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Home › Forums › Diamondback Terrapins › sexing
I am interested in getting some DBT, however, two different breeders have left me confused. Does the temp at which the eggs are kept under determine the sex? Can you tell what sex they are when they hatch or do you have to wait a year or so to tell? Or does the temp at which the hatchlings are kept under determine the sex? Thanks for any help. Mel
Hi Mel, Yes, incubation temperature determines the sex but you cannot tell at hatching what sex it is. You can only surmise by the incubation temperature, a very inaccurate science that depends on: 1) the incubation temperature. I’m not being redundant but different temperatures will produce different sex ratios. Most of the time, temperatures that are commonly used by breeders will skew towards a certain sex but allow for a minority to hatch out of the opposite sex as well. 2) The consistency of the temperature during vital trimesters. 3) The accuracy of the instrument used to monitor the temperature. There have been many cases of a breeder incubating for a certain sex only to produce the opposite due to a faulty thermometer. Normally, a year’s growth will confirm whether or not the terrapin is male or female. Temperature that hatchlings are kept at have no bearing whatsoever on sex – that has already been determined. Hope this helps. -Chun — In diamondbackterrapins@yahoogroups.com, “m_stocchero”