Brazilian locale Pictorial / Tutorial

Redfoot NERD

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10 Year Member!
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This is my humble attempt to show pics and info about the infamous Brazilian Redfoot tortoise.

Some info may be questionable.. this is not posted for debate. One of my one-liners:

We may all have differences of opinions.. but we don't have different facts!

Additions to this on my site are always welcome.. send your pics to - [email protected]
See here - https://turtletary.com/brazil.html

Brazilian Redfoot Tortoises
*****

Extensive tutorial of Brazilian locale redfoot tortoises.
Although I don't keep / breed them anymore...
here's what it once was!
( note dates in pics )

First things first.. about the 'infamous' "Cherryhead" tortoise!!!
Named by the 'first' importers - late 80's early '90's - as the:
"DWARF Paraguayan Cherryhead Tortoise"!
A name that has haunted the redfoot community since!


First of all it is a .carbonaria [ redfoot ] just like every other locale
redfoot tortoise!
Nothing special or rare about them other than some are very red
and have different 'carapace/plastron' patterns during different stages
of development -- just like every other locale of redfoot tortoise!
Colombians are all "yellow"-- Bolivians are "peach/orange" and HUGE!
Unfortunately when they were first imported from
Paraguay.. [ because Brazil was closed for exportation..
they were smuggled into Paraguay ] they came in as young adults -
males were showing beginnings' of 'concave plastrons' at only 6" SCL.
Nothing "DWARF" / Cherryhead about them.. they were just smaller and redder
than those they had imported from Guyana / Suriname for decades before.

My alpha male was a solid 10" SCL at 10 years old - still young!

++++

There reportedly is a small pocket of "Dwarf's" out there - very unlikely their
blood-line is to be found! She is right at 8" SCL .. shown digging a nest!
These pics are from Oct. 2007 -

ttDwarfFNesting.jpg


ttDwarfFtaped.jpg


In over 20 years have not seen 'any' that come close to that small!!!
++++
"Comparisons"
...
One of the differences of the Brazilian locale is the 'bulbous' nose!
Compared to 'Northern' locale..

tt1FBcompnoses.jpg


If yours does not have a 'fat' nose.. it is NOT pure Brazilian!

Another thing is - 'on the average' - in their 2nd year.. the carapace
starts to "marble" - sometimes they are 'extreme' -- but usually it
fades after 2 years.. however sometimes it lasts much longer.
One of my hatchlings just shy 2 yrs. old -

ttMarbled.jpg


And a few from other breeders -

tt1RFDRMarble3.jpg


And the 'extreme' !

tt1RFDRMarble4.jpg


I suspect this one is 4+ yrs. old.. at least.

These 3pics are from 'old' friend that sent the two hatchlings [ below ]..
in early 2005 - that grew up to be outstanding males!
( thank you CM )


tt1A%20Carls1.jpg


tt1A%20Carls2.jpg


tt1A%20Carls4.jpg


I imagine that 'marbling' stayed for a long while!!!
++++

My FIRST young Adult Brazilian ever was in Sept. 2005.. a real stud at shy 7" SCL -
showing the remains of carapace 'marbling' and fantastic plastron
'marbling'! He was just showing plastron concavity!

tt1st%20BR%20Male.jpg


ttA%20CHERRY%20L.jpg


ttA%20CHERRY%20P.jpg


My very first Adult Brazilian female was acquired a few months later .. in Jan. 2006 -

tt1st%20BR%20Female.jpg


She was 10" SCL and had that beautiful 'marbled' plastron -

tt1AbigRED.jpg


tt1AbigRED2.jpg


++++

Alpha Male at 5+ yrs. old -

tt1AlphaMRF.jpg


At about 7 yrs. old he had grown to a solid 10" SCL..

tt1Alpha%20MALE%20BR.jpg


++++

Alpha Female nesting inside..

tt122910BRNEST.jpg


Seen here in the 'nesting-trance' -

tt122910BRTrance.jpg


And the results!

ttBlackCherry%20clutch.jpg


"Repositioning" eggs while nesting outside -

ttBREggPostion.jpg


And a favorite shot of them both outside -

ttBRPAIR912.jpg


tt1st2011nest.jpg


Have always wondered why the males would get in the females' face..
while they were nesting?

