Hello! This is my first post on this forum so please forgive me if I have made any mistakes! I have been trying to research the sex of my box turtle and have found it quite confusing. I believe it is a male, but I'm not entirely sure. Would someone with more knowledge mind helping me out and letting me know what they think? Thanks!
Sex of Ornate Box Turtle?
- Thread starter Lyss
- Start date
ZenHerper
Well-Known Member
Welcome Lyss!
What you have there appears to be a very pretty female!
If you have a better pic of the whole head, that would help confirm it -- females' heads stay brown, while mature males' heads are a green/yellow color. Male eyes are very deep brick-red all through the iris...females can have red flecks in their irises, and yours are very pale.
Legs: males tend to have more eye-catching red spots on their front legs, while females stay subtle brown.
The tail: there is a large bulge near the body, then the tail tip is very small - the whole tail looks kind of like an apple with its stem. The vent opening is puckered, with enough stretchy skin to pass eggs. Male tails are wider, longer, and stay meaty towards the tapered end (for gripping and balance during mating).
Body: as a generalization, mature females are larger and even longer; males stay more cobby and round.
This is my grumpy boy's yellow cap and red legs:
And this is his tail:
What you have there appears to be a very pretty female!
If you have a better pic of the whole head, that would help confirm it -- females' heads stay brown, while mature males' heads are a green/yellow color. Male eyes are very deep brick-red all through the iris...females can have red flecks in their irises, and yours are very pale.
Legs: males tend to have more eye-catching red spots on their front legs, while females stay subtle brown.
The tail: there is a large bulge near the body, then the tail tip is very small - the whole tail looks kind of like an apple with its stem. The vent opening is puckered, with enough stretchy skin to pass eggs. Male tails are wider, longer, and stay meaty towards the tapered end (for gripping and balance during mating).
Body: as a generalization, mature females are larger and even longer; males stay more cobby and round.
This is my grumpy boy's yellow cap and red legs:
And this is his tail:
Thank you for the warm welcome! I appreciate the detailed explaination and am very hapy to have a little female! I have sexed quite a few reptiles and have had no issues but couldn't seem to figure out this box turtle due to the eye color being mentioned all the time online, but that didn't sound like a sure bet to me. I appreacite you walking me through everything.Also, here is a pic ofher head. It is very brown.
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ZenHerper
Well-Known Member
Occasionally they can. Same drill as for aquatic species. lol
