pictures taken sometimes back. i don't have P.sinensis anymore nowadays.





This post has been edited by camillenoir: Aug 16 2007, 09:15 AM

it's a Sternotherus carinatus, Razorback Musk turtle...

anyway nice turtle you have there, in terms of husbandry and size, Razorbacks are very manageable.

well, husbandry literally means the way in which you keep your animals, and it includes caging, lighting, humidity control, substrate, waste management, etc.

as for razorback musk, they require very basic husbandry techniques. they generally stay in water and infrequently bask, so only need a small basking spot and not a full-fledged palludarium setting.

and yup, they are messy eaters, but since they remain small, waste management can be handled by regular filters (doesnt require canisters etc).

the max for razorback is 6", most generally grows up to 5"+

when did u bought the turtle? and what's the size between then and now?

dedicated to turtle lovers .. baby grandis





dedicated to uzairi... big*ss male spiny hill

This post has been edited by camillenoir: Aug 20 2007, 01:59 PM

lotong is leaf monkey LOL..

Callagur borneoensis (painted terrapin) is occasionally referred to as Tuntong Laut. my friend call them tembikai lol...

you referring to Chrysemis picta? i don't know if their tail will actually grow back... plus there's risk of their genitals being cut off with the tails.

addition to the points u guys have discussed: proper basking site, to let the turtles completely dry off both the carapace and plastron.

p/s: i have experimentally raised turtles on Reptomin (as staple) and completely without sunlight, no problem. (not that i encourage doing this)

This post has been edited by camillenoir: Sep 3 2007, 07:34 PM

depends on which turtle you're trying to differentiate...

anyhow, for general sexing purposes:

i) males have concave plastron, females have flat plastron
ii) males have long front nails, females long hind nails
iii) cloaca on males closer on tip of tails, cloaca on females closer to body. males usually have longer tails

(the simple logic for the above traits on males are to help them mount females)

other methods:

i) in most species, females are bigger than males. so if any specimens had already exceeded male size, high probability is female.
example: Star tortoise - males are normally no bigger than 7-8 inch, females get up to 11-12 inch. However in species such as Orlitia borneensis and those from Heosemys genus, males are usually bigger (from experience with H. grandis and H. spinosa)

ii) coloration:
males more often have brighter color, especially during breeding season. Example: male C.borneoensis had solid red 'hat', male B. baska are deep black. Their female counterparts had much duller coloration:

please note that juveniles are usually not sexually dimorphic, so if any seller tells you how to differentiate baby RES through the color of their carapace, please smack them.

fellow forumers please add if i miss out anything.

every now and then, there's still people letting go of invasive species in our waterways...

guys, please inform our friends and families that letting go of foreign species would disrupt local ecosystem, resulting in the loss of local species.

i'll start by putting it in my siggy.

if everyone thinks it's ok then it wouldn't be ok...

nevermindlah, had happened. just don't do it again.

For local species can always release them to the wild; streams, ponds or forest reserve. Not ocean, freshwater creatures could die there. (however, please note that they might have contracted some diseases through contact with human beings, thus can spread them to other animals if they are released in the wild)

Problem is, most keepers don't know which species is local and which is foreign. that is why red-eared sliders had became such a nuisance in Asian waterways, they are more aggressive than most local species, swim better and a lot faster. They compete for food with local species, invade breeding grounds and causing ecological imbalance. As their numbers soar, the number of local species like Malayan boxie dwindled. This disruption had already occured for decades (as proven in todays WC market, in which RES far exceeds any other species), no need for us to add the damages.

chelonian keepers must remember that most turtles/tortoises would probably outlive us, so we have to ensure our kids would take care of them or have to get them adopted to good homes. If they had outgrown their tanks, best way is to buy bigger tank

This post has been edited by camillenoir: Sep 4 2007, 02:18 PM

Still wanna release LOL

find someone to adopt them 1st... releasing to wild won't do any good. no matter if you release in PJ or Penang or Myanmar, they are still not local. Unless release in US.

Europe had already banned RES, but Malaysia so slow in enforcing regulations.

Like uzairi said, not a good place to release them. As they keep all different species together without treating them or quarantining newly acquired animals, diseases and parasites are surely abound. last time i went to Kek Lok Si was about 20 years ago, i don't know the place now. the big chelonian you see there might be Orlitia borneensis, Manouria emys emys or other naturally big chelid, not the same as RES.

I have raised issues on a similar temple at MF last year, namely Sam Poh Tong in Ipoh.

The root of the problem is, people wishing for good things released turtles and tortoises alike in the pond there, indifferent to the fact that they are actually putting the chelonian on lifetime imprisonment or even death sentence. Many elongated tortoises died as a result of being released in ponds, while the emys clings on to life. Others, including endangered species such as Batagur baska and Callagur borneoensis literally live on the little amount of vegetables/bread that visitors bring. Not a good sight...

So the best possible solution is to find somebody to adopt, as not to harm both the turtle and the ecological balance.

that's a beauty.. that size and only one apparent bump at the back..

if things don't work out, you know where to drop the tort LOL....

razorback nicer eh? have you seen this snakeneck?
nowadays the head had change to white while the shell, although getting darker, have started to show more of those patterns (in this picture the shell only have dots)

diamondback terrapin got nice colors... but face real ugly one LOL



last year got diamondback sale for rm250 only, but dunno how to bring back to malaysia

This post has been edited by camillenoir: Sep 10 2007, 07:09 PM

beautiful specimen doesn't suit leslie

razorback musk and diamondback terrapin are two unrelated species... even from different family and genus

depends on what turtle/tortoise u're referring to.. and whether they trust/know you enough to not perceive you as threat.

docile ones like star, redfoot, radiated etc would just let go immediately if they accidentally bite.

res would hold on a bit and cause some pain before letting go. some CB i've adopted would let go immediately if bitten.

snappers would break bone/take meat 1st (and then probably won't let go either).. but i'll leave the practicality to uzairi

usually its the softshells that they refer to as won't let go until thunder... but i'd say they'd just hang on if they don't feel like letting go. the bites i've tasted are from smaller specimens that couldn't grip enough flesh, but then again have lost some skin and blood (and probably meat LOL..)

your razorback, though not inclined to bite, would probably cause bleeding if it bites but nothing serious.

Golden Thread Turtle. Beautiful or Ugly?



She's a god's work tainted with human faults.