Need help sexing sulcata

[Taco*mom]

Hi y'all. I need help guessing, or maybe even better, confirming the gender of these three sulcata. They are around 11". I am going to divide it into 3 post to avoid any confusion..

Here is sulcata number 1

 

[Taco*mom]

And here is sulcata number 2. Let me know if you can't see it clearly because for some reason I couldn't downdload the picture. So I did a screen capture.

 

[Taco*mom]

Last one, sulcata number 3..

 

[Tom]

One and three are looking male-ish and two is looking female-ish, BUT, all of them are still too small to be certain. Probably another year or two to be sure.

 

[Taco*mom]

Hi Tom,

Thank you so much for helping. Your opinion is very valuable. For my learning experience, can you please tell me why do you think number 3 is male? It has narrow anal scute and is not opening wide at the bottom. Maybe I should get a better picture with a clear view of the tail.

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom,

Thank you so much for helping. Your opinion is very valuable. For my learning experience, can you please tell me why do you think number 3 is male? It has narrow anal scute and is not opening wide at the bottom. Maybe I should get a better picture with a clear view of the tail.

Looks like a larger tail off to the side, but you are correct, I can't see it very well.

 

[HI Tortoise Rescue]

My guess is three males. I've found the anal scute to be very misleading nearly half of the time...embarassing when your "male" starts laying eggs! So I look for the beginning of the "scoop," which is very clear on the top photo for Sulcata 2. The abdominal scutes begin to stick out where they connect with the anal scutes, and if you run your fingers over that area, you'll feel the start of the male indentation. I've only been wrong on that once, which is a darn sight better than I had been doing with the anal scutes!

Ken

 

[Taco*mom]

Thank you Tom and Ken! I am learning new things everyday.

 

[Tom]

My guess is three males. I've found the anal scute to be very misleading nearly half of the time...embarassing when your "male" starts laying eggs! So I look for the beginning of the "scoop," which is very clear on the top photo for Sulcata 2. The abdominal scutes begin to stick out where they connect with the anal scutes, and if you run your fingers over that area, you'll feel the start of the male indentation. I've only been wrong on that once, which is a darn sight better than I had been doing with the anal scutes!

Ken

Often the anal scute shape and plastron concavity don't show up until they are closest to maturity. Tail size is the best early indicator. Give that a try on your next few juveniles and see what you think…

 

[Yvonne G]

I was looking at the gular. All three of them have very small gular, which is a female trait. Time will tell.

 

[Oftel101]

Any help sexing my new rescue sulcata?