Help me determine sex of my sulcata

[rissa_noelle]

Hi everyone!

My cute sulcata tortoise is a little over 4 years old. Up until this point, I have been calling it a "he" until I could figure out the sex. I looked a little closer today and it appears that it may be a female due to the shape of the anal chutes.

I'll add some pictures to this thread and would appreciate if someone that identifies tortoises could help me confirm

Thank you!

 

[Yvonne G]

Might still be too young/small to tell. All babies look female until they start going through sexual maturity. But, you're right about those female-looking anal scutes for now.

 

[Markw84]

How big is your sulcata? Size matters most in developing sexual maturity. By 16" / 16 lbs you can be 99% certain in sexing. Smaller than that can still result in changes, although some do develop their sexual characteristics smaller/ earlier.

Yours certainly looks female.
-Anal scutes with tips pointing back and notch rounding into 1/2 circle.
-Flat plastron
-Supracaudal not curving under back towards tail
-Gulars short, not elongating.

 

[Ink]

I would try to have interchangeable names as Knobby to Mary Knobbins and might be knobby again. @maggie3fan ... This is why I have Miss. Dexter Persimmons lol

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone!

My cute sulcata tortoise is a little over 4 years old. Up until this point, I have been calling it a "he" until I could figure out the sex. I looked a little closer today and it appears that it may be a female due to the shape of the anal chutes.

I'll add some pictures to this thread and would appreciate if someone that identifies tortoises could help me confirm

Thank you!
View attachment 336115View attachment 336116

The best indicator is the tail, and we can't see that in your pics. Also, even though it is 4 years old, it appears your tortoise is still a bit too small to tell.

I don't like to flip them for pics. Best to have someone hold the carapace against their body with the head pointed toward the sky. Like this:



See the difference in tail size. Female is the top pic, and male in the second pic.