Length and growth rate of turtles
The change in the length of the turtles can be seen by the light seams between the carapace scutes. If the turtle grows quickly, the new horny layers along the periphery of the scutes become very light, then processes of pigment cells (dermal melanophores) grow there and pigment is transferred along them, usually in the form of thin rays or dark spots. When these growth rings age, the pigmented zones will not differ from the previous ones. This is the cost of accelerated growth in captivity.(c) D.B. Vasiliev.
Growth stripes land turtles should not be too wide, otherwise this will indicate overfeeding.
As young turtles grow, their body shape and shell color change. The shell elongates and darkens. When the turtle grows and becomes sexually mature, if it is a male, then it may have a depression on the plastron, a thicker and longer tail, and long claws. Eye color and nose color may also change.
Parameters of red-eared turtles born and living in nature
Parameters of land turtles, turtles born and living in nature (using the example of Testudo hermanni)
At home, the growth of a turtle depends on the size of the aquarium/terrarium, frequency of feeding, diet, and the addition of calcium to the food.
Determining the age of a turtle
For turtles living in areas with well-defined seasons, their age can be approximately determined by the number of annual rings on the horny scutes. Tree rings Central Asian turtle, for example, are clearly visible and delimited by sharp impressions - marks of the winter seasons. The embryonic shield, with which the turtle hatches from the egg, is clearly visible due to its uneven, granular surface. Using the growth rings, you can calculate the growth rate of a given turtle, since the increase in the width of the scutes is proportional to the increase in the length of the entire shell. In some cases, a correlation is shown between the number of rings in the cross-section of long bones and the size of the shell.
It is impossible to know the exact age of a turtle that has not been raised since birth, but it can be approximately determined as follows:
1. By turtle size (shell length)
2. According to the number of rings on the shell: 2-3 rings are formed in 1 year. To be more precise, you can count several flakes and then find the average value.
But we must take into account that both the size and number of rings depend on the living conditions of the turtle, as well as whether it hibernated.
The rings appear when the turtle is not yet a year old. In very old specimens, the shell becomes especially smooth, like in newborns, and the annual rings turn pale.
When counting grooves, it should be taken into account that during the period of active growth: from a newborn to a two-year-old, the grooves determine the period of development from 3 months to six months, and then about a year.
Growth occurs when new portions of keratin are added, which leads to a gradual increase in the diameter of the shield. In turtles temperate latitudes growth occurs more rapidly in the warm season. New portions of keratin form a clearly visible ring sculpture - the so-called “growth rings”. Counting these rings requires some skill. In young turtles, and especially in those bred in captivity, during the first few years of life, keratin is deposited in the form of many thin rings (this, of course, does not correspond to the age of the turtle). In wild-caught animals, growth rings can produce more useful information. Often, by the number and quality of the “growth rings,” it is possible to determine (although not in all cases) the age of the turtle, the time when it came into captivity, the beginning chronic illness associated with impaired growth, correct conditions of detention, etc.
With age, the Malpighian layer begins to function mainly only along the periphery of the scutellum (in the so-called areoles). In the center of the scutum, the germinal layer may degenerate and lose contact with the basement membrane. Here a cavity is formed and the shield may lag behind the underlying bone plate. In burrowing species, the outer layers of the stratum corneum can wear off and the carapace becomes completely smooth. In some freshwater turtles (including red-eared turtles) and especially in young animals in the phase of initial (rapid) growth, the horny scutes of the shell can be peeled off and replaced with new ones. The mechanism of this phenomenon is similar to molting. scaly reptiles. (Vasiliev D.B. Turtles. Maintenance, diseases and treatment)
Lifespan of turtles
The loss of eggs due to nest predators is 40-95%. The survival rate of young animals is 10-55%; at the age of 10 to 15 years, 10-15% die per year. Full shift generations occur every 20 years, and animals aged 30 years are already rare. At home, turtles often die from infections and poor maintenance. But on average, small turtles live for 50 years, large ones for 80 years, and very large ones for 150-200 years.
