Age estimate?

[KrissyLeigh]

Can anyone give me a ballpark age for my redfooted tort? She is exactly 5 inches total carapace length. I tried to find a growth chart online, but no dice.

I also think she might be a he? The plastron looks a little indented. Thoughts? Alice in Wonderland (her name, Alice for short) may become Alice Cooper.

 

[Digger&Blinky]

I do not know the age but is its tail long and pointy with a slit in the middle or is is short and scrunched up?

 

[Digger&Blinky]

If its a boy u can call him ablie

 

[Digger&Blinky]

*albie

 

[Markw84]

Can anyone give me a ballpark age for my redfooted tort? She is exactly 5 inches total carapace length. I tried to find a growth chart online, but no dice.

I also think she might be a he? The plastron looks a little indented. Thoughts? Alice in Wonderland (her name, Alice for short) may become Alice Cooper.

There's not way to be totally sure, as so much depends upon how they are kept, fed, etc, and genetics can make one grow much faster than the other.

However, since you want a guess, I think there is a good chance you tortoise is 3 years old. Because of the clearly defined "growth rings" you tortoise has, normally a tortoise will develop that when there is a defined fast and then slow growing period of a fair duration. As in the wild with the wet, and the dry seasons. We can guess you tortoise was kept in a way that caused it to slow down considerably in the winter, due to the way it was being kept, and as such had 3 distinct periods in which it did most of its growing.

I keep my sulcatas outdoors year-round, and they noticeably feed and grow less in the winter. I can count the rings on all of them and it matches exactly the age I KNOW they are since I hatched them. And they vary from 1 to 26 years old.

 

[KrissyLeigh]

I do not know the age but is its tail long and pointy with a slit in the middle or is is short and scrunched up?

I can't tell... these are my first torts, I have nothing to compare it to

 

[KrissyLeigh]

I do not know the age but is its tail long and pointy with a slit in the middle or is is short and scrunched up?

I can't tell... these are my first torts, I have nothing to compare it to

 

[Digger&Blinky]

Oh ok can you send pictures

 

[Digger&Blinky]

If you just pull there tail out is it short and stubby with wrinkles by its butt

 

[MPRC]

Looks very similar to my tortoise that is about 3. Mine still looks female, but time will tell.

 

[KrissyLeigh]

If you just pull there tail out is it short and stubby with wrinkles by its butt

I really can't tell - what do you think?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Looks female at this stage, to me.

 

[MPRC]

So far, so female. Things may change, but I'd call myself 75% certain.

 

[kelii]

Mines a little bigger than that, and sh's two.