Cyclanorbis senegalensis

Senegal Flapshell Turtle

DISTRIBUTION: Senegal SE to Cameroon then E to Sudan.

EMPIRE STOCK: My stock was imported from Ghana, to the best of my knowledge.

SIZE: Medium turtles up to 35 cm.

HABITAT: Found in various bodies of water. 

DIET: I feed of fish and shrimp, which they prefer.

SEXING: Males have longer thicker tails.

BREEDING: I had a female come in gravid. At this point I do not feel any of my specimens are healthy enough to worry about breeding them.

NOTES:

CARE SHEETS: WCT

I hesitate to post pictures of this species as they arrived in rather bad shape. Softshells, as a rule, do not handle the abuse of importation as well as other turtles. The specimens in my collection had to endure further abuse at a wholesalers. I received pictures prior to sending money for them. They were sent the following week and arrived in worse shape than the pictures showed. Apparently the dealer decided to house them together until shipping and they did not get along with each other. I also lost a large female the day after she arrived in a bag that contained a handful of Fire Ants. They were only in the one bag and the ants couldn't get in through any opening, so they had to be in the bag when she was put in. That is the thing about the reptile hobby, it isn't the animals that are slimy, it is some of the people you deal with. Since there are few pictures of this species online I will post some. As they heal, or I get better specimens, I will post more.

Suggested Reading

African Flapshell Turtles: Cyclanorbis and Cycloderma, by Dieter Gramentz. 2008. Edition Chimaira. 191pp. ISBN 978-89973-463-8.