General Care Discussion :: How to tell if your RES is a adult or juvenile

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

I was wondering if my RES was a adult or juvenile cause Im trying to figure out if i should feed more vegetables or more carnivorous food.
He is 4 inches
Here's a picture of his shell if it makes it easier to figure out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51120416@N ... otostream/
Also his face is it helps
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51120416@N06/4715888732/
Sorry for bad quality only camera i have is my phone

[TurtleKeeper48]

It's hard to tell based on size alone, especially at 4" - most 4" turtles haven't shown signs of sex yet. But in your case, I'd say Ranger is a boy. That's based on some of your other pictures in your flickr photostream - It's the big tail and long front claws that make him identifiable as a male, and based on that I'd say he's at least sub-adult, or maybe even full-on adult. Really, it's hard to tell in your pics - but, I think I'm seeing long front clawss and thick, long tail.

[Sir Max]

Yeah your turtle is 1 year old he isnt an adult.

i will repeat my previous post in one of your threads

doesnt need vegies yet =)

[jozzep]

There is no way that your turtle is one year old.Maybe you have had him for one year.
It's def a male, and it takes at least 2 years before a turtle will reach sexual maturity.
There is no exact science to when a turtle is called adult or sub-adult. Some people call them sub-adults when they are sexable, and adults when they reach sexual maturity and hence become breedable.

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

I've only had him for 2 weeks i guessed his age to be 1 year which i see that i am wrong because i can tell he's a male so i would say 2-3 years maybe?

[jozzep]

I've only had him for 2 weeks i guessed his age to be 1 year which i see that i am wrong because i can tell he's a male so i would say 2-3 years maybe?

Much closer of a guess

And by the way...To answer your original question, it doesn't matter if he's a juvie or an adult, if you want to feed veggies and he likes them, it's always good at whatever stage. Just feed more protein if he's a hatchling or juvie, but you don't have that problem.

Good luck with him.

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

Yeah i think im going to go with 3 years old i have only tried 1 kind of vegetables so im going to keep on offering him diffrent kinds

[TurtleKeeper48]

I have two older females that eat Romain Lettuce, My son's 2 year old female will not. The two older ones also eat Red Leaf Lettuce, and the 2 year old will eat a just little tiny bit of that, but still not much. That 2 year old WILL eat carrots like crazy, better than the older two. They all like Blueberries a LOT(only feed occasionally as treats). My son's 2 year old also loves bannana and the two older ones won't touch it... just keep trying different veggies as different turtles like different things, and keep trying veggies from time to time even if they wouldn't eat it before, as their tastes change as they age. Good luck!

[marisa]

I'd go by the size and not worry about the age. If your RES is four inches, then I'd feed pellets every other day and offer some type of veggie daily. Occasionally give other animal matter (worms, snails, etc.).

[untsmurf]

I agree with Marisa. It's hard to guess the age of a turtle. It's much better to go by size. Most people go by the four inch rule, as in once it reaches around four inches you want to add veggies into their diet and ease up on the protein like Marisa suggested.

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

Ah ok mine is 4 inches
I went to the store today and bought him some stuff to make the jello shots for him but forgot the molds so going to get that later today
Also some Reptomin pellets to give him a variety of pellet food

[untsmurf]

You can use ice trays or small bowls, or one large bowl and cut it into pieces. It doesn't have to be in any particular shape.

Sounds like you're on the right path though