Sexing sulcata by shells

11401 NE 195th St. Sexing leopard tortoises can be done in a few ways but females are generally quite a bit larger than males when full grown.

It will eventually affect the liver and other organs due to the bacteria that enter the bloodstream from the wound on the shell.

Sexing sulcata by shells. How to sex a Sulcata Tortoise known as the African Spur Thigh. Temp-sexing tortoise eggs is NOT a confirmed method of guaranteeing gender of baby sulcatas. However it is thought that when incubating sulcata tortoise eggs at a lower temperature below 77 F the clutch will produce more male baby sulcata tortoises.

If the eggs are incubated at warmer temperstures above 86 F the clutch will yield more females. The shape of the tortoises plastron. Sulcata tortoises reach sexual maturity at approximately 5 years of age when they reach 11-18 kg 25-40 lb.

This species breeds very well in captivity. When breeding occurs a female may lay up to 6 clutches a year and 15- 20 egg clutches are deposited. Once your baby sulcata tortoise reaches 10 to 15 pounds there will be noticeable differences in appearance between males and females.

Both genders have a brown outer shell or carapace and a front shell or plastron that is yellowish in color. They have large scales on their front legs and two or three spurs on their hind legs. Women are sexually fully grown when they reach 6 to 7 inches in size which may take 5 to seven years.

All-time low of a turtles shell called the plastron is additionally made use of as an indicator for identifying gender in turtles. Male turtles have a. The World Cheloain website further adds.

It is very difficult to sex G. Sulcata with certainty at a size of less than 38 cm 15 inches. Occasionally a young male African Spurred tortoises will display its penis in a procedure we call flagging.

Just as Lisa said This removes all doubt as to the sex of that particular tortoise. Unfortunately not all male tortoises do this. As the spurred tortoise grows it can be seen that the underside shell called the plastron is flat in the female but concave in the male.

The anal scutes which are located on the plastron near the tail form a V shape but are flared in the male and narrower in the female. The eyes should be bright and clear without any discharge the shell should feel firm not soft and there shouldnt be any staining or discharge from the vent. Check for any discharge from the nose or mouth and listen for any gurgling or whistling when the tortoise breathes all indicating possible respiratory problems.

The rear of the shell on males tends to curve inward under the tortoise where females generally end pointing straight down at the ground. —–Indian Star Tortoises —–Leopard Tortoises. Sexing leopard tortoises can be done in a few ways but females are generally quite a bit larger than males when full grown.

Hi my sulcata must be going through a growth spurt. He has what I think are growth rings. I can see new shell underneath.

But his shell above this area looks like its peeling off. My other tortoise a desert tortoise never did this with his shell. Step 1 Pick up the tortoise.

Hold the tortoise in both hands being careful not to drop it. Hold the tortoise up high enough to be able to see underneath it. Do not flip the tortoise on its back.

This is very stressful for the animal. If the tortoise is too big to lift above your head try lifting it just slightly off the ground. Then get down low enough to see underneath itStep 2 Look at the.

The female also may show dark grey mottling or blotching on the shell while the shell of the male displays rings. When you do this youre checking for a specific sandpaper-like roughness that male soft-shell turtles have. Also the male has soft ridges on the front edge of the shell.

The females shell is smooth all around. Another way to determine if your tortoise is male or female if you cant decide if the tail is long or short enough is by checking the cloaca which is the opening where your tortoise defecates and urinates. If its a female the cloaca would be close to the base of the tail or closer to the anal scutes.

If its a male the cloaca. The sulcata is the largest of the African mainland tortoise with specimens easily reaching 24-30 inches 60-75 cm in carapace length and 80-110 pounds 36-50 kg. The largest on record was a male resident of the Giza Zoological Gardens Egypt who weighed in at 232 lb 1055 kg and measured 416 inches 104 cm over the carapace Flower 1925 in Stearns.

Septicemic cutaneous ulcerative disease SCUD is a serious disease that can start as an infection on the shell from some sort of trauma or wound combined with poor husbandry. It will eventually affect the liver and other organs due to the bacteria that enter the bloodstream from the wound on the shell. The first is to retract the limbs under the shell.

The second is to hiss loudly. If the tortoise is picked up it will urinate copiously which is the third defense mechanism. The male Sulcata tortoise has a longer thicker tail and the anal scute of the plastron right by the tail is wider even at a young age.

African Spurred Tortoise Geochelone sulcata - Cascade Kennels. 11401 NE 195th St. 425 486-9000 PHONE 425 486-9002 fax.

Commonly known as the African spurred furrowed or Sulcata tortoise Geochelone sulcata originates in the Sahel region of Africa along the southern edge of the Sahara. Whether indoors outdoors or both youll need to soak your sulcata not only for cleanliness but also for proper hydration and for passing waste. Thirty minutes three times a week should be adequate for an outside tortoise but in warmer months you may need to soak him more often.

The sulcata tortoise dwells in hot arid regions and so has unique dietary requirements. This PetPonder article tells you all you need to know about this unique pets diet. African spurred tortoise also called the sulcata tortoises is from hot dry scrubland regions of Sub-Sahara in the large swath across North-Central Africa.

Pressure between March September. During pre-copulation shell butting from the male and biting at the limbs of the female has been observed in C. However none of these behaviours was observed in the specimens discussed in the paper.

Eggs were weighed multiple times during development and there was no. Unlike in the other species of tortoise where the shell of the male and female appear different in the Russian tortoise both the female and male tortoise have the same shell shape and color of the shell. Its thus practically impossible to tell the difference.

Learn the best tips for taking care of your Sulcata Tortoise. Kenan Harkin goes over the best options for anyone who owns a Sulcata or is new to the tortois. Like many reptiles sulcata tortoises are prone to respiratory infections especially if theyre kept in environments that are too humid.

And like other tortoises and turtles shell rot is a common problem. This is usually caused by a fungal infection that leads to a flaky dry shell. Sulcata tortoises grow rapidly for the first five to 10 years and then their growth slows with age.

Sulcata Tortoise Life Span. Because sulcata tortoises havent really been raised from birth for very long its still hard to determine what age a well-raised sulcata born. Also males usually have longer tails may have glands under their chin and some species the males have horns under their head protruding from the bottom shell that they use for fighting other males.

From just this pic I would guess female as the bottom shell does not look concave but my experience is just with desert tortoises.