Good info Ken. I thought I would add some more information on the wood turtles from south of the border just because this topic piqued my interest.

There are 8 recognized species of Rhinoclemmys and 9 subspecies. The range of this genus extends from northern Mexico to north/central South America. The species of the genus are found from many different habitats from rivers to savannahs. From the 8 species there are two that are most readily found in the hobby. These are the Spotted-Legged or South American Wood Turtle (R. punctularia) comprising of 3 subspecies and the Painted or Central American Wood Turtle (R. pulcherrima) comprising of 4 subspecies. I will give some information on these two most commonly encountered species and subspecies.

Unfortunately these species are more often than not imported and not captive bred. With the high amounts of imported specimens hopefully captive breeding of high quality individuals will be on the increase. There are three common reasons that these species have not been heavily captive bred. 1.) Readily Imported 2.) Low clutch size (as Ken mentioned) 3. Import Mortality due to heavy parasitism (yes, the all too common and continued waste of chelonian life to make a dollar). You and the environment will benefit much more greatly from taking the time to acquire a captive bred specimen. I personally favor the South American (R. punctularia) over the Central American Wood Turtle due to its more aquatic nature and starkly contrasting color scheme of oranges and black. But that is just my opinion. Here is some info on both.

Spotted-Legged (South American) Wood Turtle- This turtle is unfortunately imported in high numbers making it one of the most commonly found species of the genus. Due to the importation, most specimens have some type of health/aesthetic ailment and are riddled with parasites, not to mention populations are being severely depleted throughout their range. Unless treated by a vet immediately, mortality for these imports is high. This turtle is PRIMARILY AQUATIC residing in and around ponds, marshes, swamps, and rivers. I highlight this because most imported specimens seem to be kept in overcrowded terrestrial environments. They are a beautiful turtle, with a base coloration of black/brown, with yellow, orange, and red pigments and markings found on their skin. These turtles are omnivores and will eat in the water as well as on land. Mine personally ate most readily in the water where they spent the majority of their time. Females will lay brittle-shelled eggs throughout the year consisting of only one to two eggs per clutch. These eggs are normally laid in leaf litter or under vegetation as opposed to digging a flask-shaped nest cavity. Of the 3 subspecies, R. p. punctularia, R. p. diademata, and R. p. flammigera, R. p. punctularia is the most often found in the hobby.

Painted (Central American) Wood Turtle- This species is also unfortunately imported in high numbers making it the other most commonly found species of the genus. Like mentioned above these imports are also highly riddled with parasites, have health problems, populations are being severely depleted, and unless treated can face a high mortality rate. This species comprising of 4 subspecies ranges from northern Mexico to northern Costa Rica. While this species can be quite beautiful there is quite a variation encompassed by the subspecies, with R. p. manni being the most colorfully marked. I have seen individuals with all sorts of varying levels of coloration on their shells and skin. As with any of the Rhinoclemmys, captive bred individuals will yield a higher quality and a more highly colored individual. Many R. pulcherrima ssp I have seen for sale come out quite drab and muddy looking after going through the importation ordeal. (As you can tell, I do not approve of the commercial collection of turtles) This is an omnivorous species of various habitats including scrubland, moist woodlands, and rainforests. The subspecies most commonly offered are R. p. manni a turtle of the moist woodlands and rainforests where it favors areas in close proximity to water, as it is fond of entering it, (Remember this when creating an enclosure), and R. p. incisa a species of more terrestrial woodlands but also in close proximity to water. These species will lay up to 4 clutches of 3-5 eggs in a season.

Hope this background info helps some, feel free to ask any questions about specific husbandry. Good luck.

-JG

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