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Tortoise Species ID Help

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  • 01-16-2014, 11:07 PM
    PythonChick
    Tortoise Species ID Help
    Hey everyone!I recently took on a rescue Tortoise who couldn't stay with his current owner. I was told he was a Russian, but he is a bit larger than I expected him to be. Regardless he appears quite aged, from his rather unkempt beak and claws to the condition of his shell. I am also pretty sure it is a male (long tail, concave underbelly, etc). I would love to know if there is any other way to tell male from female.

    Anyhow, I want to try and confirm his species, so I can figure out what sort of permanent setup to get for him and how large I can expect him to get. Thanks for the help!

    Shell Length: 6 Inches
    Width: 4.5 Inches

    http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps4ca30e34.jpg

    http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps4cdc81df.jpg

    http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/a...psac132c53.jpg
  • 01-17-2014, 12:02 AM
    treeboa
    Russian Tort. And does indeed look male and probably full grown.
  • 01-17-2014, 12:07 AM
    Pyrate81
    Re: Tortoise Species ID Help
    ::Treeboa beat me to it:: I'll leave this up anyway.

    I'd say you most likely have a Russian there. I usually get Russians and Greeks mixed up but I've been working with a Greek more recently. His size seems about right that I know of.

    For sexing males and females. In aquatic turtles, we sex using tail length and front claw length. You may be able to use beak as well but I'm not sure. Most of my knowledge is in aquatic turtles so hopefully someone else can fill you in on sexing.
  • 01-18-2014, 09:08 AM
    treeboa
    The notch on the back of the plastron is wider and shallower on males to allow for the longer, thicker tail. Once someone points it out it's easy to see on torts over 3 inches.
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