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Okay so I know that you can only determine a turtle's gender when they're at least 4".. but yesterday I was watching sQuirtle and I just noticed how long his nails were getting! I never noticed it before. and then he tucked in his tail and then let it go, and he was in a position where i could see under his tail and found a hole on his tail that opened & closed (which is just a bit away from his shell), and from what i've read, this means he's a male.

What do you guys think? Can I really say he's a male even if he's only 1.25 inches??

Females have a hole in their tale as well. The placement of that hole is more of an indication of gender. I'd wait and see...

At 1.25 inches it's still way too early to tell. They usually don't start changing to their specific characteristics until very close to or after they are 4 inches. Even if he looks like a boy now, it still can change with time. You'll just have to wait and see.

I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait till sQuirtle grows... I just got too excited hehe

I read somewhere in the forum that a female turtle would swim into the window endlessly like they're trying to escape and sQuirtle does that a lot... I was just wondering if that characteristic is actually true and significant?

I just re-read the anatomy section of the website and realized the hole is where their poop comes from, which makes sense because sQuirtle pooped right in front of me before I saw the cloaca open & close lol it's all obvious to me now

The swimming at the glass trying to get out is a sign that maybe the female is trying to find a way out to lay eggs. Swimming at the glass does not mean that you have a female, as both of my turtles do this, and one is a male. Mine do it when they beg for food.

You would know your turtle is a female before she would exhibit signs of wanting to nest.

5 ways to tell if turtle is male or female:
1. Tail size
2. Claw size
3. Concave bottom shell (for males)
4. Snout size (boys have bigger noses)
5. Red markings (males tend to be darker)




*All should not be imposed on turtles under 4"

Concave shells for RES is not an effective way to tell gender.

I have never heard of numbers 4 and 5.

missibsu wrote:I have never heard of numbers 4 and 5.

That's because it's not true.

Well, it didn't sound realistic, but since I hadn't heard of them, then I didn't want to jump to conclusions either.

I know that my male and female have different shades of stripes, but it never once occured to me that it was a difference in gender...I never had anything else to compare them to.

My turts do have the same nose, but I suppose that it doesn't mean anything either...my nose looks like my moms, but it doesn't mean that yours looks like mine!

Who makes this stuff up?

Sorry to disagree. I have read that males' snouts tend to be more pointy than females (and if my RES is any indication, this is true). The coloring is irrelevant, though.

I wouldn't rely on the snout to distinguish sex, though. The best predictor of sex is the tail and nails (when the shell length of your turtle, without the curve, is about 4 inches).

I think the easiest way to tell if they are male or female is just throw a credit card into the tank. If they grab it and try to go shopping then obviously it's a female.

My male and female RES have approximately the same size snout (in proportion to their physical size). I have seen a few snouts that are more pointy, not really larger though. If it is a sexual characteristic, then I agree that you can't rely on it.

I just question whether it is a sexual characteristic or an individual feature. We could start a picture thread in the photo section. It could be a fun comparison to see difference snouts for different genders.