So our tortoise is just over 4 years old and is just a tad over 6" SCL.
I understand that he/she might still be too small to determine sex, and please feel free to say just that, but also share if you feel confident of a gender.
I read all the time “ this could change†…NO It doesn’t! .. Your tort’ is born male or female , there are no sequential hermaphroditism.
A better term would be “ More Pronounced†as the tortoise matures. It’s like any other trade … the more you have done , seen and experienced , with multiple tortoises it gets easer and more accurate to identify the sex . Yes there are cases where , immature, less developed, even species of tortoise might be more difficult to determine, but there is no “ change†in it’s sex.
Mark , maybe the OP would find this thread helpful…… ya think?
Remember it’s not always the case of “how long the tail is†especially in younger torts your trying to sex …. But look at the “vent†area to the tip of the tail. At 6†your tort has pretty much “ developed†into a sub adult…..and yes may get more pronounced as mentioned above , but the vent/tail differences in length will stay constant as the tortoise matures.
JD~