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Acanthochelys spixii
Spiny-necked Turtle DISTRIBUTION: Southern Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina. EMPIRE STOCK: Alleged CBR Uruguay. SIZE: Up to 17 cm SCL. HABITAT: Found in shallow soft-bottomed, heavily vegetated bodies of water. DIET: Mazuri Turtle or Aquamax 500 & 600, chopped or whole fish, shrimp, and earthworms. SEXING: Males have concave plastrons and longer thicker tails with the vent beyond the carapacial rim. BREEDING: Most captives readily produce eggs, but until recent years few keepers outside of Uruguay hatched any. The eggs of this species have an obligatory diapause. The eggs must be cooled prior to incubation. There is not a published standard protocol for these eggs yet, but I suggest trying something in excess of what is recommended for Phrynops hilarii. NOTES: For some time there has only been a single source out of Uruguay for these turtles. CARE SHEETS: CHELODINA |
These are one of my favorite turtles because they are small, cold tolerant, and a little odd looking.
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Suggested Reading Buskirk J. 1991. The Spiny-Neck Turtle (Platemys spixii) in and out off captivity, The Vivarium, 3 (2): 16-17; 30-31. Rhodin, A. G. J., R. R. Silva, R. A. Mittermeier. 1984. Distribution of the South American Chelid Turtles Platemys radiolata and P. spixii. Copeia 1984(3): 780-786. |