Approximate data taken from observations of herpetologists in Zoos and private collections:
- Central Asian - 40-50 years
- red-eared - 40-50 years
- Indian roofing turtle (Kachuga tecta) - 37 years old
- box turtles - 50-100 years
- Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) - 60 years
- desert gopher (Gopherus agassizii), sea turtles- 80 years
- radiant - 85 years
- Balkan (Testudo hermanni) - 90 years
- spur-bearing - 115 years
- Galapagos, Seychelles - 150-180 years
The lifespan of a turtle depends greatly on its care. Some people have turtles that are 20-30 years old or even 40-50 years old, but many of them, due to poor maintenance, have many senile diseases and do not live long. They say that if it were not for illness and external factors, turtles would live forever. =)
As a rule, pet owners want to know everything about them. Age, character traits, and other important little things. All this helps you figure out how to properly care for the creature that has settled in your home (find out all the details about keeping turtles at home). Well, today we decided to tell you our readers about how to learn to determine the age of turtles, and why it is so important.
How do turtles grow?
All creatures are born defenseless, however, as they grow, some develop teeth, others develop claws, and still others develop shells. As you guessed, the latter applies to turtles, in which, as they grow, the size of the shell increases, its color metamorphoses, and also the shape of the body changes. So, for example,
the shell darkens and elongates, and when the male turtle reaches sexual maturity (an important aspect if you want to study), then a depression appears on his plastron, his claws become longer, thicker and long tail, the color of the nose and eyes changes.
In the case when the growth processes of turtles occur quite intensively, the new horny layers on the periphery of their scutes become light color, and then processes of pigmented cells grow there, along which pigment is transferred - usually in the form of dark spots or thin rays. But, over time, these growth rings age, and the pigmented zones cease to differ from earlier ones - this often happens with turtles that are kept at home in captivity.
Exactly body size can tell us a lot about a turtle's age. Therefore, below we will provide you with information regarding what parameters turtles have depending on their age.
The relationship between the body size of a turtle and its age
If the length of a newborn male is 2.5-3 centimeters, then by 1 year the length of his body reaches 5-7 centimeters, by 2 years - 7-9 centimeters, by 3 years - 8-12 centimeters, by 4- by the age of 10-14 centimeters, by the age of 5 – 13 centimeters.
If the body length of a newborn female is 2.5 - 3 centimeters, then by 1 year it reaches 5-7 centimeters, by 2 years - 7-9 centimeters, by 3 years - 9-15 centimeters, by 4 years for years – 13-18 centimeters, by 5 years – 17 centimeters.
Body size can be influenced by the conditions in which turtles are kept, their diet (find out), as well as the characteristics of the species to which it belongs, however, based on these average parameters, you can calculate approximate age your turtle along the length of its body.
How to determine the age of a turtle by the number of rings on its shell
Another fairly informative way to determine the age of a turtle is to determine it by the number of rings on your pet’s shell. If you consider that within 1 year 2-3 rings form on the shell, you can calculate total rings and calculate the average number of years. However, if you calculate the age of a turtle using this method, you should take into account the fact that the size and number of rings may depend on the conditions in which the turtle was kept, and also on whether it hibernated. As a rule, the first rings on a turtle's shell appear when it is not yet 1 year old. From this moment you can begin approximate time tracking. But, we would also like to draw your attention to the fact that in old turtles the shell becomes smooth, and the rings become pale, and counting them can be quite difficult... Also, if you calculate the age of a turtle based on the number of rings on its shell, We would recommend that you do not forget about the periods of active growth: the first period - from newborn to 2 years of age - the furrows determine the period of development from 4 months to 6 months, and in the future it is customary to rely on the perennial cycle.
There are specialists who, based on the number of rings on a turtle’s shell, can tell not only everything about its age, but also about the conditions of detention and even past diseases. So, take a closer look at your pet’s shell – it hides a whole biography...
Determining the sex of an exotic animal can be difficult. This applies to frogs, fish, lizards and turtles. On the one hand, it is not necessary to know what gender your pet is if it lives alone. What if you have two of them and want to get offspring? This will need to be sorted out.
