Clemmys guttata

Danksagung

Ohne die vielen Mündlichen und Schriftlichen Auskünfte/Mitteilungen folgender Schildkrötenfreunde wäre dieser Artikel gar nicht möglich gewesen.

Die da sind: Peter Buchert, Dr. Topias Friz, Elke Grunwald, Volker Naths, Herbert Becker, Klaus Lamberts, Siegbert Schulz, Armin Stettner.

Diesen sei hier noch einmal recht Herzlichen Dank für Ihre Hilfe ausgedrückt.

Weiter muss ich Andreas S. Hennig meinen Dank für die Durchsicht dieses Berichtes Danken.

Ewald Roddewig

Weiter macht sich, die Tropfenschildkröte für die Terrarien Freunde, durch ihre Größe Interessant. Sie ist eine der kleinsten Wasserschildkröten überhaupt. Übrigens man zählt Clemmys guttata zu den Sumpfschildkröten, für die die Schildkröten in Land, Sumpf und Wasserschildkröten einteilen.

Clemmys guttata wird seit einigen Jahren, in der Systematik, als eigenständige Art Geführt.

Zum ersten Mal beschrieben wurde Clemmys guttata schon 1792 von Schneider. Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider war Altphilologe und Naturwissenschaftler aus Sachsen. Geboren wurde er 1750 in Collm und gestorben ist er1822 in Breslau. Er studierte in Leipzig, Göttingen und Straßburg.

Ganz wichtig und mein dringender Rat, an alle die die Tropfenschildkröte Pflegen möchten, ist sie nur Einzeln zu halten. Aber hier werde ich noch genauer bei Haltung und Pflege darauf eingehen.

Prof.Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider.

(Geb. am 18 Jan 1750 in Collm -Gestb. am 12.Jan1822 in Breslau)

war ein deutscher Altphilologe und Naturwissenschaftler.

- aus Tierdoku,der freien Wissensdatenbank -

Die Weichteile "Kopf, Hals, Schwanz, Vorder und Hinterbeine" sind in der Grundfarbe mattschwarz. Teils sind sie an der Unterseite gelborange. Auf diesen befinden sich ebenfalls Punkte, ganz unregelmässig, wie beim Carapax. Hinter den Augen sind zwei größere unregelmässige Punkte 7 Tropfen oder auch dicke Linien. Diese sind fast immer kräftig orangegelb.

Und dann sind da noch die wunderschönen immer interessiert schauenden Augen. Die dunkle Pupille ist von einer leuchtend orange gelben Iris umgeben. Das Plastron (Bauchpanzer) ist von der Grundfarbe elfenbeinweis bis leicht ins orange. Auf diesen befinden sich meist mehrere größere unregelmässige mattschwarze Tupfer, links und rechts von der Plastron Mitte verteilt .Es kommt aber auch vor das bis auf den Rand zu den Randschildern hin, eine grosse unregelmässige mattschwarze Fläche ist. Alles in allen hat jedes Tier so seine eigene unverwechselbare Intensität.

Bei Schlüpflingen sind Anfangs die Punkte noch etwas verwaschen. Richtig elfenbeinweis werden sie erst nach wenigen Wochen.

Weibchen haben einen fast doppelt so hohen Körperbau, als Männchen. Dies muss so sein ansonsten könnten die Weibchen die Eier nicht unterbringen. Männchen brauchen dies nicht und so hat die Natur in tausenden von Entwicklungsjahren dies auch nicht zugelassen. So sind die Weibchen auch doppelt so schwer, als die Männchen.

Hier mal der Vergleich: stand Okt.2010 von meiner Zuchtgruppe.

Weibchen I   - 224 Gramm - Weibchen II - 236 Gramm

Männchen I - 116 Gramm - Männchen II -125 Gramm

Die Männchen sind gut 1.Zentimeter kleiner (Carapax, gerade gemessen).

Bei den Männchen ist das Plastron leicht Konkav, nach innen gewölbt. Bei den Weibchen ist es meist leicht nach Außen gewölbt. Männchen bleiben um 1 bis 2 cm kleiner als die Weibchen. Laut "Schildkröten der Welt, Band II"(Holger Vetter) werden Weibchen bis zu 13 cm, Männchen bis zu 12 cm groß. Männchen bekommen an den Vorderpfoten längere Krallen, so wie es bei Graptemys und Chrysemys auch der Fall ist.

Die Tabelle zum Wachstum meiner Clemmys guttata.

Jahrestagung des ISV im Okt.2010, in Salzburg.

Er Berichtete mir Sinngemäß folgendes! Zur damaligen Zeit war noch nicht viel über die richtige Haltung von Clemmys guttata bekannt. Er kaufte mehrere Schlüpflinge und pflegte diese in einem gut strukturierten Terrarium. Alles ging Problemlos, auch noch als die Tiere Adult wurden. Ja es kam sogar zu Eiablagen und zu Nachzuchten. In dieser Zeit veröffentlichte er den Bericht. Heute ist er nicht mehr so Glücklich hierüber, da ja alles irgendwie einem weiter Anhängt.

