Hold your turtle with care when determining its gender. Flipping over your turtle can hurt him (or her!). Be careful to hold your turtle with a gentle grip and to turn him or her with care and a gradual movement.
Look at the turtle's tail. Turtles have a hole or vent which is called the "cloaca" located on their tail. Male turtles have the cloaca located farther away from the body, about half to two thirds the distance from the shell and more toward to the tip of the tail. Female turtles have the cloaca closer to the body, almost under the overlap of the shell.
Examine the thickness and length of the tail.Examine the thickness and length of the tail. Male turtles often have fatter and longer tails than the female.
Look at the bottom or underbelly of the turtle's shell. If the plastron (bottom shell) is convex, goes out, it's probably a female. If its bottom shell is concave (rounded) or goes in toward the inside of the body, then the turtle is most likely a male.
Look at the turtle's front or fore claws. Most male turtles have very long front claws.
Comments(1)