# Is my tortoise a guy



## Herbie and Jurassicblue

hello my horsefeild tortoise Herbie is turning two I am 90%sure he is a male because his tail is quite long and keeps it to the side quite a bit when hes walking but has it out when he's lieing down I've put picture of his tail top and bottom and when it's to the side


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## LiasisUK

Too small to tell.


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## ian14

I would say female. Male tortoise tails are very long


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## KendoXx

That's not his tail that's his you know what, so yeah he's a guy.

Put's ian14 to shame.


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## Shellsfeathers&fur

KendoXx said:


> That's not his tail that's his you know what, so yeah he's a guy.
> 
> Put's ian14 to shame.


It is a tail.

OP seems the tortoise is growing rather quickly. Can you add some information as to what you are feeding, how you are housing etc.


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## ian14

KendoXx said:


> That's not his tail that's his you know what, so yeah he's a guy.
> 
> Put's ian14 to shame.


Haha!!
The only one "put to shame" is you.
It's a tail. In male chelonia, the penis is a part of the tail, which is why male tails are much longer.


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## Herbie and Jurassicblue

Shellsfeathers&fur said:


> It is a tail.
> 
> OP seems the tortoise is growing rather quickly. Can you add some information as to what you are feeding, how you are housing etc.


I only got him this march and he was a year old hes about 2years now and hes 3cm from being big enough to microchip i give him a wide variety of dandelion plantain clover cucumber kale sprouts and meadow hay he also has a sliver of apple pear or grape once a month he also has an hour or so out side with me to get natural UVB/A and he can forage for food if he wants I try to follow the 5 welfare needs to the letter.


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## Herbie and Jurassicblue

ian14 said:


> Haha!!
> The only one "put to shame" is you.
> It's a tail. In male chelonia, the penis is a part of the tail, which is why male tails are much longer.


I think he might be a male cause most of the time his tail is to the side and near his tail the bottom pics aren't very helpful cause I am covering half his tail


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## Herbie and Jurassicblue

ian14 said:


> Haha!!
> The only one "put to shame" is you.
> It's a tail. In male chelonia, the penis is a part of the tail, which is why male tails are much longer.


Plus Hes around the age he'd start laying eggs if he was a female so far no eggs


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## Herbie and Jurassicblue

ian14 said:


> Haha!!
> The only one "put to shame" is you.
> It's a tail. In male chelonia, the penis is a part of the tail, which is why male tails are much longer.


I should also mention I compared his size to my neighbour's female tortoise which is around the same age and the female was bigger


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## purplepixie

Impossible to be accurate at that size, as Horsfields are renown for changing what sex you think they are. At a guess and it is a guess I would say female:0)


Herbie and Jurassicblue said:


> Plus Hes around the age he'd start laying eggs if he was a female so far no eggs


Age has nothing to do with laying eggs, this applies to all tortoises. Females are always larger (of course there is always one to break the rule) and Horsfields need to be around 500grms or more before laying eggs. Ibera need to be more like 1000grms:0)


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## Herbie and Jurassicblue

purplepixie said:


> Impossible to be accurate at that size, as Horsfields are renown for changing what sex you think they are. At a guess and it is a guess I would say female:0)
> 
> 
> Age has nothing to do with laying eggs, this applies to all tortoises. Females are always larger (of course there is always one to break the rule) and Horsfields need to be around 500grms or more before laying eggs. Ibera need to be more like 1000grms:0)


I appreciate it and I am not saying I'm an expert but I have a qualifications in animal management


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## SueBoyle

Herbie and Jurassicblue said:


> hello my horsefeild tortoise Herbie is turning two I am 90%sure he is a male because his tail is quite long and keeps it to the side quite a bit when hes walking but has it out when he's lieing down I've put picture of his tail top and bottom and when it's to the side
> View attachment 367907
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It’s far too small to sex yet. It’s got a lot of fast growth, so I’d keep an eye on feeding regime as horsfields are greedy feeders given the option.


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## SueBoyle

ian14 said:


> I would say female. Male tortoise tails are very long


Not at this age they aren’t. All display as female for several years.


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## SueBoyle

KendoXx said:


> That's not his tail that's his you know what, so yeah he's a guy.
> 
> Put's ian14 to shame.


Of course it’s a tail. No sign of sex organs at this stage 🙄


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## SueBoyle

Herbie and Jurassicblue said:


> I should also mention I compared his size to my neighbour's female tortoise which is around the same age and the female was bigger


www.tortsmad.com/russians.htm


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## SueBoyle

Herbie and Jurassicblue said:


> Plus Hes around the age he'd start laying eggs if he was a female so far no eggs


I’m quite concerned about where’s you are getting your info. Tortoises lay eggs when fully grown around 15 years old.


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## ian14

SueBoyle said:


> Not at this age they aren’t. All display as female for several years.


You see?
This is why you should research and find people who know what they are talking about!
And I've learned something too! Always happy to be corrected and learn something new.
Face-saving point, though, confirms I was right that it appeared female 😁

OP - in all seriousness, listen to what Sue is telling you


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