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Red-legged tortoise

The red-footed tortoise is found in the southern tip of Central America, as well as in north-central South America, including Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Sulname.

Basic introduction

Family name

Tortoise family

Chinese name

Red-legged tortoise

Family and genus classification

Turtle and turtle order; Suborder suborder of sub-necked turtles; Turtle family; Tortoiseidae; Giant tortoise genus; Red-legged tortoise

scientific name

Geochelonecarbonaria

Genus name

Geochelone

Feeding habits

Feeds on grasses, succulent fruits, and dead animal carcasses.

distribution

South America (Panama, Colombia, Venezuela to Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina).

Morphological characteristics

The maximum nail length is 51 cm. The dorsal carapace is black, the central part of each scale is yellow, and the central part of the dorsal carapace is bee-shaped - meaning that the center is tapered, especially in male adult turtles, and the tips of the scales of the limbs are bright red.

Habits

Inhabits tropical savannahs or humid forests.

The red-legged tortoise is one of the eight continent tortoises, it is a very suitable turtle to raise, especially suitable for small children, he is one of the few extremely intelligent turtles with high interaction and has the advantage of growing to a considerable size in a very short time. They can grow into adulthood within 15 years. Although red-legged turtles are not difficult to raise, they are suitable for beginner turtles. But in fact, it is rare to see turtle friends raising red legs, the reason is because the price is very high, the current price of red legs 8~12cm in Taiwan is about 6000~8000, while the red legs in the United States are about 150 US dollars. This South American tortoise is very common in pet stores abroad and is the most popular among novice tortoises, but it is far less common at the moment.

Morphological characteristics

Red legs have a large yellow head and orange~red limbs and tail. The shell is slightly dark brown, and the central part of the shield is slightly yellow. The front legs have sharp scales that are dark red. Red-headed elephants are bright orange or cherry red (this is a species from Paraguay and Argentina) with spots or markings, and they do not grow very large, usually up to 40-50 cm. Southern varieties are swollen and bulbous around the nostrils. Adult males will grow up to an average of 50 centimeters, slightly larger than females. Males have concave ventral carapaces, like other tortoises, and have lower, flatter and more pronounced hourglass-shaped carapaces. When the tortoiseshell is larger than 30 cm, most specimens have a dumbbell-like shape with the two central parts of the dorsal carapace slightly concave, but this is not the case in all specimens, and the reason for this is unknown. Red Leg is territorially conscious, but in the wild, Red Leg can share its territory with Yellow Leg. Because both are found in tropical forests, in Suriname there are forests and open meadows (made by humans), and the red leg is able to walk out of the forest into artificial meadows. The yellow-legged tortoise just stays alone in the forest. The mature body size of males is about 30cm, the mature body size of females is about 28~29cm, and the male turtles are larger, and the largest individual found in the wild is 44.4cm. The characteristics of male tortoises are also not much different from other tortoises, the tail is thick and long, the abdominal carapace is concave, and the red-legged tortoise is special in that the mature red-legged tortoise male tortoise will have depressions on both sides of the carapace, so it is also called narrow-waisted tortoise, but a few female tortoises will also have this phenomenon. Red-legged tortoises are widely distributed, according to the different geographical environment, so the external shape and body size or adaptability are also different, basically even the probability of difference between red-legged tortoises in the same place is also high, but there is no distinction between subspecies, generally known as the red-legged tortoise produced in Paraguay, the head and limbs are redder, and the dorsal carapace is quite beautiful with white spots, the English name is (CherryHeadRedFootTortoise) cherry-colored red-legged tortoise, which is called cherry red legs in ChinaThe body size is also smaller than that of the general red-legged tortoise, and the mature body length is about 15~20cm.