Usually it is possible to determine the sex of a woman only when she has reached puberty. Closer to six to eight years. And the length of the shell by the time you decide to find out whether your pet is a boy or a girl should be approximately eleven centimeters. But in the process of clarifying gender identity you will have to work hard comparative analysis received data.
How to distinguish the sex of red-eared turtles?
In principle, for all turtles there is one system gender determination. Only for red-eared animals does it begin to act when they are barely more than a year or two, and the length of the shell is nine to ten centimeters - the version for males, and the age from three to eight years with the length of the chitinous cover up to eighteen centimeters - for females. Here's a little guide on how to find out the gender of red-eared turtles. You can use this list at home without torturing your pet on the way to a specialist.
The first thing you should note when studying pets is that the claws on the front legs of males are longer and stronger than those of female red-eared sliders. First, the boys use them to perform a “seduction dance” in front of their “girlfriend.” And then strong claws will serve well during mating, when the male will have to hold onto the “girlfriend’s” shell with them.
The second feature is the concave part of the ventral side of the shell in males and flat in females. This feature, gifted by evolution, makes it easier for males to mate when they are on the side of the female’s back, where the carapace is especially strongly curved.
We haven't finished talking about bone cover here. Upon examination, note that in males it has a more elongated and elongated shape than in females.
The next feature: males are distinguished by a long and thick tail so that the reproductive organ can hide there. But the females have a small tail, and the oviduct hidden in the cloaca does not thicken it at all.
And the cloaca is located differently in males and females. In girls, it is closer to the edge of the shell and looks like an asterisk. And in the opposite sex it is a little further and looks like a longitudinal line.
Another way to distinguish the sex of red-eared turtles is to look at the femoral spurs. In males they are more pronounced.
We must not forget about the size of the turtle. Boys are slightly smaller since they do not have to carry eggs. Even in males, the posterior end of the plastron (the abdominal part of the shell) is sharper and looks like Latin letter V, and in females it is rounded and forms an opening, the diameter of which is larger than that of males. Also, the nose of males is longer and has a sharper shape.
The easiest part of the gender determination process red-eared turtle- observation of behavior mating season. Males become terribly active. They chase the female, flirt with her, nod their heads. Sometimes they show aggression towards her, biting her neck. Another behavioral sign is that males twist the genitals during defecation or when manipulating the rear part of the body.
Now you are armed with the necessary knowledge and can conduct your own “investigation” to find out the gender of your pet. Turtles are very calm and lead a measured lifestyle, so it is not difficult to look after them. You will be happy with the babies they give you.
Many animal lovers have problems determining gender pet, but if the differences in the structure of primary sexual characteristics in cats and dogs are more or less clear to all of us, then the task of finding out whether a red-eared turtle is male or female can baffle anyone.
Fortunately, in reality everything is not as difficult as it seems.
How to find out the gender of a red-eared slider: basic methods
In order not to be confused, let us immediately clarify: the sex of a red-eared turtle can be determined by a person who is not a herpetologist (as specialists who study reptiles are called) only after the reptile reaches “marriage age.” 
It is for this reason that all sources note that the sex of a red-eared turtle can be determined starting from the age of 5–7 years (before this period, all individuals look like females).
Important! The red-eared turtle lives for about 30 years, and the reptile reaches sexual maturity between 6–8 years. When kept at home, this age shifts slightly: boys become adults by 4, girls by 5–6 years.
There are several signs that allow you to distinguish a male from a female, but in order for the “expertise” to be as reliable as possible, you should use all of them, and only by comparing the study of each parameter, draw a general conclusion.
Claw length
Claws, oddly enough, help determine gender reptiles are better than all other criteria. It is enough to see a photo or video of the “toes” of the front paws of a male and female red-eared turtle once to appreciate and remember their fundamental differences. 
The length of the claws of males is longer than that of females, and significantly. By the time he reaches puberty, such a serious tool is simply necessary for the “gentleman”, otherwise he will not be able to stay on the slippery shell of the “lady” at the most crucial moment of sexual intercourse, and the process of fertilization will not occur.
