Platysternons

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maroonus

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Hi,

I'm new to the boards here. The main species I work with are Platysternon Megacephalum. They are my favorite turtles.

Anyone else here currently have any Platys?

Thanks,

Mark
 

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Yvonne G

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Hi Mark and welcome to the Forum!

Your pictures are great. You must have a very good camera.

I tried my hand at keeping a chinese big headed turtle many years ago, but sadly, I didn't do right by him and he died.
 

Gerards

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maroonus said:
Hi,

I'm new to the boards here. The main species I work with are Platysternon Megacephalum. They are my favorite turtles.

Anyone else here currently have any Platys?

Thanks,

Mark

Fantastic pictures! They sure are cool turtles, I'm on the mission now.
 

Tom

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Hello and welcome!!! This is my favorite turtle species. I've even done a couple of threads on them here over the years trying to learn more and see if anyone had any. I don't have any now, but I had one back in the early nineties that I absolutely loved. I let him go when I went off to college and had no idea they would become so rare and difficult to get.

Are you breeding them? How many have you got?

Yours is very colorful. Mine was very dark and plain, mostly grayish. No real spots or color at all.

I'd love to see any closure pics and learn anything you can tell us about housing, feeding, etc.
 

maroonus

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Yvonne G said:
Hi Mark and welcome to the Forum!

Your pictures are great. You must have a very good camera.

I tried my hand at keeping a chinese big headed turtle many years ago, but sadly, I didn't do right by him and he died.

Hi Yvonne,

Thanks! Just a simple digital camera:)

The key to keeping them. Is very clean water, not over feeding, variety in diet, lots of space to exercise..they cannot be kept together unless it a huge pond with hiding spaces for each turtle.
And they do like to bask in natural sunlight which keps their colors nice.
 

maroonus

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Gerards said:
maroonus said:
Hi,

I'm new to the boards here. The main species I work with are Platysternon Megacephalum. They are my favorite turtles.

Anyone else here currently have any Platys?

Thanks,

Mark

Fantastic pictures! They sure are cool turtles, I'm on the mission now.
Hi Gerard,
Thanks!
Really enjoy your posts..One of the reasons I signed up here:)
 

maroonus

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Tom said:
Hello and welcome!!! This is my favorite turtle species. I've even done a couple of threads on them here over the years trying to learn more and see if anyone had any. I don't have any now, but I had one back in the early nineties that I absolutely loved. I let him go when I went off to college and had no idea they would become so rare and difficult to get.

Are you breeding them? How many have you got?

Yours is very colorful. Mine was very dark and plain, mostly grayish. No real spots or color at all.

I'd love to see any closure pics and learn anything you can tell us about housing, feeding, etc.

Hi Tom,
I keep mine all single in large Tuff Tubs with areas to bask and Hyacyth plants to hide under..Very simple setups.
Back in the mid 80's I had 30! Wish i had never sold those.


Tom said:
Hello and welcome!!! This is my favorite turtle species. I've even done a couple of threads on them here over the years trying to learn more and see if anyone had any. I don't have any now, but I had one back in the early nineties that I absolutely loved. I let him go when I went off to college and had no idea they would become so rare and difficult to get.

Are you breeding them? How many have you got?

Yours is very colorful. Mine was very dark and plain, mostly grayish. No real spots or color at all.

I'd love to see any closure pics and learn anything you can tell us about housing, feeding, etc.

Forgot to tell you what I feed them: Crayfish (their favorite when I can get them) whole or chopped fish, large minnows, night crawlers and large Zoomed turtle pellets..They love those:) They will eat mice but I avoid that.
 

Benjamin

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Great turtles! Thanks for posting the pics.

I cared for a few many years back at the zoo. Never successful in reproduction. When the only female died there died she had a few ova in her on necropsy. Missed that day of work or I would have tried to incubate them.
 

Tom

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Water temps? Fast moving water? What all do you feed them?

I have six of those tubs. The 3x5' ones right? I use them for soaking my larger tortoises, and collecting rainwater.

30?!?!! Wow. I would have loved to have seen that. Sorry for all the questions, its just pretty unusual to find someone who has them, much less talks about them.

Hey Gerard, do you have this species too? I recall seeing pics a while back... I think. How about you, Anthony?
 

Gerards

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I had a group 8 years ago, my feelings are hurt reading this thread every 5 minutes trying to figure out what I was thinking when they we're let go. I would buy any that become available, right away.
 

maroonus

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Tom said:
Water temps? Fast moving water? What all do you feed them?

I have six of those tubs. The 3x5' ones right? I use them for soaking my larger tortoises, and collecting rainwater.

30?!?!! Wow. I would have loved to have seen that. Sorry for all the questions, its just pretty unusual to find someone who has them, much less talks about them.

Hey Gerard, do you have this species too? I recall seeing pics a while back... I think. How about you, Anthony?

Hi Tom,
They can take low temps down to the 40's but if it drops down to 50 I bring them in. Theyve done fine in higher temps too 80 F but will bring them in during heatwaves..A perfect temp for them is 65-75F.
I feed them crayfish, fish, night crawlers and Zoomed adult aquatic turtle pellets.

Those are the Tubs they sell them at Tractor supply. Mine are unfiltered I just do frequent water changes..have really good well water here. I'm building a greenhouse for them next year.
 

Tom

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So they stay outside in the big tubs with a basking spot during fair weather? What is the indoor set up like?
 

maroonus

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Tom said:
So they stay outside in the big tubs with a basking spot during fair weather? What is the indoor set up like?

Hi Tom,

They are outside (screened in patio area) for about half the year or more. The weather here is really good for them in the warmer months. I keep them indoors in winter in rather plain tubs. That's why I'm building a huge greenhouse for next year.
 

Tom

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Thank you. I look forward to anything else you want to share about them, and of course any more pics.
 

Anthony P

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Tom said:
How about you, Anthony?

No sir, not me. Never worked with them. By the time I really got into the exotics, these guys were already too rich for my blood.

Nothing against Mark, or any others who love this species enough to give them a try, but I try to stick to small, cold tolerant species that are EASY enough to breed. These guys obviously don't fit the latter at all.

As much as I would love Chelus, Carettochelys, Platysternon, Acanthochelys, Platemys, etc., I just hate the idea of spending so much to maybe have breeding success. It's always a crapshoot, but I'd rather try to pay a lot for projects that will probably give me breeding success.

You have to respect those that try it though. It's a high reward thing. I doubt the few people who are breeding rare animals like Chelonoidis, Chelus, or Podocnemis erythrocephala are regretting their decision to do so.

I'm just a chicken :) Not tough like Mark..
 
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