Existential threats

Red-legged tortoises have also been found on several Caribbean islands, but it is thought that this species was introduced as a convenient food source in the 17th century. In each of the countries where they are located, the biggest threat to the survival of red-legged tortoises is overhunting by humans. In their country, red-footed tortoises are commonly hunted as a source of food. The red-legged tortoise is considered a "fish" by the Catholic denomination, and during Holy Week, the red-legged tortoise is eaten in large quantities. Red-legged tortoises are collected in large quantities and transported to many different South American cities to be sold as a delicacy. The fact that the red-footed tortoise is able to tolerate long periods of lack of food and water is another different evolutionary advantage, but also makes transportation for this species simple and profitable. The widespread loss of habitat and harassment is another threat to the red-footed tortoise. Although red-legged tortoises have been observed to continue to live on land converted to agriculture, their density has been greatly reduced compared to their original habitat in nature. Red-footed tortoises that live on agricultural land are easy to spot, and such a high catch rate may explain this difference. Pet trade exports pose a much less threat to red-legged tortoises than hunting or habitat loss, but it also has a negative impact on them. The natural history of the red-legged tortoise provides two areas of concern, namely the effects of overhunting and habitat loss on this species, and captivity and breeding.

History of the turtle species

The red-legged tortoise is a medium-sized breed. Male red-legged tortoises have larger dorsal carapace length and weight than females, but are not wider or taller. Like other tortoise species, the male red-legged tortoise has a sunken ventral carapace. When the red-legged tortoise matures, both male and female individuals develop a distinctive contraction of the mid-body segment, and when viewed from above, the red-legged tortoise has a distinct hourglass shape. It is more pronounced in male turtles. Adult females have longer and wider tails. The red-legged tortoise undergoes a period of color change during its regrowth and development. The dorsal carapace of the baby turtle is light yellow or, and the brown or black markings on it gradually increase as they grow. The dorsal carapace of the adult body is brown or black-brown with a base color. While red-legged tortoises are typically found in relatively dry grassland and forested areas, this breed is also found in humid forest environments. There are some different opinions on which habitat is their first choice. Red-legged tortoises prefer grasslands and dry forested areas, and probably only a handful prefer rainforest habitats. But other writers claim or suggest that moist forests are the preferred habitat. Red-legged tortoises are reported to be mainly grass-fed in the wild, but also eat small amounts of animal food such as carrion. Red-legged tortoises are active during the rainy season at the beginning of the breeding season. The male red-legged tortoise gets involved in a fight, and the male competitor will try to knock the opponent over. Some breeds that artificially exist in male fights have evolved larger males because larger males have a higher chance of winning the contest in order to mate with females, thus transferring their large size to their offspring. In their natural habitat, mating occurs after the rainy season, from July to September, with litters ranging from 5-15 eggs. The red-legged tortoise, as well as many other breeds of road ghosts, mature slowly, so they will not reach maturity after a few years. This factor, combined with the relatively low number of larvae, led to a decline in the population as a whole. While the red-legged tortoise is not currently listed as endangered, it may become a reality in the near future if the rate of hunting and habitat loss remain at current levels.

Breed differentiation

In the initial impression, Red-legged resembles a yellow-legged tortoise in appearance. They can be distinguished by the color of their front legs, which is where their name comes from. But these are changeable and not very stable. In short, when the yellow legs of the juvenile are viewed from above, only a small number of large snout plates can be seen, while the left and right prefrontal skins located in the back are slender and larger than the snout plates. On the brown dorsal armor, the central part of each scale is yellow. The surrounding area is dark, and the front legs have thick, sharp scales, which are royal brown and the same as the head. Each scale on the back of the red leg is yellow in the center, but it is dark black except for the yellow. When adult, yellow-legged individuals are larger than red-legged individuals, and the carapace is convex in the center, which is the exact opposite of red-legged. The red-legged tortoise and the yellow-legged tortoise are quite widely distributed, and most of the distribution areas overlap, and the habits and feeding habits are also similar, but the distribution area of the red-legged tortoise is quite different, from the humid rainforest to the dry savannah area, while the yellow-legged tortoise is confined to the rainforest, in contrast, the red-legged tortoise is stronger than the yellow-legged tortoise, and is more adaptable to a wider range of temperature and humidity. In the wild, red-legged tortoises commonly consume grasses, fruits, mushrooms, vines, brightly coloured flowers and carrion animals. This means that the red-legged tortoises that are bred in captivity can eat a wide range of foods, but it should be noted that the tortoises are purely herbivorous, although some tortoise species from pure tropical areas tend to eat omnivorous, but plant food is their staple food, so please do not feed too much animal protein food, such as remember to supplement D3 calcium when feeding. Artificially bred red-legged tortoises have a suitable temperature of about 20~29 degrees, and it is best to place drinking basins and soaking basins in the environment.

