General Care Discussion :: how old would it be?

[Big Labowski]

ok, my turtle is about 1.25 in. wide and about 1.85 in. long how old would he be about?

[marisa]

Unless you knew when the turtle hatched, you can't tell the age with any real accuracy. Size is affected by a number of things, among them diet, warmth and general living conditions.

[Big Labowski]

could you give me a rough estimate? like 4 months etc

[cam722]

How long have you had your turtle and how big was it when you got it? As marisa said, many things can affect the size of a turtle... Size is not an indication of age. I have 2 turtles.. both around 4" and I've had them since July 2004. Others have 4" turtles that have had them for either less or more time than I've had mine. So, unless you know the hatch date, you won't know exactly the age of your turtle. Just a best guess

[Big Labowski]

i got him last firday, and he was the exact same size.
pretty much the only reason i bought him was because he was at petland in a pals pen with like .25 in. of water so i had to buy him, and iv just grown so attatched to him.

[marisa]

I don't think from Friday to Monday you're going to see any growth...

The shell length of 1.85 inches is without the curve of the shell? Your turtle could be 4 - 6 months, but it's really not possible to tell, especially without not even seeing him. (And even seeing him, it would only be a guess.

It was good of you to give him a home, btw.

[sonyj]

If I ventured to guess, I'd say he was still a young hatchling no more than a 5-6 months old. But this is just a guess. Turtles kept in poor conditions might still be this size at a year old or even older. If I were you I'd treat him as a hatchling and go from there. I've read that hatchlings can be anywhere from just under an inch to 1.5 inches at the time of hatching.

When I got Koopa back in the June, he still had his egg tooth so I was able to roughly estimate that he wasn't any older than 1-2 weeks considering that RES's egg-teeth fall off after a couple of weeks from their hatching date. Koopa was around 1.25 inches when I got him.

[adammaxis]

i got him last firday, and he was the exact same size.
pretty much the only reason i bought him was because he was at petland in a pals pen with like .25 in. of water so i had to buy him, and iv just grown so attatched to him.

That was an illegal transaction.

[cam722]

adam.. it's illegal to sell not to by turtles under 4".. Although if it came with a container and you bought that and not the turtle.. the turtle came free.. that's acceptable.. you can buy them under 4" if it's for educational purposes, scientific purposes.. and a few others..

You may want to read this section of th main website..

http://redearslider.com/index_basic_inf ... gal_issues

So no one is going to get in trouble for owning a turtle under 4".. but those that sell them can

[Big Labowski]

i got him last firday, and he was the exact same size.
pretty much the only reason i bought him was because he was at petland in a pals pen with like .25 in. of water so i had to buy him, and iv just grown so attatched to him.

That was an illegal transaction.

i dont think it was, because i live in canada!

[adammaxis]

adam.. it's illegal to sell not to by turtles under 4".. Although if it came with a container and you bought that and not the turtle.. the turtle came free.. that's acceptable.. you can buy them under 4" if it's for educational purposes, scientific purposes.. and a few others..

You may want to read this section of th main website..

http://redearslider.com/index_basic_inf ... gal_issues

So no one is going to get in trouble for owning a turtle under 4".. but those that sell them can

If Labowski were in the US, I doubt that Petland would sell that small turtle.

Also, if it were in the US, the transaction would still be illegal. The Petland would not have been allowed to sell the turtle.

[cam722]

These are the exceptions to selling a turtle under 4"...

1) The sale, holding for sale, and distribution of live turtles and viable turtle eggs for bona fide scientific, educational, or exhibitional purposes, other than use as pets.


Many get away with this by buying/selling to Hobbyists, then a turtle is not "pet" but a hobby. I've not yet figured out the difference between a pet and a hobby. Is fish a pet or are they a hobby?

[steve]

I think where they are being sold makes a big difference. If a petstore sells them, then they are considered pets. If you bought it from a vendor at a reptile show, then that would likely be considered a hobby.

Then you have all those tricks out there...

[bradhart]

Is fish a pet or are they a hobby?

that depends, are you keeping the fish in an aquarium, or taking them from a lake via a hook?