Sexing Manouria

[Uwabamireptiles]

I acquired a group of four emys emys that are five years old a couple months ago. They range from 8 inches to 11 inches at the moment. The largest one has a very stubby tail and I assume that one will turn out female. The other three are still smaller and I assume they will have to get bigger to even take a guess. My question is, at what age and/or size were you comfortable visually sexing one of these guys? They have a long way to go I know but I just wanted to get y’all’s experience on this topic. The blue dot animal in the one I think will turn out female. But the rest I think are too small to tell.

 

[Yvonne G]

Oh yeah, still too small. Even Blue is too small. They all look female when too small.

 

[Uwabamireptiles]

Oh yeah, still too small. Even Blue is too small. They all look female when too small.

Thank you Yvonne, that’s what I was expecting but wanted to ask. Is there a size range you’ve noticed when you can start to tell or is it all over the place with each individual?

 

[zovick]

I acquired a group of four emys emys that are five years old a couple months ago. They range from 8 inches to 11 inches at the moment. The largest one has a very stubby tail and I assume that one will turn out female. The other three are still smaller and I assume they will have to get bigger to even take a guess. My question is, at what age and/or size were you comfortable visually sexing one of these guys? They have a long way to go I know but I just wanted to get y’all’s experience on this topic. The blue dot animal in the one I think will turn out female. But the rest I think are too small to tell.

You might be able to gain a lot of knowledge from John Bailey who has this web site: https://mountaintortoise.com/

He will most likely be able to help you acquire whatever sex(es) you may end up needing down the road also once your tortoises have matured to the point where you can tell what sexes they are.

 

[Uwabamireptiles]

You might be able to gain a lot of knowledge from John Bailey who has this web site: https://mountaintortoise.com/

He will most likely be able to help you acquire whatever sex(es) you may end up needing down the road also once your tortoises have matured to the point where you can tell what sexes they are.

Thank you, I have been well acquainted with his website. I have it printed out with notes in the margins and everything. I went with a group so I’d have a better chance at a pair down the line but I’ll definitely remember John if I need something.

 

[MEEJogja]

Mine were incredibly difficult to sex at 7 years old. There was a lot of debate between the vet and his assistants and it seemed very subjective but they ultimately made the right call. When they got to about 10 years old it became much easier for a layman like myself to tell them apart.

The size difference between the females and males will increase for your group and you'll find that over the next year the female(s) will put on a load more weight than the rest. It will be a good indication. I hope you end up with a good ratio!

 

[Uwabamireptiles]

Mine were incredibly difficult to sex at 7 years old. There was a lot of debate between the vet and his assistants and it seemed very subjective but they ultimately made the right call. When they got to about 10 years old it became much easier for a layman like myself to tell them apart.

The size difference between the females and males will increase for your group and you'll find that over the next year the female(s) will put on a load more weight than the rest. It will be a good indication. I hope you end up with a good ratio!

Thank you, that’s what I was looking for. I figured they still have awhile to go. The weight gain advice is something I’ll keep track of. Curious to see when the difference shows up between the two sexes. I hope I get a good ratio too.