How to determine the age of a red-eared turtle at home (photo)

When buying a new pet from an unscrupulous seller, you can get an old and sick animal, passed off as a young and healthy one. If the lifespan of a turtle raised from birth directly depends on its owner, then in the case of acquiring an old reptile, you will have to deal with maintenance errors on the part of another person.

Let’s figure out how to determine the age of the red-eared turtle at home and whether it is possible to compare the age of the reptile with human years.

The main methods for determining age

There are 3 main ways to determine the age of a red-eared pet, taking into account:

• the length of the shell, which annually increases by a certain amount depending on gender;
• the number of rings forming a pattern on the carapace;
• external changes that occur when a reptile grows up.

The reliability of the results obtained is not high, since the external features of the domestic turtle depend on:

• amenities of the aquaterrarium;
• the number of transferred hibernations;
• nutritional balance;
• compliance with the basic rules of care.

Carapace size

To find out how old a red-eared turtle is, measure the length of the carapace. Only females can boast a maximum size of 30 cm. In adult males, the figure reaches 18 cm.

Newborn turtles are born with a carapace 2,5-3 cm long, growing to 6 cm by 2 years. At this age, females are ahead of the curve, increasing momentum with each subsequent year.

IMPORTANT! Understanding the age after 18 cm becomes problematic, as growth slows down, reducing the reliability of the values.

The dependence of age on the size of the carapace and the sex of the reptile is as follows:

growth rings

The age of the red-eared tortoise can be found by the pattern formed on its shell.

With the growth of the reptile, there is an accumulation of filamentous proteins – β-keratins, which are involved in the formation of claws and carapace. The lines that form circles on the shell shields have a certain pattern in their appearance:

1. The rapid growth of young animals is accompanied by increased production of keratin. By the age of 2 years, the turtle’s shield contains about 6 rings.
2. After 2 years of age, the growth process slows down. 1 to 2 new rings are added annually.

The exact number of years can be calculated as follows:

1. Determine the number of annular grooves on several shields.
2. Calculate the arithmetic mean to increase the reliability of the final result.
3. Decrease this value by 6 to get the number of rings acquired in years of life after age 2.
4. Calculate the estimated number of years by dividing the resulting value by the average number of rings that appear after 2 years.

EXAMPLE: If the arithmetic mean is 15, then the pet is 6 years old. The formula for the calculation will look like this: (15-6)/1,5=6

This method is suitable for reptiles older than 7 years, but is useless for individuals that are too old, losing a clear pattern on the shields.

Exterior changes

In order to determine how old a purchased turtle is, carefully examine its appearance:

1. Plastron rings. If there are no rings, then the animal was born quite recently and is no more than 1 year old.
2. Color intensity. The shell of a young turtle has a light green color and clear keratin lines, and scarlet stripes are located behind the eyes. The appearance of a dark shell and burgundy spots indicates that the turtle is at least 4 years old.
3. Carapace size. By the large size of the shell, which has an oval shape, it can be judged that the turtle is already 5 years old.
4. Erased keratin lines. Loss of line clarity begins at 8 years of age.
5. Compressed rings. If the lines are close to each other, then the reptiles are about 15 years old.
6. Smooth shell with chips and roughness on both parts. The complete loss of the pattern due to smoothed lines and frayed shields indicate that the turtle is a long-liver who has stepped over the age of 15.

Age of turtles by human standards

The lifespan of red-eared turtles in the wild is 30 years. In captivity, reptiles live only 15 years, but with proper care they can overtake the performance of their wild relatives and reach the mark of 40 years.

If we calculate the turtle age by human standards, then it is necessary to take into account 2 important indicators: Average life expectancy. In a domestic turtle, it is 15 years, in humans – about 70 years.

physiological maturity. At home, reptiles become sexually mature by the age of 5. In humans, sexual maturity is reached at 15 years of age.

According to the indicators taken into account, the approximate ratio will look like this:

In the wild, male aquatic turtles are ready to breed from the age of 4. This helps animals save their species from extinction due to early diseases and intrigues of predators. Under reliable human protection, the reptile is less vulnerable and matures longer.

An increase in the ratio is noted at the stage of puberty, which is explained by a faster deterioration of the body.

IMPORTANT! It is impossible to trace the exact relationship with human age, therefore the considered values ​​are for informational purposes only and are not absolute values.

Conclusion

Despite some inaccuracies inherent in the considered methods, self-determination of age allows you to avoid fraud on the part of the seller.

Remember that the longevity of a new pet depends on careful attitude, so be sure to follow these recommendations:

• make sure the turtle has enough space. Keeping adults in a juvenile tank is a real torture;
• be sure to increase the size of the aquarium when replenishing the turtle family by 1,5 times for each new individual;
• monitor the purity of water and temperature. Reduced immunity and pathogenic microorganisms are the main causes of infectious diseases;
• maintain a balanced diet. A lack of vitamins hinders growth and increases the body’s vulnerability to external factors;
• make sure there is a veterinarian available to help the reptile in case of problems. Finding a good herpetologist is not so easy, and clinics in some cities do not even have such specialists in their staff.