General Care Discussion :: Nails....

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:23 pm   Nails....

I know that turtles are sexed at 4 inches, but my "Leo" is getting pretty close to that mark and "his" nails haven't started to grow. Do these characteristics start at 4 inches or are they more visible then? Because if they are just more apparent then I may have myself a "Lenora" :-)
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megcornell
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Post Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:29 pm   

You just know what I'm going to ask.. :)

Do you have any pictures? I had more luck telling by their tail then their claws at first. Then all of a sudden.. my guys had super long nails. They seemed to just grow over night lol
Carol
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cam722
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Post Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 7:20 pm   

My RES was a bit less than 4 inches when it became evident he was a male. The surest way for me to tell is by looking at the tail and cloaca. To me, it seems that if the tail and nails aren't showing noticeable growth by 4 inches, the turtle will most likely be a female.
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Post Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:05 pm   

Yup, we want some pics.

I do agree with both posts... under 4", my RES just seem to sprout out nails. :)
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steve
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Post Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:48 am   

Definitely look at the tail. The tail should be long & thick, relative to any female.

My Sheba's tail is only an inch long, despite her shell being 11 inches. 4" male turtles often have a tail that is almost 2 inches long already...!
Kristin's Pond! Starring:

RES = "Sheba", 21+ yrs. old
African Clawed Frog = "Prog", 10 yrs old
& "Kristin" as Momma
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industrial_girl_2000
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Post Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:21 pm   

Tilly's tail is long and really thick at the base. And the cloaca is much nearer the tip of the tail than the shell.
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Post Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:58 pm   

Well, Leo's tail and his nails seem to conflict :-). I will have to post pictures tomorrow, I'd do so tonight but unfortunately I have two finals tomorrow and I should be studying instead of perusing turtle websites haha.
2 RES: Leo (f) and Ezra (m)
1 Russian Tortoise: Godzilla (m)
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megcornell
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Post Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:23 pm   

megcornell wrote:Well, Leo's tail and his nails seem to conflict :-). I will have to post pictures tomorrow, I'd do so tonight but unfortunately I have two finals tomorrow and I should be studying instead of perusing turtle websites haha.


Good luck on your finals!!!! 8)
Kristin's Pond! Starring:

RES = "Sheba", 21+ yrs. old
African Clawed Frog = "Prog", 10 yrs old
& "Kristin" as Momma
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industrial_girl_2000
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Post Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 2:17 pm   

megcornell wrote:Well, Leo's tail and his nails seem to conflict :-). I will have to post pictures tomorrow, I'd do so tonight but unfortunately I have two finals tomorrow and I should be studying instead of perusing turtle websites haha.


i know what your saying, i need to start this project.
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R.I.P Mary Kate 12-12-06
R.I.P. Ashley 12-17-06
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Post Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 9:15 pm   PICTURES

Ok, so my Leo isn't very photogenic, but I tried to take a decent pic of his tail and claws. I also threw in one of my tank (35 gallons) it's a little plain and doesn't have a backing but it'll suffice for this year, sorry for all the water spots at one end, that's where Leo likes to splash and tell me that he's starving to death :-)
So hopefully the pic will be decent enough, his nails probably aren't very visible because they're pretty tiny haha, but as he still has about a 1/2 inch to 4 inches maybe they'll grow. Perhaps it's just too early still to tell, I'm a little anxious to find out though :-)
Thanks!

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megcornell
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 7:23 am   

Early guess is a girl (Leela?)... :)
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steve
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:05 am   

I go with girl too.. the tail doesn't look thick enough for a male. Although, I'm not 100% on it :)
Carol
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cam722
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