Impressed Tortoises - (Manouria Impressa)

[Az tortoise compound]

What an awesome species to be able to work with. These seemingly prehistoric tortoises are very much the dog friendly tortoise. Here at ATC we have been caring for a small group of Impresseds Tortoises. This group was produced at the Atlanta Zoo back in 06' by Dwight Lawson. (I believe he has had the most successful hatchling of the Impressa. Behler Chelonian Center has done well also.) Its nice to see this species doing well enough for them to be able to surplus out some captive produced animals. We are constructing a nice sized greenhouse for them to use as a permanent enclosure. Currently they have been housed indoors on a 5x10 tortoise run, heavily planted with a few different species of Pothos and philodendrons. (Split leaf, full leaf and swiss cheese philodendron) Also have a spider plant they dont really pay attention to. They do eat the other greens though. Our Impresseds eat almost everything offered.They are very much in love with mushrooms and cuddle bones. The substrate in the enclosure is a mix of cypress mulch, peat moss and sphagnum moss. They love to hide out in the darkest corners under the moss and just watch everything thats going on. Time to time they do bask in the sunlight that comes through the window, they enjoy there mister and soaks. Its fun watching them drink water then shoot it out of their nose like a squire gun then drink some more. Mating is the typical tortoise dance. The male will approach the female, do a little head bobbing dance then run around the female to do their thing. With their size, mannerisms and look, it amazing how close they remind me of my Sonoran desert group. Completely different needs though. Here are a few photos. The flash made some of the pics look a little funny. Sorry for that.

 

[Millerlite]

Such a cool species to be able to work with, lucky you! I do one day want to own one or two. Thanks for sharing the pictures. More more more! lol

Kyle

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Any impressa post is a good post.

 

[Fireflyfarm]

Thanks for sharing. I too hope to work with this species one day. Fascinating torts.

 

[Benjamin]

Great to see more impressa! How many and of what gender is your group?

 

[diamondbp]

Very very cool!

 

[tortoise5643]

This species is very impressive!!

 

[T33's Torts]

Amazing.

 

[Az tortoise compound]

Our group is very small, only consisting of two males and one female. We did have a couple yearlings that we passed on to another breeder here on this forum. Like most of our other groups we are always looking to add more adult females to the herd.

 

[mikeh]

Very interesting species indeed. Thank you for posting.
Recently there have been few threads with photos showing number of WC animals in captive care. Looking at the carapace in these photos, is it just me or they all seem to continue growing all wrong after being in captive care?
Also the animals in this thread that are captive bred seem to show husbandry changes at some point, effecting the new growth.
Would be interesting to know which factor(s) contribute to this change of growth in this particular species.

 

[Benjamin]

Very interesting species indeed. Thank you for posting.
Recently there have been few threads with photos showing number of WC animals in captive care. Looking at the carapace in these photos, is it just me or they all seem to continue growing all wrong after being in captive care?
Also the animals in this thread that are captive bred seem to show husbandry changes at some point, effecting the new growth.
Would be interesting to know which factor(s) contribute to this change of growth in this particular species.

Where are these pictures of WC impressa in captivity with improper growth?

 

[edwardbo]

mikeh, what do you mean by all wrong ? i keep Manouria sp. and have much puzzlement on feeding ,growth and more ,I intend to start a post ,but for now what are you seeing ? Andy ,lucky you ,looking good.do yours prefer mushrooms and worms over greens ? some of mine grow twice as fast as others and it seems the ones that prefer less greens are the biggest and hardest shelled .like i said im puzzeled.

 

[Az tortoise compound]

I don't know of anyone personally that has had good luck with fresh Imported Impressa or even maintain them long enough to have new growth come in. I could totally understand how a tortoise's shell can have a bit of a off or different look/growth pattern from the wild to after captive care. What I've found in this species is, that they tend to ''dry out'' faster then other species, so maybe that has some play into your question. I've read that there skin is a lot thinner then other species, but don't know if there is truth in that. I truly think it is almost impossible to mimic their natural diet in captive environments. Like I mentioned in a different post, the Behler Center created a bug larva to spread on to the oyster mushrooms they offered their hatchlings but that is the only info I found on there natural diet. Trying to locate that ''bug mix'' might prove hard and expensive to accomplish. There is still a ton of information that needs to be learned and shared with the tortoise community on the Impressed.
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"Andy ,lucky you ,looking good.do yours prefer mushrooms and worms over greens ? some of mine grow twice as fast as others and it seems the ones that prefer less greens are the biggest and hardest shelled .like i said im puzzeled."

Sorry I over looked that. Yes mushrooms are the main staple, I seem to offer them all kinds of different things but always have mushrooms mixed in. My group isn't picky at all. When its eating time the food plate is cleared fast. They normally are most active in the evenings before and after the lights go out. I keep a faint light on in the far distance for an hour after the main lights go out so they can see what they are doing since they continue to be so active. If I try to make them be interested in food they dont care at all. I can place worms in front of them and they will look at me like Im crazy. But when its on there time, I see them digging for them. I really don't offer them worms that often. They are in the substrate so I think that is good enough. Where my conflict lies, is that Ive read that Pothos are important part of their diet, but then it is listed as poisonous. I watch my group eat the leaves all the time. Im half tempted in throwing them out but not sure at this point. They seem to enjoy it though.

 

[edwardbo]

Not a lofty reply ,but I mentioned that the manouria I have if allowed to consume live ,protein rich foods do twice as well as the vegetable fed group , let them have at it with the mushrooms and worms and see for yourself ,as will said they are heavy feeders , don't chop , dice the food they will rip it apart and are happy to do so .

 

[wildak]

The wild caught ones I have were very picky eaters in the beginning but now all of them will eat just about anything I give them. Spending $100 a week on mushrooms gets old fast but you should plan on 6-8 months of it before managing to get them to move past the mushrooms. Just try putting cantaloupe, tomatoes and pumpkin under and around the mushrooms and slowly start mixing it together. I actually sat and waited until they opened their mouths to bite mushroom and shoved melon in their mouths to get them started on it. It takes a lot of time and dedication but it pays in the long run.

And yes they love pothos and it doesn't seem to poison them, I would guess they eat a lot of mushrooms that would kill us also. I actually thought it may help kill off parasites but I'm just guessing.