In modern houses and apartments you can find a wide variety of pets. Often, as such, you can find not a fluffy cat or a faithful dog, but more exotic animals - the land Central Asian or aquatic red-eared turtle.

When a family gets a pet, a natural concern is its age. There is no 100% way to determine the age of a turtle. There are several ways in which age can be determined fairly accurately.

Determining age by the number of rings on the shell

If you want to figure out how to determine the age of a land turtle, you should first look at its shell. Rings on a turtle's shell appear at an early age, when it is not yet a year old. During this period, the most active growth occurs, and 2-3 rings grow on each shell scale per year. Subsequently, growth slows down and on average one ring grows per year. True, the number of rings is influenced by a number of other factors, such as the conditions under which the reptile is kept or the number of periods of its hibernation. To more accurately determine the age, you can count the rings on several scales of the shell and then derive the arithmetic average.

Determining age by shell length

Wanting to know how to determine age red-eared turtle, you need to measure the length of its shell. It is worth noting that the red-eared aquatic turtle good conditions content lives 30-50 years and reaches a size of 28-30 cm, while the length of the shell varies as follows:

• First year: 6 cm;
• Second year: female – 9 cm, male – 8 cm;
• Third year: female – 14 cm, male – 10 cm;
• Fourth year: female – 16 cm, male – 12 cm;
• Fifth year: female – 18 cm, male – 14 cm;
• Sixth year: female – 20 cm, male – 17 cm

For land Central Asian turtle The relationship between shell length and age is as follows:

• First year: 5 cm;
• Second year: 6 cm;
• Third year: 8 cm;
• Fourth year: 10 cm;
• Fifth year: 12 cm;
• Sixth year: 14 cm

It is worth noting that with age in turtles, the rapid growth of the shell slows down and almost always stops at a length of 18 cm. However, there are known cases when the shell of Central Asian turtles reached a length of 25-28 cm

There are several in different ways, with which you can determine the approximate age of a pet turtle.

Determining the age of a turtle by the number of rings on its shell.

The first rings on the shell of turtles appear at an early age and in the first year of life, when the animal is rapidly growing, the first grooves grow much more actively (2-3 rings per six months). Starting from about two years of age, rings are no longer formed so actively (1 per year). Unfortunately, the rings on a reptile’s shell are not the “ultimate truth” since their number can be influenced by external factors, such as the conditions in which the pet is kept.

Determining the age of a turtle by the length of its shell.

You can also determine the age of a pet turtle using a ruler. As long as the shell continues to grow, the result will be relatively reliable.

Parameters of the length of the shell of red-eared (yellow-bellied) turtles:

1 year - about 6cm;

2 years - about 8-9 cm;

3 years - about 10-14 cm;

4 years - about 12-16 cm;

5 years - about 14-18 cm;

6 years - about 17-20 cm.

At the same time, the life expectancy of a red-eared slider under ideal conditions can reach 50 years, while shell growth ends much earlier at about 6-7 years and, as a rule, rarely exceeds 25 cm.

Parameters of the length of the shell of the Central Asian land turtle:

in the first year of life approximately 5 cm;

in the second – 6 cm;

in the third – 8 cm;

in the fourth – 10 cm;

in the fifth – 12 cm;

in the sixth - 14 cm.

The lifespan of this type of turtle is about 20-30 years. And their shell growth practically stops at 17-18 cm, which corresponds to approximately the seventh year of life.

The most relative way to determine the age of domestic turtles is to examine the seams between the shells. In the first and most active year of a reptile’s life, the areas of the carapace (dorsal part of the shell) between the scutes are very light and bright. But over the years, as the turtle reaches sexual maturity, the shell begins to darken. In old age, the rings on the shell become almost black, and the shell itself stretches out and becomes especially smooth.

If you don't know exact date birth of your pet, then you can only approximately determine her age. Moreover, the years of a young turtle are easier to calculate than the years of a mature individual. Apply all of the above methods to determine the age of the turtle and if the results differ slightly, calculate the arithmetic mean, which will be the approximate age of your pet.

Not difficult. If you follow all the advice and take into account her needs. With good care, both land and aquatic turtles able to live up to 50 years. But how can you determine how old the turtle is? It's actually not very difficult. Although it requires some training.

You can find out the age of a turtle based on the parameters characteristic of turtles at different periods of life. Of all the other types of turtles, the aquatic red-eared turtle and the land Central Asian turtle are most often found as pets.

Determining the age of an aquatic turtle

To begin with, you can measure carapace length. Usually this indicator is the most accurate determinant. Up to a year, the male and female red-eared turtles grow equally. At the age of one year, the length of the shell of this species is 6 cm. Then it will be possible to distinguish the sex of turtles to determine their age.

If the size of the female’s shell is 9 cm, and the male’s is no more than 8 cm, then your pets have just turned two years old. Further, 14 cm of shell in a female and 10 cm in a male will indicate that they have already reached three years, 16 cm in a female and 12 cm in a male - four, 18 cm in a female and 14 cm in a male - five. And 20 cm in a female and 17 cm in a male indicate six years of age.

If you find that the length of your pet's shell reaches 28-30 cm, this indicates that he is between 30 and 50 years old. The last number is the final number in the life of the red-eared turtle.

Determining the age of a land turtle

This species does not separate males and females by size. Therefore, their age can be determined by the same carapace length data. In a year it is 5 cm, in two - 6 cm, in three - 8 cm, in four - 10 cm, in five - 12 cm and in six - 14 cm.

In nature, the maximum length adult can reach 25-28 cm. At home, Central Asian turtles usually do not grow more than 18 cm.

General methods

The age of both one and the other, and some species of turtles, can be determined by counting the rings on the shell.

Turtles acquire their first rings before they are one year old. Up to two years, turtles add 2-3 grooves every six months. After two years, each groove equals one year.

