How to Tell Male and Female Red-Eared Sliders Apart? Master These Identification Methods
Not many people like keeping turtles as pets, especially families with elderly members, since the turtle symbolizes a thousand years of longevity, which is a very good meaning. Red-eared sliders are chosen even more often, because red-eared sliders have a fairly attractive body shape and are lively and easy to keep. Many people want to know how to tell male and female red-eared sliders apart, so today we will talk about how to tell male and female red-eared sliders apart!
How to Tell Male and Female Red-Eared Sliders Apart?
There are mainly three points for distinguishing male and female red-eared sliders:
1. Front claws: the male's are long, the female's are short.
2. Tail: the male's is thick and long, the female's is short.
3. Cloacal opening: in the male it is on the outer side of the anal scutes, in the female it is on the inner side of the anal scutes.
Distinguishing Male and Female Juvenile Red-Eared Sliders
Generally speaking, small juvenile turtles (individuals weighing under 250 grams) are difficult to sex because they are not yet sexually mature. Some shop owners say when selling juvenile red-eared sliders that the sex can be judged by the pattern on the plastron, but this has no scientific basis at all. Among turtles of the same age, females are always larger than males. Common male red-eared sliders reach sexual maturity at an individual weight of 300 grams, while females reach sexual maturity at an individual weight of around 500 grams. Other turtle species have different standards depending on the breed.
Overall, for common turtles, whether aquatic turtles or tortoises, for their juveniles, the sex can usually be identified from body shape by the following gender characteristics:
1. Female turtle: the carapace is shorter and wider, the plastron is flat with no depression in the center, the tail is thin and short, the base of the tail is thin, the cloacal opening is closer to the rear edge of the plastron, the notch formed by the 2 anal scutes of the plastron is shallower, and the notch angle is larger.
2. Male turtle: the carapace is longer and narrower, the center of the plastron is slightly sunken inward, the tail is thick and long, the base of the tail is thick, the cloacal opening is farther from the rear edge of the plastron, the notch formed by the 2 anal scutes of the plastron is deeper, and the notch angle is smaller.
Distinguishing Male and Female Adult Red-Eared Sliders
In addition, mature individuals can be identified by the following method: turn the turtle's plastron upward, use the left hand's thumb, index finger, and middle finger to press the turtle's forelimbs and head into the shell, and use the right hand to straighten the turtle's tail. If a black penis protrudes from the turtle's cloacal opening, it is male; if bubbles or thin mucus are discharged from the turtle's cloacal opening, it is female.
For most species of adult turtles of the same year, males are thinner and smaller in body shape. Females are rounder, thicker and larger in body shape. The specific sex identification methods are:
1. The position and shape of the excretory opening can distinguish male from female: the male turtle's opening is near the tip of the tail, and the opening shape is elongated. The female turtle's opening is near the plastron, and the opening shape is round.
2. The thickness and size of the tail: the male turtle's tail is thicker and larger, the female turtle's is thinner and shorter.
3. Whether the shell is concave: the male turtle has an obvious depression, the female turtle is flat.
4. Note that after maturity the male turtle's whole body turns black, while the female turtle still keeps its original brown body color.
5. The pattern on the male turtle's abdomen is sparse, while the pattern on the female turtle's abdomen is dense.
6. Males weigh no more than 500 grams, and the claws on the limbs are longer; females can weigh up to 1000-2000 grams, but their nails are shorter than those of males.