It is very difficult to know the age of a tortoise unless you do know when the tortoise was born. While you can count the rings on a tortoise's shell, this method is often more appropriate for describing when a tortoise is getting a lot of food and not. If your tortoise is small, you can compare its size to other tortoises of the same species to determine its age.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Counting the Rings
Step 1. Choose one of the skates or scutes to count
To help determine its age, you can count the rings on a skating turtle. Skates are the scales that cover a turtle's shell. However, keep in mind that this method is only a rough estimate because the rings on the shell often grow according to periods when the tortoise is getting a lot of food or not. In other words, skating may grow when the tortoise is very hungry or full instead of according to the changing seasons.
Step 2. Count the rings
The rings in skating usually alternate between a wider ring of a certain color and a smaller ring of another color. In theory, a wider ring indicates a period when the tortoise gets a lot of food, usually in the warmer season. On the other hand, a narrower ring indicates a period when the tortoise had a hard time finding food, usually in the colder season. Therefore, if you count the rings and divide by two, you will get a rough calculation of the tortoise's age.
Notice the ring on the shell. Do not count the number of skating because the skating does not indicate the age of the turtle. Look at the rings in the form of strokes in the skating
Step 3. Estimate her age
After counting the rings, estimate how old they are. For example, if a tortoise has 14 rings, you can guess its age is 7 because each two rings represents one year.
- The rings will still form, whether the tortoise lives in the wild or in captivity.
- After 15 years, it will be very difficult to determine his age because the rings are getting closer together.
Part 2 of 2: Checking the Size
Step 1. Measure the turtle
The size of a tortoise can also indicate its age, especially if it is still quite small. Start by measuring from tip to tail to give you a general idea of what size it is. Try to keep the tortoise still so you can use a ruler to measure it. Providing tempting food will help the tortoise stick its head out of the shell.
Step 2. Find the general size of the species
Look up the growth chart for the type of turtle you have. Be sure to look for a specific breed as turtles with the same name can be of different sizes. You can find information about the species of turtle suitable for your pet on the internet or in the library.
- The southern painted turtle, for example, will usually be no larger than 15 cm, while the large western painted turtle can grow up to 20 cm.
- Turtles that are large in captivity usually grow larger than those that live in the wild. Keep in mind that this larger body size can give the wrong impression about his age.
Step 3. Compare your turtle with the table you found
Once you've found the size chart, take a look at your tortoise by comparing it to the size chart. You may be able to estimate the age of the turtle if it has not yet reached its maximum size.
