Is this bad news if I was hoping for female?

Roddytort121

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I've been looking for a female Horsefield for a long time! The best I could do was find a breeder who said he'd incubated them to be female was was very sure it would be the case. I know yo cannot tell either way at two and a half years old but I have got "her" home and noticed the tail is being carried to one side... Is this normal for a juvenile whether make or female or is it a pretty sure sign it may well be a boy developing?
 

JoesMum

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Why not post a picture of the underside of this tort and its Straight Carapace Length so we can decide :)
 

Yvonne G

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Sometimes "they" tell you what you want to hear in order to make a sale. But most tortoises carry their tails to the side at some time.
 

JoesMum

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Far too small to make any decisions yet. Gender undecided until he/she grows a lot more. Don't worry about the tail.
 

Tom

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1. Tail carriage to the side does not indicate male or female.
2. No one knows what temperatures create males or females for russians. While it is generally assumed that "warmer" temps make a higher percentage of females, the sulcata is the only species in which this has been studied and documented.
3. Yours is too young to sex.
4. Yours is smaller than mine were at 2.5 years, but that is not necessarily bad.
5. I see little white specks in your substrate. That is bad. If its limestone bits from that "Pets At Home" substrate, then you are encouraging your tortoise to eat it's substrate to satisfy calcium cravings. If its perlite from soil, that is even worse as it can kill them eventually.
 
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