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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??

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.

aal wrote: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?

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

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??

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.

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.

TheComputerGremlin wrote: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. =)

Very welcome!