- Joined
- Apr 21, 2016
- Messages
- 44
I rescued two desert box turtles recently and was told that one was male and the other one was a juvenile that you wouldn't be able to tell the sex yet. I believe the juvenile is an ornate box and the larger one is a desert box turtle based on what they look like. The juvenile has red eyes, a longer tail, a slight concave plastron (not anything distinguishable), and is more compressed than dome shaped. The older "Male" desert box turtle is more domed shaped, has grey eyes, short tail, and has a flat plastron. The smaller one has been chasing the larger one and today I saw him mount the larger turtle. I've read that some males will mount other males for superiority, but they're normally the larger males. They both we rescues that had been attacked in one way or another, so picking them up is very stressful for them and they try to bite the entire time. I used to have Florida box turtles when I was much younger and you could tell their sex very easily. So, now my question. Do you think that I have one male and one female or do you think they are two males who need to be separated?