Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone! I am new to tutle keeping. For sometime now I have been researching and looking into getting a fly river turtle. Does anyone know of a breeder or dealer that i can find a small cheaper one at, they are pretty rare and expensive now. Also any helpful info ( aquarium size most liked foods, the neccesities,) would be liked.

Thanks,
Tyler

Tyler,

C. insculpta are rare, as there have only been a few recorded captive breedings with the species, with none taking place within the realm of private herpetoculture.
While C. insculpta make hardy and enjoyable captives, they are not a bargain species and if cost of acquisition is of concern, I doubt you will be prepared for the cost of successfully maintaining one long term. Also, the species has recently been amended to CITES Appendix II protective status, so the price for available specimens will only climb and you must be careful regarding the acqusition of illegal specimens, though some will say all specimens within the US are of illegal origins. Also, keep in mind it is illegal for suppliers to sell any turtles with a carapace under 4" and you can expect to pay an average price of 100.00 per inch for C. insculpta.
Having said all of that, should you be able to find a well priced, healthy specimen and provide it with an appropriate aquaria and husbandry, you should find they are not too much trouble to maintain and are an absolute joy to work with...

Best regards,

Jeff

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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

Jeff,

Not sure where you got your info, but Fly Rivers are not rare. They are extremely plentiful in their native habitat. Unless you get under the water and see them, you won't see them basking like other turtles.

Barry

Here's a link on the CITES II listing.
Link

I suggest you review your information and my initial post.

First, C. insculptaare not nearly as common as they were, lets say ten years ago, and they have been granted protection under CITES II appendices. I believe this would be great measure to consider such a species rare. also, you will not see hundreds of them blissfully swimming past by simply sticking your head beneath the surface of a given body of water.

Second, I was making reference to the availability of C. insculpta , especially in regards to the captive propagation of such, as Tyler indicated he was looking for breeders of the species. If you know of anyone within the realm of private herpetoculture producing such in captivity, I would certainly like to hear about it...

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

Jeff,

Of course they aren't as plentiful as 10yrs ago. Nothing is anymore. Keep in mind, just because an animal gets listed as CITES II, doesn't make them "rare". Virtually all chelonians are now CITES II animals. Conservationists/academia folks are funded with LARGE amounts of money to do their "research" and yet most (not all) have no idea of the population of the species they are fighting to save.

For instance, in the state of TX, Cagles Maps are now protected. This was pushed through because conservationists/academia folks would go out to the Cagles native habitat and not see any. So, they automatically "think" their numbers are declining. However, little do they know that since the waters they live in are not clear and quite cloudy, they just won't see any. These turtles will see you long before you seen them and hit the water. By the time you make it to the river, they are down deep. Does that make them rare? No. I am by no means saying that they shouldn't be protected or listed as CITES II. What I'm saying is that statements saying that an animal is "rare", is just simply not true. See my point?

Another is the Radiated Tortoise, ringed maps, yellow blotched maps, etc.....These are NOT rare in their native habitat and in fact very plentiful. Yes these species are all protected and done so by the pushing of the WWF. Heard of them? Much of the protecting of species is not just for their survival, but also a "political" issue as well.

Barry

Barry

I apologize Barry, as I fail to see your point. However, I do see a bit of dodging the original topic, C. insculpta, by going into a diatribe, attempting to compare apples to oranges. Perhaps you should include some empirical data to back your claim, instead of anecdotal data.
You failed to address the issue of captive husbandry and availability, for which the original question posed and my answer was addressed; is there anyone producing C. insculpta in captivity? Are specimens readily available? Unless you are residing in Southeast Asia or New Guinea, the answer to both questions would undoubtedly be no. I believe such would qualify the species as “rare”. Perhaps you are of a different opinion, but you have yet to produce enough empirical data to sway me from my current camp.
As for the numbers of C. insculpta in the wild. While they are more common than, let us say T. occipitalis, in keeping with our comparison to apples and oranges, do you not find it odd, a species as common as you would have us believe, was unknown of in Australia, by scientist, until 1970?
In answering your question; no, not everything has declined over the past ten years, as the numbers regarding Rhacodactylus spp. have greatly improved, along with several others…

Regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947