Sexing Sulcata Tortoise

[fluffaloo]

Hello, I was wondering if I could get your opinion on what sex Sinclair may be leaning toward. His plastron looks concave, (I tried to get it in the picture though it is more evident in person), and the area around his vent is V shaped. However, his tail seems oddly short for a male so it kind of throws me off. He is 2 and a half years old and is nearly 11in nose to vent (when his head is out a relaxed amount), weighing roughly 6.5lbs. I appreciate any tips you may have to offer.

 

[Warren]

Hello, I was wondering if I could get your opinion on what sex Sinclair may be leaning toward. His plastron looks concave, (I tried to get it in the picture though it is more evident in person), and the area around his vent is V shaped. However, his tail seems oddly short for a male so it kind of throws me off. He is 2 and a half years old and is nearly 11in nose to vent (when his head is out a relaxed amount), weighing roughly 6.5lbs. I appreciate any tips you may have to offer.
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I believe you have a male from looking at the first picture, he has a concave plastron and his anal scutes are widely spead.

 

[fluffaloo]

Thank you for your response! I feel like its good to have a second opinion on things like this lol, especially since I'm not an expert or anything

 

[Warren]

Thank you for your response! I feel like its good to have a second opinion on things like this lol, especially since I'm not an expert or anything

I'm not an expert either, I just have a male Sucata that's not shy of showing off. He started showing himself at 19 months old & he is 3 yrs old now, he weighed 29 lbs, 11ozs this morning. This picture was taken in Jan. 2020

 

[fluffaloo]

Oh my, he sounds like he has quite the personality ?

 

[Sue Ann]

Hello, I was wondering if I could get your opinion on what sex Sinclair may be leaning toward. His plastron looks concave, (I tried to get it in the picture though it is more evident in person), and the area around his vent is V shaped. However, his tail seems oddly short for a male so it kind of throws me off. He is 2 and a half years old and is nearly 11in nose to vent (when his head is out a relaxed amount), weighing roughly 6.5lbs. I appreciate any tips you may have to offer.
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Looks like a male based on his front scutes

 

[Maggie3fan]

Really? I personally think that he/she is too small to sex yet.
Mary Knobbins was a male (Knobby) when I first got him...he was around 15 lbs age unknown. But Yvonne G asked for plastron photos as she thought "Knobby" was female, after I had him for a few years. And at 20 lbs and estimated 5 to 8 years old he is obviously a female, Mary Knobbins. I'd wait some more for a positive id

 

[Tom]

Still too small. You can't usually tell until they are 14 inches or more. They all look female as juveniles. Tail size will usually be the first indicator.

 

[fluffaloo]

Guess I will just have to wait lol Though I will keep hoping that he is male.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Guess I will just have to wait lol Though I will keep hoping that he is male.

Your chances are good that it is a male. But being as females get bigger, generally aren't as aggressive and make great pets, I'm interested in why you prefer a male? I have had mostly males myself

 

[Ddflinn]

I'm not an expert either, I just have a male Sucata that's not shy of showing off. He started showing himself at 19 months old & he is 3 yrs old now, he weighed 29 lbs, 11ozs this morning. This picture was taken in Jan. 2020

 

[fluffaloo]

His personality just seems like a male to me to be honest. I was under the impression that males get bigger than females but I would love him either way

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Yes. Male sulcata get bigger. But there are species of tortoise which the females are larger

 

[Maggie3fan]

His personality just seems like a male to me to be honest. I was under the impression that males get bigger than females but I would love him either way

You are correct...I was not. I checked with my sister's friend Google, and she says males are a minimum of 120 lbs and females run 60 to 70 lbs. In any way, males are bigger. Mary Knobbins is my first female Sulcata, I am fascinated by the species as a whole, and the possibility of having a large tortoise who is destructive, funny, ornery, sweet, affectionate, intelligent and plain fun. They are the best and the worst of species lol