General Care Discussion :: IT came out

[nickyds23]

My turtle's penis made its first appearance today.
I have no idea why.
Maybe he was trying to have sex with the sand.
It was black and it scared me once I realized what it was because I was afraid he was in trouble.
It went back in though.
Should I be worried?

[queenjane]

It's supposed to go back in, I believe. I don't think there's any reason to worry. It's just part of growing up. They just appear sometimes. It's the same with all animals.

How old is he?

[nickyds23]

Almost a year I think.
I got him sometime near the beginning of this last summer and his shell was already hard, so I think he was at least a month or two old at that point.
He's just shy of 4 inches.

[queenjane]

I suppose it'd be about time for him to reach sexual maturity. It's normal for it to appear randomly.

You don't have him in with other females, do you?? I have read on this forum that sometimes they'll bite it if they are not interested in making babies. Awkward.

[untsmurf]

All I can say is get used to it. After my male showed it for the first time, he went through about a six month period where he showed it all the time (at least once a week). After about six months though, he stopped.