If you own a pet turtle, at some point, you will definitely want to know if it’s a male or a female. Finding out the gender of a turtle can sometimes be a little tricky, there are a few small details that you have to take into consideration. In order to make sure that you get the gender of your yellow-bellied slider right, I decided to write a short but very detailed guide with pictures.
Male Yellow Bellied Sliders are usually smaller and less colored than the females. Females usually have shorter claws than males and have the cloaca positioned closer to the base of the tail.
Here is a complete list of differences between male and female Yellow Bellied Sliders:
- Position of the cloaca
- Length of the claws
- Length and shape of the tail
- Shape of the shell
- Size of the turtle
- Color of the turtle
So those are the things that you will have to look at to determine if your yellow-bellied slider is male or female. Before going into more detail about each of them I want to tell you that all of the mentioned characteristics will become noticeable as the turtle ages. Some of them can be noticed at younger ages, and some of them only after they reach adulthood. So if you want to determine the age of a very young turtle, younger than 1 year, things will be very hard, not necessarily impossible but very hard. Now let’s start with the comparisons.
Position of the Cloaca
The cloaca is a small orifice that allows turtles to “breath underwater”, and it’s also used to lay eggs and a few other things. All yellow-bellied sliders have a cloaca, and depending on their gender they might use it for some things that the other gender can’t do, like laying eggs, but they are also positioned in different places. Females have the cloaca positioned at the base of their tail, while males have it positioned near the tip of the tail.
I decided not to post pictures of the cloaca because they can be considered gross by some people, and I also think that that drawing does a better job at pointing out where the cloaca is than a picture.If you want to see a cloaca, but you don’t own a turtle, here are a couple of links that will show you a cloaca up close:
Length of the Claws
This is probably one of the easiest ways to tell the difference between a male and a female yellow-bellied slider turtle. Males have considerably larger claws than females. They use their long claws to attract females during the mating season, and they also use them to get on top of the female when they reproduce.
Length and Shape of the Tail
This is a simple and efficient method to determine the gender of your turtle.
Male and female yellow-bellied sliders have slightly different tails. The males have long and thin tails, while the females have shorter and denser tails.
Shape of the Shell
Male and female yellow-bellied sliders have slightly different shell shapes. But the place where they differ is not exactly the shell, the place where they are different is called the plastron. The plastron is the bottom part of the shell. The upper part is called the carapace, and together they are referred to as the shell.
Female yellow bellied sliders have a flat plastron, while male yellow bellied sliders have a plastron a little more concave. This shape difference allows males to climb on top of females while they are mating. Females also have a benefit from the flat shape of the plastron, the fact that their plastron is flat and not indented allows them to carry more eggs inside of them.
Size of the Turtle
In most cases, female yellow bellied sliders will get considerably bigger than males. On average a female will reach sizes between 12 and 14 inches (30 and 35 centimeters), while males usually reach sizes between 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimeters).
This method works at its best if you want to compare two turtles that you know are about the same age. If two turtles were born at about the same time and one is considerably bigger than the other, then the bigger one is the female.
Another way you can use this method is the following: If you own or find a yellow bellied slider turtle, you can measure it, if the shell is bigger than 10 inches (25 centimeters) then you can definitely say it’s a female, if that is not the case then it’s a male.
Color of the Turtle
During the majority of their lives, both male and female eared sliders turtles have almost the same color tones, but once they start reaching the last years of their life their colors will gradually start to darken. This is especially noticeable in males.
This method is only useful on old turtles, so if you want to identify the gender of a young yellow bellied slider, this might not be the best option.
What Is the Difference When It Comes to Taking Care of the Yellow Bellied Slider
There aren’t many differences, except for a couple small ones. A female turtle will lay eggs while a male turtle won’t. Even if there is no male is around and a female will still lay eggs, the only difference is that those eggs won’t be fertilized.
Taking care of a female turtle that is about to lay eggs is not very hard, you barely have to do anything, so don’t worry about this part. But if you are curious about what you have to do when your turtle is pregnant you can read this article: How to Tell if Your Turtle Is Pregnant.
And the female turtle will eat a little more since she is bigger but not by a noticeable amount so don’t worry about that.
In the end, I would say that it’s probably a little easier to have a male turtle because they won’t get pregnant, but in the rest, there is no difference between them for you as a turtle owner.
Common Questions
How long can Yellow-Bellied sliders live? As pets, Yellow Bellied sliders can live anywhere from 30 years to 50 years. In the wild, they usually live for 25 to 30 years. The difference is so big because there are a lot of predators and other dangerous things in the wild that will end up hurting the turtle, thus reducing their lifespan.
Can Yellow Bellied sliders sleep underwater? Yes, Yellow Bellied sliders can sleep underwater. actually prefer to sleep underwater. When they sleep their metabolic rate will go down, so they will be able to spend a lot more time underwater than they normally would.
How much water should be in a yellow bellied slider turtle tank? The general rule of thumb is that there should be at least 10 gallons of water per inch of shell. So if your turtle has 4 inches of shell in length, then there should be at least 40 gallons of water. If your turtle is 6 inches then there should be 60 gallons of water.
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Aloha 🌈 thank you for great information on these turtles.
Thanks for the info. Great article
Thank you very much Wendy.
i like the information but both of my turtles have both female and male appearances such as one has a darker shell, yet longer nails, the one with longer nails has a shorter and wider tail than the other. I just wish a professional could look at them lol
Send me an email with a few pictures and I will help you figure things out.
My “female “yellow belly is attacking the “male” she has taken chunks from the rear of his shell and damaged his tail.
Any comments would be much appreciated.
Thank you
Dennis.
You need to separate the two of them. Your turtles don’t seem to get along at all. In such extreme cases each one of them needs a separate tank.
And take your male turtle to the vet as soon as possible.
Thank you so much!
I want to thank you for the info. I had actually rescued my turtle from the side of a dumpster. One was a soft shell and then the yellow belly slider. I lost the soft shell last year when he got out of his tank. I do apologize, Unfortunately I don’t carry cards so I can’t leave a tip. Unfortunately I’m still not able to determine the sex. How long do they stay in the adolescence phase. I know this last winter was the first my turtle had somewhat put itself into hibernation mode. Not completely, but mostly. Thank u again.
You’re very welcome! It’s great that you rescued these turtles, and I appreciate your kind words.
The time it takes for turtles to reach sexual maturity and move out of the adolescence phase can vary depending on the species and specific environmental conditions. Yellow-bellied sliders typically reach sexual maturity between 5 to 7 years of age. It’s important to note that some turtles may mature more quickly than others based on factors like diet, habitat, and overall health.
As for hibernation, yellow-bellied sliders are not known to be hibernators. They come from regions where the climate is generally mild, and they are more active year-round. So what you observed could be a response to changes in temperature and daylight rather than true hibernation.
If you’re looking to determine the sex of your turtle, you might want to consult a veterinarian or a reptile expert who can perform a physical examination. They can look for specific characteristics that indicate the turtle’s sex. This is often a more reliable method than trying to observe behavioral differences, especially in turtles of the same age.
I understand that you mentioned not being able to leave a tip, and that’s perfectly okay. I’m here to provide information and assist you to the best of my ability. If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask anytime.
I need to tell if my turtles are boys or girls
If you need help, you can find our email on the contact page.
Awesome and to the point info. Thanks for sharing. I truly enjoy and caring for my Frankie! Bless you reptile care takers.
You’re very welcome! I’m glad you found the information helpful, and it’s wonderful to hear that you’re enjoying taking care of Frankie.If you ever have more questions or need further guidance, feel free to reach out.