CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How big can an adult Burmese tortoise be?

How big can an adult Burmese tortoise get?

The Burmese tortoise is a relatively large tortoise, with an adult body length of more than 20 cm and a width of 16 cm; however, some people have bred one that is up to 38 cm long. It takes about 5 years for a Burmese tortoise to grow into an adult.

Age determination of Burmese tortoises

The method of calculating the age of a turtle is generally to calculate it based on the number of concentric rings on the turtle's carapace scutes. Each circle represents a growth cycle, that is, one year. The number of concentric rings on the scutes plus 1 (one year after hatching) is the turtle's age. This method can only be calculated accurately when the concentric rings on the turtle's carapace are clear, and the turtle's annual rings are clearer before the age of 10. For old turtles or turtles with unclear concentric rings, its approximate age can only be estimated. The appearance of the rings varies due to the influence of some factors, so turtles raised in a heated environment are not suitable for calculation using this method.

Sometimes it can also be estimated based on the turtle's weight, shield size and growth curve, but because these methods are easily affected by environmental conditions, their application is very limited.

How big, how long and how wide does the plastron of a red-eared slider turtle have to be? How big do male and female turtles have to be to mature and ready to reproduce?

Common red-eared sliders have males weighing up to 300 grams, and females weighing around 500 grams when they reach sexual maturity. Other turtles have different standards depending on their species.

Generally speaking, for common turtles, whether aquatic or terrestrial, their gender can usually be identified by the following gender characteristics based on their body shape:

Female turtle: The carapace is short and wide, the plastron is flat with no depression in the center, the tail is thin and short, the base of the tail is thin, the cloaca is close to the posterior edge of the plastron, and the notch formed by the two anal shields of the plastron is shallow and the angle of the notch is large.

Male turtle: The carapace is long and narrow, the center of the plastron is slightly sunken inward, the tail is thick and long, the base of the tail is thick, the cloaca is far from the posterior edge of the plastron, the notch formed by the two anal shields of the plastron is deep, and the angle of the notch is small.

For most species of adult turtles of the same age, males are thinner and smaller; females are rounder and larger.

Generally speaking, small juvenile turtles (weight less than 250 grams) are sexually immature.