Do I have a hatchling or mature tort + Is shell in good shape?

Britannica

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Oct 31, 2018
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Hello, me again!

I really appreciate how this community has been so helpful in answering all of my newby questions. I now have a question about the maturity of my Russian tortoise.

I picked him up from a local feed/farm supply store yesterday. They were placing an order last week and I specifically asked for a young male. The employee assured me they order young but didn't state how old "young" means. When I questioned her she said they just order by sex and size, and that she would order me a 3-4 inch male RT. The sign on the tortoise enclosure at the store said "CAPTIVE BRED."

He appeared really young when I picked him up, but now that I have examined him closely at home I see marks on his shell, and his tail is completely curved to the side which I read is an indication of a mature male. His cloaca looks male from what I can compare to in online photos.

Can someone take a look at his photos and tell me if this is a mature tortoise and what that means? Also, does his shell appear to be in good shape? The silver "x" was put there by the store to indicate the one male they ordered.
side.JPG rear.JPG Donatello.JPG
 

lilly_sand99

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So you have an adult Russian! For other members to tell you if it is a male, you will need to send a picture of the bottom of the shell! This is a mature male. That just means it's 4+ years. Not really a big deal, they still live up to 80 years, you got many good years to come!
 

RMTrescue

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He’s definitely more on the mature side. Couldn’t be sure on age as you never really know without a hatch date.
 

SweetGreekTorts

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That's most likely a wild-caught and imported tortoise, not a captive-bred. That's why the shell looks banged up with scuffs, dings, and scratches.

Males grow up to about 6" so he's a juvenile.
 

orv

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You've got a good-looking boy there. . . nice looking shell. That fella's nails are long and strong: a reminder that Russians are good diggers and even better climbers. You'll be surprised at the places he'll be able to get up to. Because he has all of his nails, and his skin is unmarred and healthy looking, I'm not quite on board with his being wild caught. It doesn't really matter, but you've got a good-looking and apparently healthy Russian. Just in case he's wild caught, you might have your vet test a stool sample for parasites. Good luck and enjoy!
 

jUMPSu1t

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Well, I bet that’s a tortoise on the cusp of mature. While he has a long, curved tail and a carapace that both indicate he is mature, I think that, because of his size, he is upper adolescent. Not quite mature, not quite juvenile. In the middle.
 

Yvonne G

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Well, they got part of your order correct. He IS male, however I'd put the age more along the lines of 10-15 years, or dang near full grown. But not to worry. With good care, this boy will have many, many good years with you, and may even outlive you.
 

jUMPSu1t

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Well, they got part of your order correct. He IS male, however I'd put the age more along the lines of 10-15 years, or dang near full grown. But not to worry. With good care, this boy will have many, many good years with you, and may even outlive you.
I’m a girl.
 
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