Please help my Asian box turtle

[Camille sy]

Could you please identify what's that below my turtle chin? The 2 dots. I don't know what specific specie he is. But I know he is a box turtle. An Asian box turtle. I am from Asia and most vet clinic aren't immensely knowledgeable of reptiles but more on dogs and cats. Thank you for reply. Hope to hear from anyone soon!

 

[TammyJ]

Hi there! Someone with knowledge will soon be along to help you with this!

More pics at different angles would help, also information about how he is kept and how long you had him etc.

 

[MichaelaW]

Likely Cuora amboinensis, but a few more photos would be helpful.

 

[Camille sy]

It was a gift from a patient to our facility. But our office can't keep him so I kept him at home. He is roughly 5 years now kept in water in a tub that is changed Everytime he is fed. Or when after eating he poops. Around 2x a day. He eats pellets, cabbage green leaves, carrots squash fish. He eats a lot. His home got bigger and bigger as he grew older. He seldom gets real sunshine as if he is kept outside, rats might eat him. So he is kept inside. I watch him sunbathe from time to time esp on weekends and let him play outside. But most of the time he is inside the house.

 

[TammyJ]

Can we see his full picture carapace up?
I would like to see if his plastron is actually digging into his neck when his head is retreated.
I think you need to ensure that he gets his correct amount of UV light for basking, one way or another or he will begin to have health issues.
So gorgeous.

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't know what those bumps are. Let's send a shout-out to some of the folks who know these tortoises:

@cdmay @tortadise

 

[Markw84]

Nothing to worry about. Those are the chin glands particularly evident in males around breeding time. Same as our desert tortoises have. The family Geoemydidae have those glands. Cuoroa is part of that family.

 

[teresaf]

Nothing to worry about. Those are the chin glands particularly evident in males around breeding time. Same as our desert tortoises have. The family Geoemydidae have those glands. Cuoroa is part of that family.

Should this box turtle be kept in water? I thought box turtles were terrestril?

 

[Markw84]

Should this box turtle be kept in water? I thought box turtles were terrestril?

Cuoroa are much more aquatic than our US box turtles. The will probably spend over 50% of their time in the water if given the choice. I would give them a land area they can climb onto as well as deeper water.

 

[Camille sy]

I'll find a better carpace view but for the meantime that's the one I have. Thank you so much for your reply. Since I cant let him out of the house , I built a turtle table yesterday. I'm a girl and I made a table for him thinking that lack of sun may cause that 2 dots on his chin. His name is Freddie. I take him to photoshoots at time.

 

[cdmay]

Nothing to worry about. Those are the chin glands particularly evident in males around breeding time. Same as our desert tortoises have. The family Geoemydidae have those glands. Cuoroa is part of that family.

Yep. Agree. Hard to say for sure but it appears to be a nice looking C. amboinensis. They do indeed like to have access to shallow water.

 

[teresaf]

I'll find a better carpace view but for the meantime that's the one I have. Thank you so much for your reply. Since I cant let him out of the house , I built a turtle table yesterday. I'm a girl and I made a table for him thinking that lack of sun may cause that 2 dots on his chin. His name is Freddie. I take him to photoshoots at time.

You should never let 'I'm a girl' be an excuse for not knowing since the knowledge on this website is for everyone... That being said....I get ya! ; )

 

[Camille sy]

Yep. Agree. Hard to say for sure but it appears to be a nice looking C. amboinensis. They do indeed like to have access to shallow water.

 

[Camille sy]

The sides of his shell is fat. Seen on the green doted line. His shell isnt dome. He is 5 yo. And i dont know if its natural for that to have curve or he isnt fully grown yet. He has 2 distinctive dots below his chin (with flash and without flash), is it really normal? And. That is his new home its not yet finish . Im still building the roof. He is staying there during the day and inside the house at night.

 

[Camille sy]

it looks like a fat shell and it is not dome. But my greatest concern that bothers me is that 2 dots below his chins. Thanks for thr reply! By the way im taking my licensure to become a nurse so i might not be able to reply immediately. Thank you everyone.

