Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I can't find any info on Geomyda Japonica. I would like to know the following:

1) What is the current market price for a 1.1 pair?

2) How rare is this turtle?

3) Is it very difficult to successfully breed them?

4) Are they easy to keep in captivity? Are they hardy turtles?

Thanks,
Steve

1) What is the current market price for a 1.1 pair?
$1200-1500.

2) How rare is this turtle?
Quite rare. It is endemic to 3 Japanese islands. Possibly 3 distinct subspecies or maybe even species.

3) Is it very difficult to successfully breed them?
For the most part, yes. Only 1 or 2 people have successfully bred them in the U.S.

4) Are they easy to keep in captivity? Are they hardy turtles? They are relatively easy. They are generally hardier than G. spengleri.

G. japonica is a bit larger and more robust that G. spengleri and they thrive at slightly warmer temperatures than their congener.

It should be noted that every G. japonica in captivity is illegal. These turtles are a national treasure to Japan. They are a completely protected species and have been for a very long time. The animals that you see in the pet trade are smuggled out of Japan and exported through some other country usually as G. spengleri.

Why is it so difficult to breed them? Do they eat dry pellet food like reptomin or do they only eat live foods?

Hi

Its not much harder to breed them than spengleri, the only problem, as you mentioned is, that they are quite rare and therefore they are rarely bred, I know 2 breeders over here in europa that are quite successfull with them (1.2 specimens each = 2 hatchlings/year, all reserved for next 10 years or so)....

Hi,

I know G.splengleri eat live foods like worms and snails. But do Geomyda japonicas eat dry food like reptomin or mazuri? Can they be trained to accept dry foods?

No, they can't and shouldn't be, live food is essential

Even though live foods are good for them, they can also be fed on mazuri/reptomin.

I will never understand why you americans always need to feed this non worthy pellet stuff....

I think its laziness.

I never understood pellets either. Nothing can replace the benefits and nutritional value of real live food. Stick to the worms and snails. It isn't that hard to feed them that.

I know I am young and I do not have much experience. I have some with spengleri. I have a friend that is a keeper in Texas and he told me the best way to get picky things to breed is to make things as natural as possible. Feed them real food and leave them alone.

I know it must work. He got those Phillipine Crocs to breed and produce one viable offspring. I'm sure it applies to other herps.
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14 Leopard Gackos 5.9.0
1 Baby Leo (Joi) 0.1.0 temp sexed
2 Tokay Geckos 2.0.0
1 Graybanded Kingsnake 1.0.0 (on vacation in my house)
1 Baird's Rat Snake (Thanks Vadoni!) 1.0.0
RIP Trachemys scripta elegans 0.0.1
coming soon...
1 Trans Pecos Rat Snake 0.0.1 (if I can fix his eye problem)

And why do you say im an American? What if im not? Pellet food does have bennefits. Live foods are a must however. I was just saying. So before you jump to conclusions about "us americans" and the worthless ness of the food, read up on the facts and ingrediants. And if i was an american, whats wrong with them?

Really dumb and arrogant to think that no-one in the world is breeding these legitimatly. If these were illeagal or had any question to there authenticity do you really think they would of been cleared. If these are so protected then why arn't they CITIES, only in Japan are they protected. Like ringed map turtles, here you can't have them, but there are several people in europe who keep and breed these legitimatly and have been for several years.Why ...because there animals were purchased before any laws were created.Just because there protected in the country of origin today doesn't mean they were yesterday.
Justin Mitcham
GUY WHO HAS THE JAPONICA