Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can anyone tell me how I can estimate the age of my new Redfoots? Do you measure the caripace , count rings ??

Thanks in advance,
V

You have asked a difficult question. You cannot accurately count carapace rings on a redfoot and determine age. But you can use rings to get a rough idea of age by the condition of them by seeing how worn they are, etc.
There are actually many things to look at on a redfoot to make an age estimate but it is hard to describe. For example, the size of the animal has to be taken into consideration as well as the size of the head relative to the carapace.
Of course, it is fairly easy to tell if an animal is 'mature' or not. But being able to just look at a redfoot and say how many years old it is is impossible.
If you provide a photo, some members could guess at it's age but they would be guessing.

Thanks for responding to my question. I didn't think it would be so difficult to estimate their age.
I can tell you that my male weighs aprox 2lbs and measures about 7-8" across the carapice. The female weighs about 1 1/4 lbs and is about 6-7" across the carapice. Do these numbers indicate anything that can give you an indication of their age? I will take some pictures of them after Christmas and put them on the web. Anyway......
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,
V

"Estimating" their age you can do, but I would still guess that you could be off by several, to many years.
If they were captive raised from hatchlings, they could be at that size by around 4 years...maybe even sooner if pushed. But if pushed they would show signs of unnatural growth.
Then again, I have seen imports at that size that seemed old with worn shells.
There are just a lot of variables so it is hard to say anything for certain.

Ok. Thanks for your help here. I'll just keep an eye on them. Do some research and see what I can come up with.
Thanks,

Merry Christmas,
V