Help identify tortoise species
- Thread starter NaviCheerios
- Start date
That is a hingeback tortoise. Genus Kinixys Would need more pictures - front feet, bottom, good overhead with cleaned shell to really tell the species. Looks like K. belliana from what I see.
NaviCheerios
New Member
Thanks, unfortunately I don’t yet have the tortoise, so it will have to wait a few weeks until the school is out. Any feedback on the features in this pic? I can also post other older pics but most are from above
NaviCheerios
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Most likely it is a Bell's (as Mark said) or a Speke's Hingeback Tortoise. Care for both species is very much the same.
They eat a varied diet of vegetable matter and greens as well as some live foods. My hingeback tortoises liked thawed frozen mixed vegetables, mushrooms, mealworms, earthworms, Gainesburgers (an old dog food --- not sure if those are even made today), and some pieces of different fruits every so often.
Note that I am NOT a believer that tortoises should not eat fruit. I kept tortoises for 60+ years and fed them as much fruit as I had available at various times of the year. I have bred many species successfully and never had any problems from feeding them all sorts of fruits. As long as the fruit is part of a good varied diet and is not fed in gross excess, there are no problems with feeding it in my experience.
They eat a varied diet of vegetable matter and greens as well as some live foods. My hingeback tortoises liked thawed frozen mixed vegetables, mushrooms, mealworms, earthworms, Gainesburgers (an old dog food --- not sure if those are even made today), and some pieces of different fruits every so often.
Note that I am NOT a believer that tortoises should not eat fruit. I kept tortoises for 60+ years and fed them as much fruit as I had available at various times of the year. I have bred many species successfully and never had any problems from feeding them all sorts of fruits. As long as the fruit is part of a good varied diet and is not fed in gross excess, there are no problems with feeding it in my experience.
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What size space are you planning on keeping it in, in your classroom? They cannot be kept in a fish tank or those commercially sold "tortoise houses." Lots of people DO keep them in those, but they are not appropriate for them, and classrooms are often the worst for teaching people that this is OK (I say this coming from someone who works for schools).
Please take a look at this article, but unless you can give it at least 4' x 8' to allow it proper space to walk around (and honestly that species might need larger, I'm not sure), please reconsider...
tortoiseforum.org
Please take a look at this article, but unless you can give it at least 4' x 8' to allow it proper space to walk around (and honestly that species might need larger, I'm not sure), please reconsider...
Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
tortoiseforum.org
NaviCheerios
New Member
What size space are you planning on keeping it in, in your classroom? They cannot be kept in a fish tank or those commercially sold "tortoise houses." Lots of people DO keep them in those, but they are not appropriate for them, and classrooms are often the worst for teaching people that this is OK (I say this coming from someone who works for schools).
Please take a look at this article, but unless you can give it at least 4' x 8' to allow it proper space to walk around (and honestly that species might need larger, I'm not sure), please reconsider...
Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
Thank you!What size space are you planning on keeping it in, in your classroom? They cannot be kept in a fish tank or those commercially sold "tortoise houses." Lots of people DO keep them in those, but they are not appropriate for them, and classrooms are often the worst for teaching people that this is OK (I say this coming from someone who works for schools).
Please take a look at this article, but unless you can give it at least 4' x 8' to allow it proper space to walk around (and honestly that species might need larger, I'm not sure), please reconsider...
Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
I am not the owner, rather the caregiver for the long summer. It belongs to the teacher and they do have an enclosure for it (glass tank) in the classroom.
However, I am planning to create an appropriate larger indoor and outdoor space for it while it stays at my home. There is only so much I can control, however I am hoping to give it a good summer
Thank you all for the good feedback and resources. I am happy to have joined the community.
Thank you for trying to take good care of it, but that makes me so sad. Yet more generations of kids learning that they way to 'properly' take care of a tortoise is, in essence, a torture chamber. Perhaps you can pass along the link to the teacher who is keeping it.
The beak and claws look long so it may be an idea to suggest it gets a manicure if you have a reptile shop near by they may be able to help. A nice thing to do is to give it a warm shallow soak in a high sided container 2 or 3 times a week this allow it to hydrate and gives a bit of exercise and poo and wee. Ensure even it is outside it is protected and safe from any dogs, cats etc... Once you get it share pics and enjoy looking after it this summer. I think it is going to have a fab summer holiday!
Definitely not K. belliana.
Bill, not a K. belliana. Looks like a spekii at best. Could be a K. nogueyi. We need to know how many toenails it has on its front feet.
I believe you have a Kinixys spekii, but I need to know how many toenails this animal has on each of its front legs to confirm that identification. Thanks!
NaviCheerios
New Member
Thanks for the info. The tortoise has 4 toenails in the front , although it is missing one in one paw and it has another overgrown snagged one on the rear. Definitely going to get it to a shop for some trimming of beak and nails.
Could you post photos of each of the front feet that show this detail? It's really important for us to determine what species it is. Also, do I understand that its a class pet that you will be caring for during the summer break? Thanks! -Tom