They made some very unique babies!!!
This "Red" male and "Orange" female made a few of these..
I called them "BlackBR" -

tta3rdBBRlc.jpg


tt2ndBC710ProfileFoot.jpg


tt1st13BRRF.jpg



This is a prime example of the color variations among the Brazilian locale.
Have always wondered if the vast differences of 'flora' throughout
Brazil make a difference?
NOT ALL Brazilians are "cherry-red" as some may have thought!

++++

A variety of early and late... kept over a decade!


An 'old' friend sent me these two in May 2005 at 2+ months old -

tt1stSTRAWBERRY%20FOR%20TWO.JPG


And those 'noses'!

tt1FB2CHERRY%20NOSES.jpg


They both grew to be males!

At 9 months -

tta9monthBR.jpg


3 +/- years old - notice how smooth they've grown!
[ see the Caresheet that created them HERE ]

tt1CarlsPairFeb08.jpg


tt1FBBR6inP.jpg


tt1CarlsBRRP.jpg


Great blood-line!!!
Perfect growth!

4 yrs 7 mos here!

ttperfect%20maleBR.jpg



++++

Early pic of outdoor habitat.. planted
with 'Rose-of-Sharon' that created a mix of "forest"
and "savannah" to escape into or browse -


tt1BRSideJune2008.jpg


A rare shot of them in the sun!!!

tt1Basking%20CHERRYS.jpg


"SPECIALS"

A 'friend' from Rio de Janeiro .. sent pics of this 'special'..
note the color / pattern on the neck of this nesting female!


ttRIO%20Redfoot.jpg


And this female raised from a yearling sent by Yvonne G / TFO -
love the head-leg colors and neck patterns also!

ttFranksBRMay2008RPro.jpg


ttFranksBRMay2008LPro.jpg


I knew when I first saw this one.. that 'she' was "Special"!!!

ttOrngBRFRProfile.jpg


What a plastron !

ttOrngBRFLP.jpg


ttOrngBRFRC.jpg


Of course the female that created the 2 males from CM -

ttCARLsgirl.jpg


[ the hatchlings from 2005 were not from this nesting ]
 

Relic

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Joined
Sep 8, 2018
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Wowzaa! It took me nearly 10 minutes to save all the photos for future reference. Thanks a bunch!
 

marktionson

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Joined
Aug 25, 2020
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Philippines
Love the post super informative! Just wanted to ask, in your years of experience with cherryheads, is there any contributing factor to make them marble more (e.g. humidity at >80% all the time, less outdoor exposure, diet, etc)? Or maybe there’s a pattern on the husbandry of cherryheads with extreme marbling? I have a year old cherryhead and I was really hoping for him to develop that nice marbling in his carapace. Thanks a lot!
 

Redfoot NERD

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10 Year Member!
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@marktionson - FIRST OF ALL .. GET THAT "MAKES-ME-WANT-TO-VOMIT" name out of your being!!! I don't
care if that's all you know --- why didn't you read the intro ?
I have no years with 'C**********' .. however I have seen a few BRAZILIANS and have been able to glean info
from a few others over the years!
Like every other locale .. they all have characteristics that vary - some have it and some don't. Some tend to
be darker than others.. based on sun exposure outdoors(?) - but that can't mean much because .carbonaria are not "baskers' - [ even tho' some claim they do -- it most likely is because someone lied and told them redfoots need
a cool and warm side to their environment.. and they spend more time under the light trying to warm up! ].

Your blood-line may have 'marbling' or it may not - concentrate on the proper care "first-and-foremost" --
KEEP ALL 4 PARAMETERS IN BALANCE and most likely he will start to marble sometime in the next year.
 

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