Trachemys are large mavericks. In aquariums, they like to live alone. But of course, many would like to keep in their home all the same two reptiles at the same time - a male and a female. And accordingly, such lovers of domestic animals are often asked, including the question of how to determine the gender of the red-eared tortoise.
Biological features
Red -eared turtles live less than land turtles . However, they can please the owners with their presence for a long time. At home, their lifespan is approximately 20-25 years. Accordingly, puberty in these reptiles comes quite late.
Male rubella can begin to pay attention to females at the age of about one year. But puberty in turtles boys usually occurs only in 3-5 years. At the same time, the females mature even later. Turtle girls mature in about 5-7 years.
Thus, those who are interested in how to determine the sex of karsnoukhi turtles should wait for the onset of precisely this age of their pet. It will be possible to say with accuracy who lives in the home aquarium only when the length of the carapace reaches about 7-10 cm.
How to determine the gender of the red-eared turtle: differences between males and females
In order to know exactly who lives in the house, you should first carefully examine the pet. Differences in males and females of red-eared turtles are as follows:
girls are usually larger than boys;
the claws of the male are much longer than those of the female;
- the boy’s tail is longer than the girl’s tail;
the male on the plastron has a small notch.
Large size turtles-females are needed in order to easily lay the number of eggs necessary for procreation. To grow too long claws of the red-eared girls is not particularly necessary. In this case, they are necessary for the male in order to hold his girlfriend by the shell during mating.
Approximately for the same purpose, the tortoise boys need a notch on the plastron. If it is available, it is easier for males to stay on the shell of a female during love games.
The main symptom
How to determine the sex of the red-eared turtle in appearance, therefore, is understandable. But you can find out who is in front of you, male or female, in another way - by the location and shape of the cesspool of the reptile.
In red-eared girl turtles, this organ is closer to the root of the tail. In this case, it has a star shape. In males, the cesspool is located closer to the end of the tail. In this case, it differs in elongated shape.
Reptile behavior
To distinguish an adult male from a female by external features, thus, will be relatively simple. But how to determine the sex of the red-eared turtle by behavior? In this case, you should focus primarily on the degree of aggressiveness of the pet.
Boy turtles are usually much more active and mobile than girls. For example, when trying to pull an adult male out of the aquarium, he will most likely try to reach the owner’s hand with his beak and bite. In any case, the boy will be very active in breaking out and trying to escape.
A girl turtle, pulled out of the aquarium, is likely to pull its head into the shell and will simply hang in the owner’s hand, waiting for it to be released back. Females of rubella are not particularly active and especially aggressive.
How to determine the sex of a small-eared tortoise
To distinguish an adult male from a female in a pet store is thus not difficult. Small turtles for keeping at home should still be bought one by one. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to determine the sex of such reptiles. Later, when the pet grows up, and it becomes clear who he really is, male or female, it will be possible to acquire an additional friend or girlfriend.
If you wish, of course, you can take a chance and buy two small individuals for the aquarium at once. In this case, in order to increase the chances that heterosexual reptiles will live in the house, it is first of all worth paying attention to the behavior of future pets.
So how do you determine the gender of small, red-eared turtles? As already mentioned, reptile boys are usually more active and agile than girls. If the turtle is trying to escape from a landing net or the hands of a seller trying to catch it, it may be a male. If the reptile hid and hid its head and legs under the carapace - there is a pretty high probability that this is a girl.
What conditions should be created for a pair of turtles
Thus, we found out how to determine the sex and age of the red-eared turtles. It will not be difficult to select a male and a female for keeping adults at home. But to get offspring from rubella in captivity, even if guaranteed that heterosexual individuals live in the aquarium, it will still be quite problematic. Such turtles lay their eggs not in water, but on land, by digging it in the sand.
But be that as it may, the conditions for a pair of turtles in the aquarium, of course, should be created worthy. In this case, a container for keeping reptiles should be purchased with a volume of at least 150 liters. For each turtle, you must provide for your own raft on suction cups with a stand. An incandescent lamp must be placed above the rafts to create a comfortable temperature and a UV lamp.
If the owners of the turtles still expect to get offspring, in addition to everything else, a cuvette with sand or peat will need to be placed in the aquarium. Install such a container so that the female can easily climb into it. The laid eggs of rubella can be further incubated in a conventional chicken apparatus at a temperature of 22-30 ° C.