Usually this method is somewhat inaccurate because you have to rely on an average value, which is derived from the number of annual rings on several main scales of the shell. But this can be a very exciting activity that will bring you and your pet even closer.

Also, by the light seams between the scutes, on the dorsal part of the turtle's shell - the carapace, one can understand that the turtle is still young. In good conditions, in a rapidly growing turtle, new horny layers will appear quickly, but at first they will still remain light.

They will begin to darken only after 4-5 years. At the same time, each ring older than a year will acquire the color of the previous one, which in turn will undergo even more active pigmentation.

Oval shell shape You can understand that your pet has reached puberty. In this case, the drawing will change color, darken, become barely noticeable or disappear completely. Mature males are also distinguished by a longer and more powerful tail and long claws.

About your pet's pregnancy puberty, the indentation on the plastron will also say. Sometimes during this period the color of her eyes and nose may also change.

And when determining the age of a turtle, you need to take into account that the size of the shell of each turtle may depend not only on the number of years. Important factors are also nutrition, the size of her home, living conditions, and whether she has ever hibernated.

Length and growth rate of turtles

The change in the length of the turtles can be seen by the light seams between the carapace scutes. If the turtle grows quickly, the new horny layers along the periphery of the scutes become very light, then processes of pigment cells (dermal melanophores) grow there and pigment is transferred along them, usually in the form of thin rays or dark spots. When these growth rings age, the pigmented zones will not differ from the previous ones. This is a cost accelerated growth captive.(c) D.B. Vasiliev.

As young turtles grow, their body shape and shell color change. The shell elongates and darkens. When the turtle grows and becomes sexually mature, if it is a male, then it may have a depression on the plastron, a thicker and longer tail, and long claws. Eye color and nose color may also change.

Parameters of red-eared turtles born and living in nature

Parameters of land turtles, turtles born and living in nature (using the example of Testudo hermanni)

At home, the growth of a turtle depends on the size of the aquarium/terrarium, frequency of feeding, diet, and the addition of calcium to the food.

Determining the age of a turtle

For turtles living in areas with well-defined seasons, their age can be approximately determined by the number of annual rings on the horny scutes. The annual rings of the Central Asian tortoise, for example, are clearly visible and delimited by sharp depressions - marks of the winter seasons. The embryonic shield, with which the turtle hatches from the egg, is clearly visible due to its uneven, granular surface. Using the growth rings, you can calculate the growth rate of a given turtle, since the increase in the width of the scutes is proportional to the increase in the length of the entire shell. In some cases, a correlation is shown between the number of rings in the cross-section of long bones and the size of the shell.

It is impossible to know the exact age of a turtle that has not been raised since birth, but it can be approximately determined as follows:

1. By turtle size (shell length)
2. According to the number of rings on the shell: 2-3 rings are formed in 1 year. To be more precise, you can count several flakes and then find the average value.
But we must take into account that both the size and number of rings depend on the living conditions of the turtle, as well as whether it hibernated.
The rings appear when the turtle is not yet a year old. In very old specimens, the shell becomes especially smooth, like in newborns, and the annual rings turn pale.
When counting grooves, it should be taken into account that during the period of active growth: from a newborn to a two-year-old, the grooves determine the period of development from 3 months to six months, and then about a year.

Growth occurs when new portions of keratin are added, which leads to a gradual increase in the diameter of the shield. In turtles of temperate latitudes, growth occurs more rapidly in the warm season. New portions of keratin form a clearly visible ring sculpture - the so-called “growth rings”. Counting these rings requires some skill. In young turtles, and especially in those bred in captivity, during the first few years of life, keratin is deposited in the form of many thin rings (this, of course, does not correspond to the age of the turtle). In wild-caught animals, growth rings can produce more useful information. Often, by the number and quality of “growth rings,” one can determine (although not in all cases) the age of the turtle, the time when it came into captivity, the onset of a chronic disease associated with impaired growth, the correctness of the conditions of detention, etc.
With age, the Malpighian layer begins to function mainly only along the periphery of the scutellum (in the so-called areoles). In the center of the scutum, the germinal layer may degenerate and lose contact with the basement membrane. Here a cavity is formed and the shield may lag behind the underlying bone plate. In burrowing species, the outer layers of the stratum corneum can wear off and the carapace becomes completely smooth. Some freshwater turtles(including red-eared animals) and especially in young animals in the phase of initial (rapid) growth, the horny scutes of the shell can be peeled off and replaced with new ones. The mechanism of this phenomenon is similar to the molting of scaly reptiles. (Vasiliev D.B. Turtles. Maintenance, diseases and treatment)

Lifespan of turtles

The loss of eggs due to nest predators is 40-95%. The survival rate of young animals is 10-55%; at the age of 10 to 15 years, 10-15% die per year. A complete change of generations occurs every 20 years, and animals aged 30 years are already rare. At home, turtles often die from infections and poor maintenance. But on average, small turtles live for 50 years, large ones for 80 years, and very large ones for 150-200 years.

Approximate data taken from observations of herpetologists in Zoos and private collections:

• Central Asian - 40-50 years
• red-eared - 40-50 years
• Indian roofing turtle (Kachuga tecta) - 37 years old
• box turtles - 50-100 years
• Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) - 60 years
• desert gopher (Gopherus agassizii), sea turtles - 80 years
• radiant - 85 years
• Balkan (Testudo hermanni) - 90 years
• spur-bearing - 115 years
• Galapagos, Seychelles - 150-180 years

The lifespan of a turtle depends greatly on its care. Some people have turtles that are 20-30 years old or even 40-50 years old, but many of them, due to poor maintenance, have many senile diseases and do not live long. They say that if it were not for diseases and external factors, turtles would live forever. =)