What is considered juvenile?

RosieP

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Is a juvenile any tortoise that is simply not at full size, or not sexually mature? I have a 6" Male Redfoot I am asking in regards to
 

Toddrickfl1

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Is a juvenile any tortoise that is simply not at full size, or not sexually mature? I have a 6" Male Redfoot I am asking in regards to
A juvenile in my opinion is more than 6 months, but not fully grown.
 

Markw84

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There is no scientific answer to this question. Just what we end up calling tortoises of different ages/stages. Absolutely nothing set in stone, but... I think people who have raised a LOT of tortoises will pretty much refer to them this way:

A hatchling is from hatching to loss of egg tooth and starting good growth with visible growth seams (2 mos usually).
A baby is from that 2 mo (?) stage to 1 year old
A yearling is 1-2 years old
A juvenile is from 2 years to sexually mature.
Adult is sexually mature.
 

Tom

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I agree with Mark's answer. Sometimes I'll start calling them a juvenile before their second birthday, depending on size and species.
 

christinaland128

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My behavior based analogy...

Hatchlings hide a lot, eat, sleep, poop, repeat.

Yearlings explore a bit more, show more personality.

Juveniles are bad as hell, they climb everything and get stuck in weird places.

Sub adults surprise you with their manliness during soaks and have hearty appetites.

Adults bulldoze everything on site like sociopathic moving stones.??‍♀️?

But all very lovable.?❤️
 

SuzanneZ

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There is no scientific answer to this question. Just what we end up calling tortoises of different ages/stages. Absolutely nothing set in stone, but... I think people who have raised a LOT of tortoises will pretty much refer to them this way:

A hatchling is from hatching to loss of egg tooth and starting good growth with visible growth seams (2 mos usually).
A baby is from that 2 mo (?) stage to 1 year old
A yearling is 1-2 years old
A juvenile is from 2 years to sexually mature.
Adult is sexually mature.
So my Russian at 3 years and 5 inches will be a juvenile for 7 more years?
 
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