General Care Discussion :: Gender Identification and Behaviour

[Slidy]

Hello everyone.... Its been ages since I had post on the forum .. but I do enjoy reading all the discussion so much to learn... Well my slidy has grown 4 inches now a year probably(Is it too quick ?) and I really want to know the gender... I think its a male since it has long front claws and a thick tail... but still confused so I thought I might get some expert opinions here.
Here are few of his pictures.





My second concern is that:
I am babysitting my friends turtle (Snappy the smaller turtle in the picture above 2.5inch) since it winter here and I get direct sunlight in my window.
I leave both the turtles in my balcony and let them roam around on the grass. I keep a bucket of water near by so that they can go in the water if they want to.
But they prefer the land... NOW since few days Slidy has been following snappy where ever it goes.. if snappy walks slidy walks.. if snappy stops slidy stops.
When I kept snappy in the same tank with slidy .. I thought they both were quite aggressive as they were doing the hand shaking near the head thing, but now slidy has once done it on the land as well... and my mom told me saw once that slidy was trying to climb on snappy's back at night when they were roaming on the ground.
I really wanna know whats going on...
Thank You.

[Jeremiah]

My guess would be that Slidy's trying to mate. My male did the same things to my female when I put them on land together.

[butterflygirl921]

i think slidy is def a male. and it sounds like he is courting snappy and then trying to mate

[steve]

He's curious but it can lead to aggression after she repeatedly denies him. He can attack on land as well, so be careful.

[Slidy]

Thanks guys.. I'll try to keep them seperate.

[Slidy]

Well !! I posted this question about his gender and yesterday he was balancing with his eyes closed and not moving.. I went near to check him out and he was actually fanning.. ! He looked so funny or cute probably .. My teenage boy !

[steve]

Do you mean flutter? Fanning is something totally different

[Slidy]

No .. He did fanning.. First I was shocked and worried of what the part is coming out. But then I researched about it.. N he was doing some fanning !

[steve]

Okay, I just never heard anyone described it as funny or cute before

[Slidy]

Hahaha ! The thing wasn't funny or cute.. But the way slidy was still with eyes closed was

[Samkit]

Hey there! You are lucky to have a male!
I share the same doubt as your post goes by. My turtle is a year old and is 4" SCL. I am not sure whether it a female or a male but I looking at the characteristics I think it's a female. But please do have a look.

I have another question. If the turtle turns out to be a female, when exactly will she be matured enough to lay eggs(though unfertilized)?
And is it necessary that she will lay eggs every year?
I am asking this because ill have quite a large work of keeping check of its egg-laying habits. So please help me!
I was hoping that it turns out to be a male so that I wont have to engage in all this work.

[steve]

Being able to lay eggs has more to with size than age. I think at 5 or so inches, she can. Most females kept alone do not lay eggs. Those that do are usually at infrequent periods.

[steve]

At 4", I'd lean towards a

[Samkit]

Thank you for the help! Yeah she is alone since a year now! I hope she doesn't lay eggs. But just a doubt, is it possible that it might be a male and body is less developed?

[Kansasslider]

Looks like 99.9% Female. I also own a female.