Reptile & Amphibian Forums

HI all

Was wondering if anyone out there could tell me a way to sex Florida softshell turtles. I have a large one which is 13 inches long and 10 inches wide and I have another smaller one about 10 inches long and 8 inches wide...Could anyone post pics if they have some of a males vent and a females vent or is there another way to determine sex of Florida softshells..?

Also should adult softshell be house separately?

Cheers

Scotty & Les

Hello:
If you have males and Females they are very easy to tell apart. The males have a much longer and thicker tail with the vent located well down on the tail. The tail is 2-2 1/2 times as long as the females.
Hope this helps. Have a Great Day!!!

Yea that does clear things up but just in case...If i posted a pic of their vents side by side could you tell....?

Cheers

Scotty & Les

Hey Guys:
The answer is yes.
Have a Great Day!!!

Here are the pics..

This one the turtle is 13 inches long and 10 inches wide..

This ione is smaller 10 inches long and 8 inches wide...

Whatcha think they kinda look the same but the lenght is confusing me..

Scotty & Les

Hello:
Great pictures. The larger of the two is a female, the smaller one a male. If you notice the smaller one is several inches shorter though the tail is quite long. Another clue is that males don't generally get that large.
Are you going to pair them up?
Have a Great Day!!!

Oh yes, Now that we know we have a pair of them we are going to put them together.

Do you happen to know any other site which has some good information on breeding florida softshells..?

Cheers,

Scotty & Les

Hey Scotty & Les:
This is one of the best sites around for Turtle info. You may want to do a search for Turtle Farms and Turtle Farming to see what the farms do.
Basically keeping them in a pond (doesn't have to be huge for one pair) with access to a land are where they can dig should do the trick. With a good, varied diet you should have no trouble breeding them. The neat thing about them is that they lay lots of eggs which easily hatch.
Good Luck!!!