Male or Female Eastern Box Turtle??? Help?

[jeff kushner]

While I named it "Matilda" 3 years ago last month, I hope it's old enough that you guys can tell me whether it's a boy or girl.



Well Matilda, are you ready for your photo shoot?



Let's dive right into turtle-based eye-candy




Okay guys, I leave it you to you...


What is it?

 

[wellington]

It is for sure a Box turtle😛

Supposedly they are to be concaved like most tortoises if male.
Yours doesn't seem to be.
By the tail though, I would guess male.
Maybe still too young.

 

[Yvonne G]

Looks like a Mathew to me!

 

[Ink]

Still so cute. I'm with Mathew.

 

[zovick]

Tail and eye color are both tending toward male.

 

[DoubleD1996!]

Looking female actually. Although red eyes are common in males, "she" still lacks those talon, curved-like nails on the hind feet which the male uses to pry open the females shell so they have access to do the deed.

The cloaca is also close to the shell, but it still may be too early.

 

[Ink]

Looking female actually. Although red eyes are common in males, "she" still lacks those talon, curved-like nails on the hind feet which the male uses to pry open the females shell so they have access to do the deed.

The cloaca is also close to the shell, but it still may be too early.

It's Knobby/Mary knobbins saga again😞

 

[jeff kushner]

Okay guys, I trust each of your opinions as I would a book so;

We'll see over time. It may just be a case of a slowly maturing male, not that any of the girls here have had any experience with that, have you? LOL

 

[Eric Phillips]

It’s a young male…

 

[Cathie G]

I had a little girl box turtle with red eyes so that doesn't tell me anything. And the tail looks like a Phillips screwdriver but I don't trust a single animal to be truthful. Red eyes=boy. Phillips screwdriver tail=girl. How about Mat for a nickname.🤗

 

[Eric Phillips]

I had a little girl box turtle with red eyes so that doesn't tell me anything. And the tail looks like a Phillips screwdriver but I don't trust a single animal to be truthful. Red eyes=boy. Phillips screwdriver tail=girl. How about Mat for a nickname.🤗

Yes, some Eastern females are known to have red eyes however there is another indicator beyond the eye color, cloaca location, carapace, and concave plastron…..one that’s not discussed much but it definitely can help to validate a sub/adult gender and that is the size/color of the hind legs and feet…including the claws.

 

[Maggie3fan]

male lolololololol another sex change...

 

[SinLA]

Wow they are so much smaller than I thought they were from the pictures you posted when they cohabitated with the lizards. I was picturing the size of a male Russian at least…

 

[jeff kushner]

male lolololololol another sex change...

He will be going through tranzition for a while. It's 2023, I have license and I like the name "Eradicator" or "Earthshaker" but will prob go with "Matildo"(get your mind out of the gutter) because I'm lazy and don't like to write out the other names.

Nicknames run in my family.....Dad had names for all of us as I have nicknames for my kids and pets. I used to call Clemson; "Clem-sun"....from the Green Berets movie with John Wayne. I have been calling him Matildo for two years hen I greet him.

lol

LA, full disclosure.....I got my first Box turtle at around 6 years old when Dad brought one home. "Urtle" of course. I thought they were called Box turtles well, cause they fit in a box! The common sense of a child.

 

[Maggie3fan]

He will be going through tranzition for a while. It's 2023, I have license and I like the name "Eradicator" or "Earthshaker" but will prob go with "Matildo"(get your mind out of the gutter) because I'm lazy and don't like to write out the other names.

Nicknames run in my family.....Dad had names for all of us as I have nicknames for my kids and pets. I used to call Clemson; "Clem-sun"....from the Green Berets movie with John Wayne. I have been calling him Matildo for two years hen I greet him.

lol

LA, full disclosure.....I got my first Box turtle at around 6 years old when Dad brought one home. "Urtle" of course. I thought they were called Box turtles well, cause they fit in a box! The common sense of a child.

That's what I think (box)...because they are...

 

[mark1]

i would assume matilda is a male ........i've seen some early pics of her where she had what appeared to be fairly intense red eyes...... i do get DoubleDD's claw thing , but i believe they are like that as matilda shows a somewhat unnatural growth rate , and i believe the claws are a result of that ........... female box turtles do get red eyes , they even change intensity like males do , a late summer brown eyed female can have reddish eyes in the spring ...... but i've not seen one get red eyes to the degree of an adult male in spring ..... below is a 4yr old 3" ebt , for a turtle of that age to have the red eyes to the degree it has , i'm gonna say it's 99% chance this is a male based on his eye color alone ..... i've seen this guys eyes at various times turn red since he was no more than 2" , a few times he's had intense red eyes .....

 

[Cathie G]

He will be going through tranzition for a while. It's 2023, I have license and I like the name "Eradicator" or "Earthshaker" but will prob go with "Matildo"(get your mind out of the gutter) because I'm lazy and don't like to write out the other names.

Nicknames run in my family.....Dad had names for all of us as I have nicknames for my kids and pets. I used to call Clemson; "Clem-sun"....from the Green Berets movie with John Wayne. I have been calling him Matildo for two years hen I greet him.

lol

LA, full disclosure.....I got my first Box turtle at around 6 years old when Dad brought one home. "Urtle" of course. I thought they were called Box turtles well, cause they fit in a box! The common sense of a child.

And then you wonder why your daughter loves unusual critters 🤔🤗😊