Tortoises distinguish male and female mainly by abdominal armour, which is male if it is sunken and female if it is flat. The method of distinguishing male and female turtles is basically the same, because the breeding mode remains unchanged, and all male turtles lie prone on the back of female turtles for mating, so the belly of male turtles will be sunken, which is convenient for mating without slipping. In addition, some turtles can be distinguished by other physical characteristics.

1. Estrus: Tortoises, like water tortoises, will not mature sexually until they are raised to a certain extent, thus entering the breeding period, and the primary manifestation of the breeding period is estrus. The performance of tortoises in estrus is different from that of water tortoises. For example, Burmese tortoises have ruddy nostrils on their heads during estrus, and their genitals are exposed from time to time.

2. Mating: When male and female tortoises meet in estrus, they start courtship and mating. The male tortoises will smell the second half of the female tortoises, impact them with their shells, or chase them. When they catch up, they will start riding their backs. Female turtles slow down, or stop, waiting for male turtles to complete mating, usually in the morning or evening.

3. Laying eggs: After mating, the mother turtle will lay eggs after a period of time. Different turtles have different ability to lay eggs, and the number of eggs they produce at one time is also different. Usually, he becomes anxious before laying eggs, so he needs to prepare some coconut soil so that he can lay eggs in it.