Many people have turtles and turtles in their homes. With careful care, these amazing reptiles can live up to 50 years at home! Often turtles come to us as adults, so it is very important to find out - how old is your pet?
Instructions
Step 1
In nature, the age of land turtles is determined by the weight and length of the shell. At birth, the turtles are "tall" - 30-34 mm, weight - 12-12g. In one year, the length of the shell is 48-52 mm, weight ranges from 25-35 g. In two years, the "growth" is about 56-60 mm, weight - 48-65 g. By the age of three, the turtle has a shell 75-90 mm long and weighs 95-150 g. By the age of ten, males of turtles can reach a length of 13-16 cm, and females 15-18 cm. As a rule, after ten years, the growth of turtles ends. At home, determining the age of a turtle is much more difficult, since it is directly related to the conditions of detention, the size of the terrarium, and also the diet.
Step 2
Water turtles have slightly different standards. Their age is determined mainly by the length of the shell. So, newborn turtles have a "height" of 2.5-3 cm, by the year - 5-7 cm, by two - 7-9 cm. Then females and males begin to grow unevenly. By the age of three, the male will reach 8-12 cm, and the female - 9-15 cm. At four years old, the length of the male will be 10-14 cm, the female - 13-18 cm. After five years, the males of turtles have a "height" of 14 cm, females - from 18 cm. After five years, growth slows down and the turtles practically do not grow.
Step 3
Another way to determine your pet's age is to count the number of rings on the carapace. The first rings appear when the animal is not even a year old. The older the turtle, the smoother its shell becomes, and the annual rings turn pale. In one year, 2-3 rings are formed on one "scale". For an accurate count, you can count the rings on several segments of the shell, and then display the arithmetic average. The number of rings is also not a 100% way to determine age, since their number depends on the conditions of detention and the number of hibernations in land turtles.
