New Ho(l)mesian

[AllisonOwls]

Hello,

Holmes was my maiden name, and if you're a Sherlockian nerd, hopefully you'll forgive the bad pun.

I added these two cuties to my herd recently. My boys have dubbed them Tank and Butter. There was some confusion concerning gender. I could see how the anal scutes could be interpreted as straight or angled as well, so I thought I would ask the experts. They're still pretty shy, so I haven't really seen the tails out and about.

I've been looking at the forum for quite some time and always learn something new. Thank you so much!

 

[wellington]

Welcome. They both look to have concaved plastrons, bottom shell. Are they concaved? If so they are males.

 

[AllisonOwls]

Butter, the one on the right, is really flat. Tank is concaved.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome!

 

[2turtletom]

Hello,

Holmes was my maiden name, and if you're a Sherlockian nerd, hopefully you'll forgive the bad pun.

I added these two cuties to my herd recently. My boys have dubbed them Tank and Butter. There was some confusion concerning gender. I could see how the anal scutes could be interpreted as straight or angled as well, so I thought I would ask the experts. They're still pretty shy, so I haven't really seen the tails out and about.

I've been looking at the forum for quite some time and always learn something new. Thank you so much!

View attachment 242586

Welcome! Would love to see a few more pictures. How many home's hingebacks do you keep?

 

[AllisonOwls]

Thank you. I've got five. Tank, Butter, Tootie, Trazodone and a female I think I'm going to call Ethel because my boys won't name her. I'm usually a box turtle girl, but a guy wanted to sell this group and I was really intrigued at their history, nature, and status. I researched their care to make certain I could provide a good home for them and then bought them. I am completely in love. They are the sweetest things and so good natured.

When one arrived (Trazodone), he had been shipped upside down. He never moved, despite soaking and offering food, so I thought he was dead. After watching him for hours, he finally began clicking. Now he's out and about just like everyone else, but he's still pretty shy. To help with that, he sits next to my desk in the evening and helps me with my homework. I make certain to keep him warm and he seems to be acclimating.

I'm still trying to sort out gender. I misunderstood what I was getting, I think, so I'm trying to figure out what is what and split them accordingly. I think Butter is a girl, due to a rounder shell and flat plastron, but it seems the anal scutes aren't as reliable as I'd thought. Ethel is huge and looks like a chubby pineapple, and also has a concavity. But her anal scutes look like female scutes.

I'll post more pictures later. They haven't been cooperating much. ; )

Thank you!

 

[2turtletom]

Thank you. I've got five. Tank, Butter, Tootie, Trazodone and a female I think I'm going to call Ethel because my boys won't name her. I'm usually a box turtle girl, but a guy wanted to sell this group and I was really intrigued at their history, nature, and status. I researched their care to make certain I could provide a good home for them and then bought them. I am completely in love. They are the sweetest things and so good natured.

When one arrived (Trazodone), he had been shipped upside down. He never moved, despite soaking and offering food, so I thought he was dead. After watching him for hours, he finally began clicking. Now he's out and about just like everyone else, but he's still pretty shy. To help with that, he sits next to my desk in the evening and helps me with my homework. I make certain to keep him warm and he seems to be acclimating.

I'm still trying to sort out gender. I misunderstood what I was getting, I think, so I'm trying to figure out what is what and split them accordingly. I think Butter is a girl, due to a rounder shell and flat plastron, but it seems the anal scutes aren't as reliable as I'd thought. Ethel is huge and looks like a chubby pineapple, and also has a concavity. But her anal scutes look like female scutes.

I'll post more pictures later. They haven't been cooperating much. ; )

Thank you!

You're welcome- Very interesting- these guys are very, very secretive tortoises- They're notorious for being shy- It sounds like yours are all doing fine, but I'm a little concerned that you get them out of their enclosure and sit next to you? That is probably quite stressful for them. To me, that would make him more shy and not less, especially if they are recent imports.

As far as male vs. female, the tale tells the story. If you can sneak a peak at the tails, that's what I would go on. I have a female western hingeback that has a concave plastron, but she is most definitely a female; she's laid an egg!. But if you can snap some pictures, especially ones from the side that show the concavity, that would be wonderful, I'd love to take a look at your group. I kept this species decades ago and recently rescued one that I'm trying to nurse back to health.

-Tom