Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I finally found a little orphan that needed a home. I picked up this beautiful Three-Toed female (I'm pretty sure; please confirm sex everyone) today and brought her home about two hours ago.

She wasted no time in touring her new digs and quickly found the four garden snails that had burrowed under a log in the enclosure: savage eater, I'll tell you. I just love her. She has beautiful orange speckling on the cheeks and chin and is starting to get yellow markings on top of the shell. She's about 5 1/2 inches.

Let me know what everyone thinks. I'm curious to know how old she would be. She has such a great personality, I can tell already: super outgoing, very alert, and not timid in the least.

Very nice, congrats, you must be very excited right now!!! I know I would be. That is a very,very gorgeous 3-toed, looks female by eyes and marks but a tail shot pict would confirm.
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Jeff Benfer
You'll get your regius's to the wall, man!
1.0 pastel Python regius
0.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
0.2 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.1 Ambystoma tigrinum
2.2 het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.1 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
1.1 heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus

Thanks alot, I am VERY excited. I went right out and "grocery shopped" for her. I'm also very fortunate that my yard is a haven for free food. I have two different kinds of snails and my neighbor said I can come over and take his mulberries as often as I like.

Here's a tail pic, as best as I could get tonight.

Hey boxienuts the three toed box turtles dont have a con cave on the bottom of there shell like the male eastern box does to distiguish the sex.

yes they do, the male in my pen right now has a concaved plastron, just not always as pronounced, but the tail is what you want to look at, because even though that too is less obvious of a difference between sexes in 3-toed than eastern or ornate, the tail still needs extra room to house a penis and the anus is well past the shell edge.
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Jeff Benfer
You'll get your regius's to the wall, man!
1.0 pastel Python regius
0.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
0.2 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.1 Ambystoma tigrinum
2.2 het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.1 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
1.1 heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus

Can anyone take a stab at her age? Like I said, she's 5 1/2 inches long. Thanks. Also, I hear all this talk about juvie, sub-adult, adult, etc., but is there a true break down by years on when a turtle goes from baby to juvie to adult?

"Can anyone take a stab at her age? Like I said, she's 5 1/2 inches long. Thanks. Also, I hear all this talk about juvie, sub-adult, adult, etc., but is there a true break down by years on when a turtle goes from baby to juvie to adult?"

The short answer is to both questions is "NO".

Growth ring counts have proved to be unreliable ways to determine age: I have raised two year old headstarts that have a dozen growth rings. A ring is formed when there is break in the feeding cycle, so, during a drought or during periods of excessive heat, a turtle may stop eating long enough for a distinct ring to form. this can occur multiple times in one calendar year.
To the second question: there are far too many variables that affect growth rate, size and sexual maturity to allow for a realistic breakdown in years.

That having been said, the turtle that you have appears to have been captive bred: you may be able to find out its exact age from the breeder, provided you can locate them.

Thanks, that's pretty much what I figured. I appreciate your insight.

Well, check that last sentence about not being timid, etc.

For the last two days she has just burrowed under the leaf pile. I don't think it's heat-related b/c it's been fairly nice out and her enclosure gets shade after 11 a.m. for the rest of the day and I keep it pretty moist. She does come out to eat but then goes right back in.

I'm not too worried though. I think it's either a product of a) hiding out under leaves is what most turtles do all day anyway, b) I could probably use a couple more hiding spots, or c) she's still adjusting to her new home. Or all of the above

Congrats on your new friend! Enjoy her!
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.11.0 chickens
1.0.0 Dutch(rabbit)
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

Thanks, I am! I hope she enjoys the work I've been putting into building her a bigger enclosure