Hi Helen
Tried to reply to your email (Home email) this morning but it was returned. Spoke with Andy Highfield to see if he had any info and he thinks that it is highly unlikely about Molly, and that females have a male sexual organ but it is smaller.. an easy mistake to make, so not sure what to think now. When I picked her up from the vet last night, they said that I have a very special tortoise and Molly had caused quite alot of interest!!! But for me I am just happy that Molly is OK, It was just that I wanted to understand it better if she was a hermaphridite. My poor little love has had some prodding since she came out of hibernation!! hopefully things run abit smoother.

So not sure whether to put this to bed now?
TFYH
Jane

Thanks Jane

The server has been down this morning so perhaps that's why your mail didn't get through.  To be honest I am with AH on this one.  Have you seen any photos of  male tortoise sex organs.  Nina has some lovely ones so I am sure when she reads this message she will post them for you to have a look at     .

Helen

Hi Helen
Yes I think so too, it would have been really rare. It really took me off guard yesterday and the vets excitement was infectious. Sonja the vet does seem to know quite alot about torts, but on reading her profile she has an interest in exotics and has 2 torts herself, not quite in the callibre of AH and yourselves.. Good news for Molly really and I am just glad it was not a prolapse.. feel bit of a lemon now

Thanks
Jane

Hi Jane,

Are you sitting down? Here are some photos and a video of the sex organ of the male tortoise (not for the faint hearted). Sorry I can't post live links, but you can cut and paste:
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/7963994

and this

http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2007/04/terrifying_sex_organs_of_male.php

And finally, this (be prepared to be amazed)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jA7m7QEo2s

Nina

Hi Nina

Well after  my exclaimation of Goodness me!!! and utter disbelief, I really didn't see anything like that from Molly. The end that came down was similar but on a very small scale in comparison, it looked like the back passage had fallen down, which is why I thought it was a prolapse.  
Well that certainly was an education and something I have never seen before. It was good for the learning curve though. Boy am I learning, makes me realise how much I don't know!! Thank you sooo much guys for your help and guidance, I feel so thankful that I was directed to the TPG site you are teaching me so much, with a little help from Molly!!

Jane