horsefield age and sex?

grumpytort

Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2018
Messages
36
Location (City and/or State)
Bristol, England
Hi guys,

I've had Tort for over a month now and everything is going great, since moving him into his more appropriate home of a viv :) I was told he was a year old when i got him (no hatch date though), he weighed 57g on 24/10 and now weighs 64g, i presume any weight gain is good, as long as he isn't losing? Is it likely that i've been told the correct info of him being a year but only weighing so little?

Also, sex? i know it can be hard to tell until up to a few years? however his/her tail is quite long and most of the time it is tucked to the side, so i'd say boy but guess this can change as he/she grows more!

Heres another photo of him enjoying some greens.

Thanks in advance:<3:
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0663.jpg
    IMG_0663.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 24
  • IMG_0664.JPG
    IMG_0664.JPG
    1.5 MB · Views: 21

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
There is absolutely no chance of sexing your baby at that size without surgical intervention. Not even a vet could tell without a specialist surgical camera. You are going to have to be patient and wait a few years.

As for age, all we can say is juvenile. At that size it will probably have hatched less than 2 years ago but because they all grow at different rates we cannot say the age either.

Have we looked over photos of your enclosure and lighting to see if there are any improvements we’d recommend?

If you haven’t already, I recommend you read the TFO care guides and compare them with your setup.

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Baby Russian Tortoise Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/
 

grumpytort

Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2018
Messages
36
Location (City and/or State)
Bristol, England
There is absolutely no chance of sexing your baby at that size without surgical intervention. Not even a vet could tell without a specialist surgical camera. You are going to have to be patient and wait a few years.

As for age, all we can say is juvenile. At that size it will probably have hatched less than 2 years ago but because they all grow at different rates we cannot say the age either.

Have we looked over photos of your enclosure and lighting to see if there are any improvements we’d recommend?

If you haven’t already, I recommend you read the TFO care guides and compare them with your setup.

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Baby Russian Tortoise Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

That’s the answer I was kind of expecting, thank you [emoji1]

When i bought tort, i was sold a tortoise table but i struggled to maintain heat and humidity so he’s now in a vivarium with a ceramic heat emitter and UVB strip light and the substrate is a mix of coco coir and orchid bark (on your advice from a previous thread). The temperature on one side is around 33C, and 26C on the other, drops to around 18-20C in the viv at night (to heat or lamps on), and humidity is at around 70%.

IMG_0636.jpg

He’s much more active in his current set up so think everything is correct but obviously advice would be appreciated as this is my first tortoise.
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
The basking lamp doesn't appear to be on? Both the basking lamp and the UVB tube must be on for 12-14 hours a day. Use a timer as it means you don't need to be there
 

New Posts

Top