Help a Newbie ID his latest pet.

[Tadd Mccray]

Hello everyone, I have been a passive reader here for over a year now. I just purchased a burmese mountain tortoise from an expo. I was hoping you good people could verify I believe it to be a MEE. Pectoral scutes are confusing me. Thanks guys.

 

[Yvonne G]

Because they don't meet in the middle, it should be an emys emys, but I'd be willing to bet that it's an intergrade (a mix of the two). I raised a group of 6 intergrades - sired by an Mep and mom was an Mee - so I know what the pectoral scutes of intergrades look like, and this one certainly fits the bill. Who did you buy it from?

 

[Tadd Mccray]

I bought it from a gentleman from Tyler, Tx I belive. I forget the name. Thank you very much yvonne. I was kinda thinking that due to the scutes.

 

[RiggersTortoise]

I believe that I have the clutch mate to yours Tadd, I picked her up in Conroe. I assume this because, I saw Mr. Green at the narbc show in Arlington last weekend and he had no more Burmese. He assured me that they were MEE, I never doubted him tho. We'll just have to look under mine as well, I reckon! Yvonne, if they are intergrade, should we be expecting a larger tortoise than a normal mee? Or any other characteristics that may transcend species specifics?

 

[RiggersTortoise]

She was NOT stoked about this photo shoot! All the well, she's back to her greens now.

 

[Yvonne G]

I believe that I have the clutch mate to yours Tadd, I picked her up in Conroe. I assume this because, I saw Mr. Green at the narbc show in Arlington last weekend and he had no more Burmese. He assured me that they were MEE, I never doubted him tho. We'll just have to look under mine as well, I reckon! Yvonne, if they are intergrade, should we be expecting a larger tortoise than a normal mee? Or any other characteristics that may transcend species specifics?

The babies I raised were all the same size when I sold them at about 10yrs. Some of them had the Mee characteristic and some had the Mep characteristic. I would assume that the Mee would be a bit smaller, but only time will tell.