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I have a Russian Tortoise but am unclear of its gender. Is there any easy way to determine its sex?

I have a Russian Tortoise but am unclear of its gender. Is there any easy way to determine its sex?

Updated On January 20th, 2018

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Answered By Dr Stafford, BVetMed, MRCVS

Veterinarian

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It's quite difficult as their shells are very similar. The male has a long thin tail with a slit like cloaca far up the tail. Whereas the female has a short fat tail with a star shaped cloaca close to the body. If in doubt you may need to go to a reptile vet.

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