I don't think they're supposed to be able to hiss with their mouths full - one of the reason it makes me giggle when he does it is that the sound is all muffled by mouse! I guess it's like a kid talking with their mouth full.
Ah, sexing turtles. :) Some species are easier than others, but certain indicators are fairly reliable. Males tend to be smaller overall, have longer claws on their front feet (for courtship - they tap the female on the nose with them), a concave plastron (the underneath part of the shell), and a longer tail with the cloaca more than halfway along it.
The concave plastron, long tail and longer claws are all adaptations to allow the males to mount the females in the water - no easy business!
But the younger and smaller the turtle (or tortoise, come to that) the harder they are to sex. I got it wrong with Barclay - I thought she was a he! Part of why I bought the stinkpots was that I was checking them over when they arrived at the shop and noticed that this tiny little turtle had the longest tail I'd ever seen, and when I compared him to several of the others it was as clear as glass that he was a boy and they were girls.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2007-10-19 06:29 am (UTC)Ah, sexing turtles. :) Some species are easier than others, but certain indicators are fairly reliable. Males tend to be smaller overall, have longer claws on their front feet (for courtship - they tap the female on the nose with them), a concave plastron (the underneath part of the shell), and a longer tail with the cloaca more than halfway along it.
The concave plastron, long tail and longer claws are all adaptations to allow the males to mount the females in the water - no easy business!
But the younger and smaller the turtle (or tortoise, come to that) the harder they are to sex. I got it wrong with Barclay - I thought she was a he! Part of why I bought the stinkpots was that I was checking them over when they arrived at the shop and noticed that this tiny little turtle had the longest tail I'd ever seen, and when I compared him to several of the others it was as clear as glass that he was a boy and they were girls.
So now you know how to sex turtles :D