So, I recently learned from deadheadvet and more informed members than myself exactly what is entailed in an endoscopy, specifically, a veterinary process to determine the sex of a sexually immature tortoise. For those unaware, sexing hatchling tortoises is impossible. And sexing sexually immature tortoises remains impossible for varying periods of time. Some tortoises remain relatively easy to sex at a relatively young age, while others remain difficult to sex until a flashing incident occurs or an infertile egg drops from the cloaca.
This is a challenge to all the biologists out there. We need a better way to sex tortoises. A relatively inexpensive, consumer friendly way. Gone must be the days of giving hatchlings gender neutral names. I can't tell how many of my friends tortoises I've met with names like Terry, Frankie, Gerry, Pattie, or Jo, or how many Lorettas became Larrys, or how many Stephanies became Stephens, or Harrys became Harriets. Inquiring minds want to know, what is the sex of my hatchilng sulcata? What should I name my baby Russian? What color hidebox should I get for my hatchling's closed chamber? Surely we can determine this with a simple tissue test. It would be totally awesome if we could use some kind of reader, like a temp gun or a UV meter, that can determine the sex of a tortoise. That would be so great if I could just get a gadget on Amazon, point it at my tortoise, and have it say "male" or "female." I would totally buy something like this, especially if it was less than a thousand bucks. A noninvasive sex test (don't giggle, ya'll) would be the best.
Sorry to engage in a flight of fancy, and I know I've probably said this before, but after having gotten into rads this year, I can't stop thinking about it, and I mean, I can't be the only one who wants something like this. Everyone wants to know whether they've got a boy or a girl when they've got a hatchling, and if we had this, we could finally get Tom to stop answering our queries with "Yes, it's definitely a boy or a girl." I mean, it would just be better for everyone.
T.G.
This is a challenge to all the biologists out there. We need a better way to sex tortoises. A relatively inexpensive, consumer friendly way. Gone must be the days of giving hatchlings gender neutral names. I can't tell how many of my friends tortoises I've met with names like Terry, Frankie, Gerry, Pattie, or Jo, or how many Lorettas became Larrys, or how many Stephanies became Stephens, or Harrys became Harriets. Inquiring minds want to know, what is the sex of my hatchilng sulcata? What should I name my baby Russian? What color hidebox should I get for my hatchling's closed chamber? Surely we can determine this with a simple tissue test. It would be totally awesome if we could use some kind of reader, like a temp gun or a UV meter, that can determine the sex of a tortoise. That would be so great if I could just get a gadget on Amazon, point it at my tortoise, and have it say "male" or "female." I would totally buy something like this, especially if it was less than a thousand bucks. A noninvasive sex test (don't giggle, ya'll) would be the best.
Sorry to engage in a flight of fancy, and I know I've probably said this before, but after having gotten into rads this year, I can't stop thinking about it, and I mean, I can't be the only one who wants something like this. Everyone wants to know whether they've got a boy or a girl when they've got a hatchling, and if we had this, we could finally get Tom to stop answering our queries with "Yes, it's definitely a boy or a girl." I mean, it would just be better for everyone.
T.G.