Girls have no need for such “accessories”, so their claws are short and blunt.
True, there is one problem. Male turtles kept in captivity sometimes grind off their long and sharp claws on too rough pebbles in the aquaterrarium, therefore, after carefully examining the reptile’s paws, we proceed to study the following parameters.
Carapace
Another rather informative part of the body of a turtle, from the point of view of identifying its gender, is the shell, and to be more precise, its abdominal part (it is called the plastron), since it is under it, in the area of the tail, that the genitals of the reptile are located, causing the differences in the structure of the protective frame. 
The lower plate of the reptile’s shell contains four clues at once that allow one to determine the sex, namely:
- The lower plate of the shell in males has a narrower, elongated shape, while in females the plastron is more flattened.
- In the area of the tail, the plastron is pointed in boys, and rounded in girls.
- In the same area (near the tail), the plastron in males is slightly concave inward, in females it is completely flat. This change in shape allows the male to fix the inseminator in the female’s genitals at the time of sexual intercourse.
- The plastron in males always has a bluish tint; in females it can be different.
Did you know? In 2008, Chinese scientists put an end to a long scientific dispute about why a turtle actually needs a shell. It turns out that this hard shell initially served the reptiles not as protection at all, but... as a digging tool, with the help of which, in combination with wide ribs and powerful front paws, the reptiles could easily get to the water. In the process of evolution, however, the shell ceased to fulfill its original purpose, turning into excellent armor. True, it is precisely this armor that the turtle owes its slowness, which has become a household name.
Tail and cloaca
The tail of males is noticeably thicker and longer than that of females, since it is under it that the penis is hidden. Another important indicator is that ladies' tails have almost the same thickness along the entire length, while boys' tails are much wider at the base than at the tip. 
It should be noted that many breeders evaluate the sex of their pets precisely on this basis, considering it as simple as possible.
Important! The penis of a turtle can sometimes be visually observed; in particular, at the time of defecation, it can turn outward. Having seen this once, no problems will arise with identifying the gender of this particular individual.
The cloaca (anal opening) of both sexes of the red-eared slider differs both in shape and location.
So, in boys this hole is located closer to the end of the tail, approximately in its last third, and in girls it is closer to its base, almost at the plastron.
The shape of the cloaca in female turtles resembles a star, in boys it resembles a longitudinal line.
In addition, in the tail area of the female there is a rather large hole intended for laying eggs. 
Extra options
Everything that was stated above can be conditionally attributed to the primary sexual characteristics of turtles, however, like other animals, there are also secondary characteristics to determine gender. They are less obvious, but you still shouldn’t ignore them.
Body size and head shape
In biology, the differences between males and females of the same species are anatomical features, not directly related to the structure of the genital organs, is called sexual dimorphism. One of its main features is such a criterion as size.
In red-eared turtles, females are usually larger than males. This feature is explained by the fact that females must bear and lay eggs, but it should be noted that for many other representatives of this order the situation is the opposite. 
You need to understand that, firstly, size is a relative concept, and secondly, it is influenced not only by gender, but also by the age of the turtle and the conditions of its detention.
Did you know? In nature, males are usually larger (larger and heavier) than females in mammals, birds, and lizards. In fish, sexual dimorphism is expressed differently depending on the species, but in amphibians, arthropods, snakes and turtles it is more impressive size have females. However whole line turtles, in particular Galapagos, South African beak-breasted, desert, box, marsh, cayman, yellow mud turtles - are characterized by larger males and smaller females.
In general, this sign cannot be considered particularly reliable and convenient from a practical point of view: it is impossible to determine the sex by the size of a single reptile (you need to see at least a couple in order to have something to compare with), in addition, when considering several individuals, you need to be absolutely sure the fact that they are the same age and lived in the same conditions.
It is interesting that, being smaller in size, male red-eared turtles, as befits representatives of the stronger sex, look stronger and stronger than their female companions. In particular, their paws are decorated with impressive femoral spurs. 
