How to determine the age of a red-eared turtle?
Red-eared turtles are often kept as pets. The owner needs to know the age of the reptile that lives in his house. This information is needed so that a person can provide his pet with the maximum possible comfort and all the necessary conditions, determine the correct diet and diet for him. The article will focus on how you can find out the exact age of a reptile, and what is required for this.
How to determine age by the size of the shell?
Determining the age of a red-eared turtle is not easy. This can be done using the shell of this aquatic inhabitant and an ordinary ruler. However, you should not hope for a 100% accurate result - most likely, it will be inaccurate. Nevertheless, this method is one of the easiest in terms of determining the age of a reptile, especially when it comes to a young animal, and therefore it is worth knowing about it.
The main thing for him is to determine the sex of the animal. Determining the gender of a turtle is easy. In the male, the lower part of his shell is usually concave, which is not observed in females - this feature is necessary to facilitate the mating process.
There are other criteria as well. So, closer to the tail in females, more rounded outlines prevail, in the same place you can find a small hole intended for oviposition. The carapace itself in females is usually less elongated than in males.
Having decided on the sex of the reptile, it is necessary to make measurements and compare the results with the data presented below.
Male
As a rule, the length of the shell of a male, whose age is up to a year, varies within 5-6 cm.In the second year, it already increases by 2-3 cm, the same thing happens in other years. The length of the tortoise shell increases by a couple of centimeters and, having reached its maximum, which is about 18 centimeters, it slows down and stops.
Female
Females, on the other hand, are usually somewhat larger than males both in weight and in size - this is due to the natural characteristics of their body. In the first year of life, their size is the same - 6 cm.However, further it increases by 3-4 cm. So, in the second year, the size of the female's shell is 9 cm, in the third - 14 cm, in the fourth - 16 cm, and in the sixth - all 20 cm. Further, the length may vary, but insignificantly. As a result, the size will stop changing at all.
However, when measuring the length of a turtle shell, it should be borne in mind that it depends not only on the age of the animal, but also on specific factors related to its maintenance at home. These factors include the quality of nutrition, the scale of the aquarium where the reptile lives, the conditions of its keeping, health, as well as the fact of the presence or absence of hibernation during its entire life.
For example, if a turtle lives in a large and spacious aquarium, plus quality care and good nutrition, then such an animal will be clearly larger than the one that is less fortunate with the owners - here their age plays the least significant role.
How to find out how old a turtle is by color?
It is possible to determine the age of a domestic turtle by some of its external features. This method will not help you find out the exact age of the animal, but it will be useful if you need to distinguish an adult from a young one.
So, first of all, it is worth paying great attention to the red spots on the turtle - it is because of them that the animal got its name. These spots are located on the face, behind the eyes of the animal. Usually in young reptiles, these spots have a scarlet hue. However, the older the turtle, the more vivid the color becomes. In an adult, these spots usually have a bright color, and in an old one, a rich burgundy.
It is worth paying attention to the shell of the animal. Its color also largely depends on the age of the turtle. So, in young animals, carapace, as a rule, has a delicate greenish color with noticeable stains. When the turtle matures, the color of the shell also changes, becoming dull and darker.
Usually, the color of the carapace changes after the animal reaches 4 years of age. It should be noted that the rings located on the carapace also darken as they grow up.
The design of the turtle's shell is also important. Usually it is unique, this is typical for the shells of turtles that live in comfortable conditions for them with high-quality and regular nutrition. Concentric rings can be seen on the "protection" of the animal, which can help with the determination of age. They begin to appear in the first years of a reptile's life, this happens especially intensively in the first few years of its maturation. During this period, about 2-3 rings appear on the turtle shell. In adults, rings do not appear so often - usually one ring is formed on their shells a year.
To determine the age more accurately, you need to count the number of rings on the carapace and take the average result. Of course, errors are possible here, but this way you can find out at least the approximate age of a domestic reptile.
By the way, the number of concentric rings can indicate not only the number of years of the reptile, but also the presence of a chronic disease in it, the level of quality of its content, the time it fell into captivity, and not only.
How else can you determine age?
In general, it is almost impossible to determine the age of an animal for sure, if you have not been involved in breeding since its very birth. However, there are a number of ways that you can find out at least an approximate number of turtle years.
So, the easiest way is to ask the person from whom you purchased the turtle, be it a breeder or a seller in a pet store - Of course, not everyone can give you an exact answer. If you forgot to do this, or you have not received a clear answer, then you can use other methods.
So, you need to take a closer look at the shell as much as possible. If it has the shape of a more or less regular and smooth oval, then this indicates that there is already a mature individual in front of you. If noticeable irregularities prevail in the shape of the shell, then this, on the contrary, suggests that the animal is still relatively young.
It should be said about the behavior of the animal. You also need to pay close attention to him if you want to know at least the approximate age of your pet. So, if a reptile is distinguished by its mobility, energy, curiosity, and sometimes even some aggressiveness, then a young individual is probably in front of you, because it is they who are the most active. But mature turtles, on the contrary, are passive, because their energy supply is rapidly depleting every year, which is why the animal moves much less, preferring to rest more. However, here it should be borne in mind that the turtle can be lethargic due to illness or improper nutrition - here it is already necessary to separately observe the behavior of your pet and its condition.
You can also determine the approximate age of the turtle by weighing it. So, a female and a male at the age of 2-3 years can weigh in the region of 32.4 g. Older individuals, respectively, weigh more: a five-year-old female can weigh half a kilogram, and a male - about 260 grams. Every year, the weight of the animal can increase by 35-80 grams, while females have a much greater weight, due to their natural characteristics. The maximum weight of these turtles is 3 kg for females and 1.5 kg for males.
