General Care Discussion :: Estimate my turtles age.

[lovingma09]

Ive became a new owner of a RES 2 or 3 months ago. He was going to be thrown in the lake so I took him in. Ive been wondering his age. hes about 6 inches long. what do yall think??

[aal]

Is it a male or a female? You can never confirm, but if its a male I would say fairly above the age of 10. If its a female, perhaps just above the age of 5. People can overfeed leading to rapid growth so all I can do is estimate.

[lovingma09]

Is it a male or a female? You can never confirm, but if its a male I would say fairly above the age of 10. If its a female, perhaps just above the age of 5. People can overfeed leading to rapid growth so all I can do is estimate.

thanks. =) Im guessing its a male because of the long nails. But, how are you positive about the sex?

[freshprince2146]

Well if you want to be POSITIVE about the turtles gender pics would help.

[lovingma09]

OK. I'll post pics up whenever I get the chance. because I dont have a computer. Im online on my wii. =)

but, what all do I need to take a picture of for yall to be able to help me out??

[aal]

6 inches long you say? His claws should at least be 1.5-2cm long. His tail should be as thick as your thumb and 4-5cm long. If thats the case its a male. Any shorter its a female.

[TheComputerGremlin]

A male can reach 6 inches after age 3, so if he is 6 inches, he may be as young as 3 years old. The same goes for a female. RES grow about 4" in the first year and about 1" after that, with males often growing at a slower rate and ending up smaller.

One of the best things you can do is start taking measurements now (shell length) and keep a log of it. If your turtle continues growing, he/she is likely still under 10 years old. If he/she isn't growing anymore (and mind you, it will be fractions of an inch, not anything incredibly noticeable), then he/she is likely at least 7 or 8 years old.

Otherwise, unfortunately there is no real way to determine age.

[lovingma09]

A male can reach 6 inches after age 3, so if he is 6 inches, he may be as young as 3 years old. The same goes for a female. RES grow about 4" in the first year and about 1" after that, with males often growing at a slower rate and ending up smaller.

One of the best things you can do is start taking measurements now (shell length) and keep a log of it. If your turtle continues growing, he/she is likely still under 10 years old. If he/she isn't growing anymore (and mind you, it will be fractions of an inch, not anything incredibly noticeable), then he/she is likely at least 7 or 8 years old.

Otherwise, unfortunately there is no real way to determine age.

thanks. =)

[TheComputerGremlin]

Very welcome!