Turtle species characteristics

temperature

This turtle comes from a very warm climate and should never be allowed to hibernate. If the temperature is kept at 24 to 30 degrees throughout the year, they will be fine. However, it is necessary to provide an area with a constant temperature of 26 to 29 degrees so that the turtle can regulate the temperature of its body. They should be kept indoors, and in summer they can stay outdoors unless the temperature is over 38 degrees or below 21 degrees. They can tolerate a range of temperature changes, but this is not suitable for young turtles and can also cause respiratory diseases. Their temperature requirements are actually not very high, but it is best to provide a stable warm temperature, and for the humidity to be above 70%, it is better to keep it high than low. The basin is very important for red legs, and they need to drink water, but they also need to take a bath, especially once every few days. Since they come from areas with high humidity, they always seem to be prone to dehydration, even when serving moist food, they need water so much. They will always lie in the water as if they will never get up, don't worry, that's exactly what they do.

Sunlight

Draw the spectrum from sunlight to produce vitamin D, which is required by all tortoises. Red legs are not required for this aspect of the requirement but by no means unnecessary, at least 15 minutes a day, to provide shelter so as to avoid the transition of the body temperature is even high, it does not have to be in the sun, the sunlight in the scattering will also be beneficial to the turtle.

food

Redlegs eat a wider and more diverse diet than any tortoise in existence today. Its food list includes the following: all fruits and vegetables, fresh or cooked, lean eggs, canned dog food when wet, and dry cat and dog food. Fruits include apples, pears, peaches, apricots, bananas, grapes, papayas, cantaloupe, watermelons and other melons, and the skins of apples and pears should be included. Vegetables can be fresh, or fresh frozen, or old, they are best green vegetables, carrots (boiled), tomatoes and other daily life can be provided, although the old vegetables are more sewn but good for the stomach of turtles. Feeding can be at any time, during the day, at night, or at night with other factors such as warming, etc., as this turtle has a great appetite. In the forest habitat, the redlegs eat the fruits that fall, they also eat wild mushrooms, vines, grasses, succulents and carrion. Baby turtles eat about the same food as adult turtles. But these are its wild eating habits, and most turtles in the wild will bulge their backs, so it needs to be varied in home breeding to feed well, and plants are the main food. Red legs prefer fruits, vegetables and meat more than grasses and plants, but grasses and plants are usually rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, so usually vegetables, fruits and alfalfa, alfalfa, grass and other high-calcium plants into cabbage, mustard buds, mulberry leaves, dandelions, etc. This is something that most tortoises should avoid, while red-legged can be eaten occasionally, and others crawl from special vitamins and minerals casually, once a month or can never be fed. Cuttlefish bones can provide red legs, let him grind it, otherwise the terrarium decorations will be gnawed when he is hungry. All foods given to red-legged larvae should be cut into edible sizes and mixed with harder foods such as carrots.

break bread

1. Vegetables - 85%, mustard greens, beets, cress, cabbage, celery, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, radish, mulberry leaves, rose petals, hibiscus, beans, lentils, corn, and some others such as long beans, sweet melons, sweet potatoes, etc.

2. Fruits - 10%, grapes, pears, apples, peaches, pineapples, cherries, mangoes, papayas, any kind of melons, bananas, tomatoes, figs, watermelons, mulberries, nectarines, etc.

