend past the plastron and up to or just past the carapace.
Females have their cloaca set much closer to their body.

Males also have a turned inner toe( hind toe closest to their body) used for clasping the female in mating. Females toes will be straight while the males will have a definite inward curve; and are usually longer.

Ric K.

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