Female Spotted

[Anthony P]

Here's a couple photos of my new female Clemmys guttata. She is very beautiful and active. She goes between wanting to flee and begging for food as soon as she sees me. I find the back and forth quite interesting actually.

She is nice and heavy and is a proven layer as well. Here's hoping for the best.

Thanks for looking,

Anthony

 

[bmt123]

What a beautiful turtle spotteds are next on my wish list.

 

[Anthony P]

Thanks! They are great. There's a reason they are so popular. So hardy, beautiful and small. Doesn't really get much better.

 

[Millerlite]

Def a species I want to work with in the future.


Check out my site and channel:
Www.tortoise-spot.webs.com
Www.youtube.com/tortoisespot

 

[AustinASU]

Never realized how small the hatchlings are....they are about the size of a nickel

 

[Anthony P]

Oh yeah. I was besides myself nervous when I first hatched these because of their size. I had never seen anything so small at that point. My Striped Muds make them look big though.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Oh yeah. I was besides myself nervous when I first hatched these because of their size. I had never seen anything so small at that point. My Striped Muds make them look big though.

Ever seen a 'stinkpot' hatchling????? - half a marble with a head and arms and legs

One of my favorite females from 2004 -





Not to 'over-ride' your thread Anthony.. my F2's -



How long you been keeping C. guttata Anthony?

 

[Anthony P]

Awesome! And just for the record, my thread is your thread!

I have kept guttata since 2008. I got an adult pair back then and got hatchlings from them.

I gave away all but one of my group from then, because I started feeling weird about keeping a native, thinking everyone was going to assume I was going out and collecting them. They're not protected here though, and over a year or two I kept seeing everyone in FL and NJ with theirs, which are similar situations. That led me to just say screw it, and I am just starting to build another group up. Hopefully this makes it so I can be grandfathered in when they do outlaw the keeping of guttata in CT. I really wish they would protect them here, even if it meant I couldn't keep them anymore. It shouldn't be legal to go and snatch these guys up.

 

[bmt123]

After seeing this thread I am now seriously considering getting a spotted could one live in a 40 gallon breeder

 

[Anthony P]

Yes, an adult could live relatively comfortably in a 40 Breeder. You would have to get creative about how to provide a land/basking site. I personally wouldn't want to keep Spotteds in an aquarium without a land portion with some sort of dirt substrate. I have seen an adult male in a 40 breeder with a stone basking platform, but I wouldn't want to do that. They are a relatively terrestrial species that loves to hide among the leaf litter and estivate.

 

[bmt123]

Ok. What if I where to build a sort of platform that held soil and leaves. Would that work.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

This was my breeding set-up for about 8 years -



Small 'kiddy pool'.. 45" dia.

Small tub cut down to around 5" deep with drain-plug installed..
[ I used a plastic 2 liter drink "top" cut-off just below the collar.. then inverted and used as the drain. Clean the rough edges up with your sharp knife so you can put your plug in it - silicone it in and you're ready to go. Of course I didn't change the water that often - they were in a different building altogether.

As many as 1.3 lived in that "small" space of water.

They ARE very terrestrial.

One of my favorite pics of two males " gettin' the juices flowing " -



I would let them duke-it-out for a few.. and then put them back in with their own little harem ------- male C. guttata don't like each other!

 

[theTurtleRoom]

Looking good there, Terry! How've ya been?

 

[Anthony P]

Oh wow. Good stuff Terry. Shows how a simple setup can be so effective!

My adult Spotteds like the land portion of their new enclosure much more than they do the water portion. I find that juveniles do like the water more though, especially in well hidden areas under aquatic plants, branches or leaves.