3. Highly concentrated animal protein - less than 5%, turtle feed, ground beef, dry dog feed and sardines can also be provided, boiled eggs with shells (it is recommended not to connect shells, it is easy to scratch the stomach). It is important to note that vegetables with too much water such as Chinese cabbage or cabbage, or papaya can cause diarrhea, and they should not eat human staple foods such as rice and flour, and rotten fruits can also cause them to get sick, so they should not be served as food. Omnivorous reptile feeds can be provided, as they usually contain a balanced amount of nutrients and calcium, vitamins, and try to supply a variety of foods that are the right way to feed them.

reproduction

Red legs have the ability to spawn at any time of the year, there are a batch of red legs are artificially bred in Kansascity, the warm climate is stocked outdoors, and moved indoors when it is cold, usually from October to April of the following year, spawning for seven consecutive years, that is, because red legs may spawn in all seasons of the year, so they must always prepare a place to lay eggs so that they can lay eggs smoothly, a space for spawning must be a little higher humidity and peat soil and mousse, sand mixed substrate, THE SIZE OF THE CHAMBER IS ABOUT 1.2×1.2×0.6M, AND THE SUBSTRATE MUST BE AT LEAST 50 CM DEEP, AND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT AT LEAST ONE MALE RED LEG CAN ENTER, AND THE COMPETITION BETWEEN MALES CAN STIMULATE THEIR REPRODUCTION. The competition between males begins with nodding and intimidation, and then begins to try to knock each other over in a manner similar to wrestling, and the winning party (usually the larger one) begins to exhibit courtship movements, and the male red legs will nod their heads to get the approval of the female turtles, but the yellow legs that are close to the blood do have another kind of head courtship action, and the head courtship of the red legs is relatively close to horizontal flirting, which is a little different from the yellow legs directly on the side of the female turtle. The male red-legged turtle will follow the female turtle to observe each other until the female turtle accepts their pursuit, the male turtle's special shell shape is to help them balance their center of gravity when mating, and when the female turtle tries to leave, the female turtle will generally keep moving, sometimes taking the male turtle into the bushes. Environment: Two bath lamps with a red light and a warm blanket at night, the bottom is heated and bathed and warmed, which is perfect enough, a water basin, a plant (to ensure that the turtle is okay after eating by mistake) for shelter, and a turtle nest for night, the turtle nest should be removed during the day, otherwise the turtle will become lazy during the day and hide in it all day, although it does not sleep but will pretend to sleep. The terrarium should be provided as large as possible, and the material should be made of wood, which is well ventilated and ventilated.

Environmental design

Some people suspect that the red leg is a turtle with high humidity and is afraid that the wooden turtle box will be moldy, but in fact, the only way to get moldy is to soak in water, so the humidity of 80% has no effect on the turtle box at all, and the best substrate for raising red legs is wood, and the box just provides this. The soil that has been planted is very good, if you are not afraid of trouble. They can be kept with other aggressive turtles because they are interested in anything that crawls. If you raise red legs and yellow legs at the same time, you will find that red legs are active and curious, but they are not as aggressive as yellow legs. Key points of red leg feeding: 1. Humidity; 2. Temperature; 3. Sunlight; 4. Eat small meals frequently; 5. Take a bath often.

The first humidity: because the red-legged turtle is a forest tortoise so it needs to be high humidity, when raising a basin of water that can immerse the whole turtle, if you see it drink water for a long time, don't be scared, he~ because every red-legged is like this, as if it is always thirsty.

Second temperature: The red-legged turtle can actually survive more than ten degrees, but if you have the ability to increase its temperature, of course it is the best, and the electric blanket and day and night lights are good choices.

Third sunshine: Almost every species of turtle needs sunlight, and red legs are no exception.

Fourth, eat a small amount of food: put it a few times and don't eat too much, they will rest for a while when they are full.

Fifth, take a bath often: Just like the first point, and always keep it tidy is one of the secrets of turtle health.

