Sheldon is a Shelly

[kira]

So yesterday I decided to take a trip to Petco to see their russians. Petsmart didn't have my tort in a healthy environment (ie there were crickets in its enclosure) but Petco was horrible. I felt so bad for the russians. There was NOTHING they could take shelter in. All they had was a water bowl. There were around 5 of them, males & females. I wanted to save them all. It was so sad.

But anyway, I was looking at the male tort & I finally had to stop lying to myself. When I first got "Sheldon" I was set on getting a male. There was one left & the Petsmart woman told me it was a male. Even showed me it's tail & tummy. I was a new owner but I had read about the difference of gender so when I saw "him" I was a bit skeptical, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. I thought this Petsmart woman knew what she was talking about. In all honesty, I was a bit in denial & after seeing what a male should look like, I finally came out to my family to tell them Sheldon is actually a Shelly.

We love her just the same, & the more & more I call her Shelly, the more & more she starts to look like a female! I love her, & I'm definitely less awkward changing in front of her now!

 

[Eloise's mommy]

The longer I have Eloise the more I think she might be a male...I got her from Petsmart too..and they told me she is a girl...I'm just waiting it out doesn't matter either way.

 

[laney]

So yesterday I decided to take a trip to Petco to see their russians. Petsmart didn't have my tort in a healthy environment (ie there were crickets in its enclosure) but Petco was horrible. I felt so bad for the russians. There was NOTHING they could take shelter in. All they had was a water bowl. There were around 5 of them, males & females. I wanted to save them all. It was so sad.

But anyway, I was looking at the male tort & I finally had to stop lying to myself. When I first got "Sheldon" I was set on getting a male. There was one left & the Petsmart woman told me it was a male. Even showed me it's tail & tummy. I was a new owner but I had read about the difference of gender so when I saw "him" I was a bit skeptical, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. I thought this Petsmart woman knew what she was talking about. In all honesty, I was a bit in denial & after seeing what a male should look like, I finally came out to my family to tell them Sheldon is actually a Shelly.

We love her just the same, & the more & more I call her Shelly, the more & more she starts to look like a female! I love her, & I'm definitely less awkward changing in front of her now!

Hehe no more perverted tortoise stares lol pmsl

 

[cemmons12]

Lol, love the story! Either way, we all love our torts!

 

[russsiantortoiselover]

I have a russian to! I am convinced that it's a male but I don't know for sure
How do you tell gender?

 

[kira]

I have a russian to! I am convinced that it's a male but I don't know for sure
How do you tell gender?

I read that if the stomach curves outward & they have a short tail it's a female, however never put them on their back because they could suffocate. If it's a male, the stomach curves inward and the tail is long & curves to the side (for mating purposes). That's about all I know on gender, there's probably other ways to tell but I think those are the two primary.

 

[ssha_miami]

I tell them by tails. It's very obvious of the tail. Female tail is very small, but males are long and thicker. You may google some picture. But telling from she'll or curve, I'm not that confidence by myself. Lol.

 

[tortallyinsane11]

I read that if the stomach curves outward & they have a short tail it's a female, however never put them on their back because they could suffocate. If it's a male, the stomach curves inward and the tail is long & curves to the side (for mating purposes). That's about all I know on gender, there's probably other ways to tell but I think those are the two primary.

According to the book I just read on Russians(E.J. Pirog) unlike most tortoise species both Male and Female have a flat plastron and are equally round. The tail of the female is much shorter and thinner whereas the male has a much thicker longer tail. The Russian males don't develop the concave plastron.