 

[cdmay]

Geez, those bumps resemble bot fly larvae cysts. But as they are symmetrical and located only under the chin I must go with Mark's assessment that they are chin glands. Bot flies typically like to lay their eggs in the armpits of turtles and tortoises.
As for the carapace shape yes, it's lumpy. But what's done is done.
It's still a beautiful animal!
PS...becoming a nurse is awesome. My older sister was an RN for 25 years. Great ER stories...

 

[Camille sy]

Geez, those bumps resemble bot fly larvae cysts. But as they are symmetrical and located only under the chin I must go with Mark's assessment that they are chin glands. Bot flies typically like to lay their eggs in the armpits of turtles and tortoises.
As for the carapace shape yes, it's lumpy. But what's done is done.
It's still a beautiful animal!
PS...becoming a nurse is awesome. My older sister was an RN for 25 years. Great ER stories...

Oh thanks for the info.. but how do you remove those larvae cyst? If they are larvae cyst? How do they get it?

 

[cdmay]

Oh thanks for the info.. but how do you remove those larvae cyst? If they are larvae cyst? How do they get it?

Bot flies are gross little things that inject their eggs into the flesh of other animals (usually horses) where the larvae (= maggots) eat the flesh of the host. Eventually they push themselves out of the host and pupate in the dirt. I've found wild Florida box turtles that were infested with them and they all had swollen little bumps with an air hole that resemble your box turtles chin. Usually in the neck and leg pockets of the turtle.
What I did was bring those turtles home and soak them in water. This cause the maggots to stick their heads out of the holes in the turtle while looking for air. I would then pluck them out with tweezers. I think I pulled 21 maggots out of one box turtle back when I was in school. Trust me, it's gross! But the turtles seem to be able to endure the occasional infestations and I released the box turtles I had found with the larvae and they seemed fine afterwards.
Since your turtle is in the water I sort of doubt that you have a bot fly issue. Besides, you would have more of those places all over the turtle.
As Markw84 said, I tend to think that these are some sort of chin glands of a male Batagurine turtle--although they do appear rather swollen.

 

[Camille sy]

Bot flies are gross little things that inject their eggs into the flesh of other animals (usually horses) where the larvae (= maggots) eat the flesh of the host. Eventually they push themselves out of the host and pupate in the dirt. I've found wild Florida box turtles that were infested with them and they all had swollen little bumps with an air hole that resemble your box turtles chin. Usually in the neck and leg pockets of the turtle.
What I did was bring those turtles home and soak them in water. This cause the maggots to stick their heads out of the holes in the turtle while looking for air. I would then pluck them out with tweezers. I think I pulled 21 maggots out of one box turtle back when I was in school. Trust me, it's gross! But the turtles seem to be able to endure the occasional infestations and I released the box turtles I had found with the larvae and they seemed fine afterwards.
Since your turtle is in the water I sort of doubt that you have a bot fly issue. Besides, you would have more of those places all over the turtle.
As Markw84 said, I tend to think that these are some sort of chin glands of a male Batagurine turtle--although they do appear rather swollen.

Thank you for that detailed information. I cant thank you enough. Will he still grow bigger? Im curious of his shell on how it will look like after growing some more. Thank you cdmay. And markw84.

 

[Markw84]

Those are definitely chin glands. The "older" forms of turtle and tortoises exhibit those glands. Off the top of my head, that would be the family Geoemydidae in turtles, and the genus Gopherus and Manouria in tortoises.

Your turtle may get larger. A 'normal' adult size is 8" but they can grow larger.

Your turtles shell is a bit deformed. Probably from growing up in conditions too dry. That will cause aquatic turtles' shells to flare out more at the margins as yours has. It also can cause a flatter profile and less doming than normal. Metabolic Bone Disease can also cause this more flattened look. Your turtle does not look bad and otherwise should be healthy. Just be sure it has constant access to water so it can swim whenever it wants. It should not be raised without water being at least 50% of its enclosure.