Feeding settings

When tortoises are still small, they can be reared in wooden boxes, which should be 7-10 times larger than the carapace of the tortoise. In terms of substrates, you can use natural turf (artificial turf is not recommended) to compact the soil, reptile substrates (plant-based reptile substrates), such as tree bark and even newspapers (ideal for young turtles). Tortoises also need space to move around, so make sure they move in a firm space and soft soil, as slippery tiles or smooth wooden floors are considered bad substrates. Diurnal reptiles need sunlight, at least 15 minutes of sunshine per day (preferably in the early morning or after the afternoon), of course, you can also use a special UVB-containing artificial light source, the best distance of this light edge is almost 30 cm, this is so that reptile cells can synthesize D3 to absorb calcium. LACK OF SUNLIGHT OFTEN LEADS TO OSTEOPOROSIS AND METABOLIC, BONE, DIEASE (MOD) SCABIES. They also need a heat source, which is best done by preparing a hot stone for reptiles (but most people don't recommend it because it can cause the turtle to tip over) and a heating pad. Tortoises in captivity cannot be bred without a heat source (generally red legs will be recommended to be set between 22 and 30, and the humidity is about 60 or 90 according to Taiwan's normal), except for environments similar to native places and areas that are warm enough. When the tortoise is more than 15CM large, it is generally better to breed outdoors, such as a garden, etc., the ground is best a natural grass or a floor without any harmful substances, the space must be raised in a day for a few hours can be projected by the sun, but also need to prepare some shelter for them to hide, similar to a cave or a small bush, tortoises usually find a place to shade or a safe place to sleep, and it is worth noting that too deep pools or small lakes will make them drown. If you have been using an artificial environment to raise female turtles, it is very important to help them design an environment where they can dig and lay eggs, if they have not been able to find a place to lay eggs, the eggs stuck in their bodies are likely to cause them to die, on the other hand, prepare shallow basins of water for them to drink or bathe, but pay attention to always keep the water clean, remember to always clean the container and food fresh, clean the substrate at least three times a week.

Artificial incubation

Female turtles that are about to lay eggs are usually less rested, feel more restless, and keep walking around to find a suitable place to lay eggs, and after a few days they will have signs of preparing to lay eggs, and begin to dig near the place where they feel ideal, at this time, you can observe and determine the location of their eggs, so that when they finish laying eggs can they find eggs and bring them back to artificial incubation, after laying eggs, the female turtle will cover the eggs. A female turtle will lay about 1~9 eggs, some larger female turtles may lay 15 eggs at a time, red legs are usually divided into several eggs to lay in a year, after removing the eggs, with vermiculite to bury the eggs half-buried, the ratio of vermiculite and water is about 1 to 1, some breeders will also be the original place of laying eggs as a hatching place until the climate is no longer suitable for hatching before moving to the artificial incubator. On the other hand, it is worth noting that do not change the direction of the eggs, which will seriously affect the hatching ratio, in the records Marchellini and Davis (1982) have turned the direction of the eggs, resulting in a very low hatching rate, each breeder has different sources, but try not to move the direction and number of times the eggs are the same principle, in addition, do not place the eggs in a closed container, high concentrations of carbon dioxide will cause necrosis of the eggs. It is maintained at 80,100% humidity. Open the incubator at least once a week to let oxygen in, red legs are determined by the temperature of the sex, above 31 degrees for the female, below 28 degrees for the male, too high temperature will also cause low hatching, in the incubator temperature setting is usually set to 29 degrees, it is also easier to cause the number of mixed sex individuals, the general incubation time is between 105 ~ 202 days, the average is about 150 days. In the broken shell of the hatchlings, there will be a few days to grow by absorbing their own egg yolk, some of the hatchlings after the successful shell will even carry the egg yolk, it is necessary to simply help them remove the egg shell on the egg yolk to disinfect (you can use normal salt water) It is best to put them in the original hatching place, maintain the same bottom before they can absorb the egg yolk themselves, the feeding method of the young turtle has been explained above, but it is worth noting that the high humidity and shallow water basin give