Age?

[July]

Can you tell the age of a tortoise by estimating the rings on the scutes? I have always wondered about this, and while the box turtle I have had since a hatchling pretty closely reflects it's age in the rings, I am not sure about my redfoot. I counted 12 rings on average, and it is estimated to be about 15 years old. But only about 9-10 in. SCL. Curious---those of you that know how old yours are--do the rings correspond?
Mary

 

[terryo]

How old is your boxie? My Ornate is about 33 years old. They older they get the smoother the shell becomes. This is my Ornate.

Our old Eastern was well over 60 years, and was very smooth with no lines. I think the lines reflect the growth rate, not the age.

 

[Tom]

The lines only reflect growth spurts and slow downs. These correspond to food and environmental conditions. Under the right (or perhaps wrong) conditions, a captive turtle or tortoise could put on several "rings" per year.

What I'm saying is that it is not a reliable way to estimate age.

 

[July]

My box turtle is 6 years old, and has 6 lines. Now the spacing between the lines may vary, but there are still 6 lines. Sort of like tree rings. I see your ornate has the lines too, even though it is smooth. By lines, I mean grooves in each scute going out in concentric circles from the center.

 

[terryo]

OK here's Kat. She's only 2 years old and look at the lines.

Here's Pio and he's only 3

The lines represent the growth rate as far as I know. Post a picture of yours with the 6 lines.

 

[wpk]

I counted 11 rings on Ivy's scutes this afternoon. It's true I don't have a definite age since she probably wc and I got her from a pet store but I would think she'd be a bit bigger if she was 11. She's only approx. 4.25" scl.

 

[harwood]

The rings are merely signs of growth and so cannot be used to estimate age as all tortoises and turtles develop at varying rates based upon their conditions (feeding regime, temps, etc....)

That said if the rings have been worn away to give a smooth appearance it does give you an indication that it is an old animal

Harwood