Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Which are usually bigger for res, males or females? How can you tell with young turtles?

As adults females grow larger than males. Size isn't a gender determination in young turtles tho, I had two baby turtles and one grew much faster then the other, but they turned out to be both males. You can't really sex them until they are about 4 inches or so.
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xcrashx21 yours are way too small to tell their sex. I was reading your other post with your tank set up pics. It looks great but will not last long. They need 10 gals of water per inch of turtle so right now they are fine but as soon as they both grow another inch they will have to be moved to a bigger tank. I assume that is why you are asking about size, so you know how big the final tank needs to be. They are probably going to need about a 120 gal when they are full grown. You could even go bigger if you can afford it. If you have to save up for a bigger tank you can always move them to a 50 gal rubbermaid and then seperate 50 gal rubermaids until you save up for the bigger tank. I would check your local flea markets, yard sales, and paper for deals on tanks. My husband and I got our 90 gal with oak stand for only $100 so there are deals out there, you just have to look. It's alot cheaper than buying form a store that's for sure.
You are doing great, keep up the good work and your turtles will be happy for life.

I have a 55 gal I can set up but am looking for a larger one so that I only need to really set it up one final time. Thanks for the comments.

Sex can be determined by means other than the claws. Although I havent tried to sex hatchling turtles, this method may work. I know it works for adults, although it may help to have both a male and a female to tell the difference.

Sex can be determined by the position of the cloacal opening on the tail. The cloacal opening of the male is farther down the tail than that of the female. The purpose is probably so the male can more easily reach the females opening during copulation while mounted on her back.

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Thank you. I will try that and see if I can tell.