Experienced breeders can also distinguish turtles by the shape of their faces. The same rule that was mentioned when describing the tail of reptiles is observed here: the male has a more elongated muzzle, and the female has a rounded muzzle.
Important! When establishing the sex of a reptile, you need to take into account the fact that improper maintenance of a red-eared slider can cause a hormonal disorder in the animal, as a result of which many gender differences (except for the primary ones, of course) can be erased or “twisted”.
For self-checking, we can highlight several more signs of sexual dimorphism in red-eared turtles:
- hind legs: in males, small scales can be observed on them, in females this distinguishing feature absent;
- nose: in boys it is smaller and more pointed;
- head: the longitudinal stripe on the side of males has a brighter red color, this is especially visible during the mating season;
- upper jaw: for girls it is green, for boys it is whitish.
Behavior
Differences in the behavior of turtles of different sexes can only be observed during the mating season and if there is a couple in close proximity to whom such behavior can be demonstrated. For this reason this criterion cannot be called convenient, and yet you should know about it.
As befits males, male turtles, under the influence of the reproductive instinct, begin to demonstrate their irresistibility to their ladies in every possible way. They swing their legs with spread claws, make significant movements with their heads, and actively pursue females, trying to grab them by the neck.
Females watch the efforts of their gentlemen, maintaining equanimity.
People who have extensive experience in breeding red-eared turtles note that in the absence of a potential “lady of the heart” nearby, male representatives are much more active and curious. 
They are characterized by faster movement around the aquaterrarium, enthusiastic study of the territory, testing out new objects and generally demonstrating research abilities.
However, novice turtle breeders who have only one red-eared individual at their disposal should not rely on such a criterion. To summarize, we note that there are many more or less obvious signs, allowing you to distinguish a boy turtle from a girl.
Despite the fact that each of them will certainly cause significant difficulties at first, comparing the results of the study of all the signs together, even an amateur with no experience will give the correct answer to the question of who the object of his observation is - a male or a female.
Even if you don't plan on breeding red-eared turtles, you might be wondering whether the turtle in your home is a boy or a girl. How to determine the sex of a red-eared slider?
Please note that when purchasing a baby or juvenile turtle, it is almost impossible to determine the gender. Whether you got a male or a female, you can reliably find out when your pet reaches puberty. In captivity, this occurs by the age of four in male turtles, and by five to six years in females. It is easier to determine the sex of an animal in comparison with another individual. By what signs can you distinguish a boy from a girl?
Perhaps the first thing you should pay attention to when determining the sex of a red-eared turtle is its claws. Nature has awarded males with longer and more powerful claws on their front paws. These claws help male in the "marriage games". Lady turtles have much shorter claws and are not as curved.
The shell will tell you
Carefully inspect the shell. In males it is longer and narrower. The lower part of the shell (plastron) of the male is slightly concave in shape. This feature helps him stay on his girlfriend during mating. In lady turtles, the plastron is slightly convex or flat.
Sexually Dimorphic: Size Matters
Males and females differ markedly in size. The female sex is larger. Females also have more developed jaws.
Distinctive feature: tail
Males have a more elongated tail, which becomes thicker towards the base (the reproductive organ is hidden there). The tail of females is shorter and without thickening.
There are differences in the location and shape of the cloaca. In females it is located closer to the edge of the shell and is shaped like an asterisk. In males, the cloaca is located in the middle of the tail and has the shape of a longitudinal line.
Muzzle: a controversial feature
Look at the muzzle: in males it is usually a little longer and sharper than in females. However, it should be noted that this sign is very controversial and has not yet been confirmed by scientists.
Observing behavior
Typically, male red-eared turtles are by nature more active and mobile than females. Aggression is not uncommon among male turtles, especially if they are kept with other males.
It is very easy to determine the sex of red-eared turtles by being able to observe their behavior during the mating season. The male, showing his ardent temperament, pursues the female, flirts with her, nods his head, bites his girlfriend’s neck. In the presence of “competitors,” the male can demonstrate a violent temper, claiming superiority.
This is probably enough to reliably determine the sex of your red-eared slider.
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