Help with gender of Sulcata

[waco86]

Hello, I have a 3 year old Sulcata, i was trying to figure out the sex of the tortoise, and read that one way to know is by the shape of the anal notches. But it looks like the tortoise doesnt have any or they are stuck together; is this normal? here are some pictures, I would really appreciate the help.

 

[EllieMay]

Wow... I would be taking an off the wall guess, but I would say female. Doesn’t look like she has gulars hardly either... CRAZY! We will get some more experienced advice .. @YvonneG can help... in the meantime, will you take some pics of the whole tortoise please

 

[waco86]

do these help?

 

[surfergirl]

Too young for me to guess.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Too small to tell. You’ll have to wait until they’re around 14-16 inches, or until you get “flashed”.

But I know one thing for sure- it’s either a boy or a girl

 

[drew54]

Too early to tell

 

[waco86]

and is it normal that the anal notches are not separated?

 

[Yvonne G]

and is it normal that the anal notches are not separated?

No. If that doesn't change when he/she gets bigger and the male/female difference starts to show, you probably will have to seek a veterinarian's assistance in trimming that part. In the meantime, every time you soak the tortoise take a small screw driver or stick and clean out all the stuck poop from that area. If you allow the poop to build up inside the shell, between the tail and the shell, it could cause impaction problems. The exterior poop hardens and doesn't allow any new poop to come out.

 

[Yvonne G]

. . . and they're not stuck together. That's dirt and debris between the anal scutes. Keeping that cleaned out too may help them grow further apart.

 

[waco86]

Thank you all for the response, I will clean it

 

[Tom]

This tortoise is too small to tell the sex and it is very undersized for a three year old. Its the size of a normal one year old. If you like us to review your husbandry, we might be able to discover the problem and improve the situation.

It is not normal for the anal scutes to be closed that way. It could be a congenital defect, or it could be related to whatever has prevented the tortoise from reaching normal size.