Black-breasted leaf turtles: The ones that got away
By Richard Bartlett · January 2, 2014 8:55 am
About 30 years ago I purchased a half dozen of these alert and attractive little turtles, Geoemyda spengleri, for about 20 dollars each.
I bred this taxon for many years, but finally allowed myself to be talked out of them by a friend. It was a divestiture that I have regretted over the years, so recently I began thinking of restarting the project. But after pricing the little guys at today's market price of 500 to 700 dollars each, the probability of this occurring now seems minimal.
I am sure glad that I had the opportunity to work with this alert and intelligent little (carapace length of about 4.25 inches) Asian species.
More photos under the jump...
Worms are a favored meal of this species:
A black-bellied leaf turtle's first peek at the outside world:
 Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore. |