Wie aber nun sollte ein Terrarium für Clemmys guttata Eingerichtet sein?

Ich selbst sehe hier zwei Möglichkeiten. Einmal es wird der Natur nachempfunden eine, Sumpf, Moorlandschaft geschaffen. So hatte die Dame aus Unterfranken, ihr Terrarium auch Eingerichtet. Der Boden Bestand aus einer etwa 15 cm starken Torf, Sand und Erdschicht. Hier in diese Schicht, war ein kleiner Tümpel eingelassen. Eine Steinplatte mit Strahler darüber ergab den Sonnenplatz. Weiter waren einige Wurzeln verteilt. Dies alles war dann ganz übig bepflanzt, wobei im Laufe der Zeit eine Efeu Tute (Ph. scindapsus) die Oberhand gewonnen hatte. Weiter gab es noch einen mittelgroßen Tonblumentopf, in diesen waren mit Heiß Kleber kleine spitze Steinchen geklebt. Dieser wurde von den Tieren genutzt um ihre Hornschilde zu wechseln, so wie schon Beschrieben.

So in dieser Art hat auch Volker Naths anfangs seine Clemmys guttata, im Wintergarten gehalten. (schriftliche Mitteilung) Dies alles ist schön Anzuschauen. Nur hat es auch einen großen Nachteil, man sieht seine Tiere nur selten. Sie verstecken sich in den Pflanzen oder sie graben sich im Boden ein. Schwimmen können so die Tiere auch nicht. Alles in allem ist es aber eine Artgerechte Haltung von Clemmys guttata.

Die Pafyr-Platten wurden so übereinander gelegt, dass ein Riff entstand und zu erkennen ist. Hier heran kann die Clemmys guttata auch im Wasser und aus dem Wasser nach oben hangeln. Was die Tiere auch gerne tun. Über einer der obersten Pafyr-Platten ist der Strahler angebracht und so haben wir hier einen Sonnenplatz. Der Rest bis an die Scheiben wurde mit Spielsand ausgefüllt. Innen an den Platten hoch wurde ein Vlies verlegt, so dass der Sand nicht durch die Ritzen ins Wasser rieseln kann. Dies ganze dient nun als Eiablageplatz. Am Riff selbst sind zwei Platten so angebracht, dass sie ein Stück ins Wasser vor stehen. Diese werden von den Tieren gerne zum Ruhen und als Ausschauplatz genutzt.

Dies so entstandene naturnahe Terrarium wird von den Clemmys guttata gut angenommen. Meist halten sich die Tiere im Wasser auf. Sie schwimmen und hangeln im Wasser, an den Wurzeln und am Riff herum und sie finden so auch Versteck und Ruheplätze. An den Steinen scheuern sie sich wie schon Beschrieben die Hornschilde ab.

Alles in allen sind Clemmys guttata nicht Scheu, so wie zum Beispiel Graptemys. Sie haben sich gut an mich/uns Menschen gewöhnt und so lassen sie sich auch gut beobachten. Selbst bei der Paarung und später der Eiablage.

Kellerasseln, Raupen, Fliegen, Käfer, Spinnen-alles was Sie so in Haus und Garten fangen, immer hinein ins Terrarium, immer wieder ein Gutes Futter.

Tintenfisch und andere Meeresfrüchte-sind immer ein gutes Futter, solange es nicht zu Fett ist. Hier wird das Futter schon zerkleinert. (Mundgerecht) Süßwasser Tiere können immer gut mit Futter aus dem Meer ernährt werden, so auch unser Nordamerikanischen Wasserschildkröten. Umgedreht ist das fast nicht möglich. So lernen es die Tierpfleger auch in ihrer Ausbildung. (ist auch eine beliebte Prüfungsfrage)

Rinderherz/Muskelfleisch, Geflügelfleisch-auch ein gutes Futter sofern es genommen wird. Aber bitte nicht zu oft füttern. Schweinefleisch selbst Mager ist schon zu Fett. Auch hier darf das Futter Mundgerecht hergerichtet werden.

Mäusebabys-sind auch ein gutes Futter, nur werden sie auch nicht immer gerne genommen.

Pellets-mit viel Algen und wenig Fischmehl sind auch ein gutes Futter.

Sepiaschalen-sollte immer mit im Wasser sein, vor allen bei den Weibchen. So wird dem hohen Kalziumbedarf immer Rechnung getragen. Eierschalen würden es auch tun.

In einem Vortrag (ebenfalls auf der schon erwähnten Tagung in Salzburg) berichtete Herr Dr. Friz, von der Auffangstation für Reptilien, in München, dass Schildkrötenweibchen das Sperma bis zu 6 Jahre speichern und zum Befruchten der Eier so hernehmen können. Auch nach 6 Jahren ohne Verpaarung kommt es so noch zu Nachzuchten. Wo das Sperma gespeichert wird ist allerdings nicht genau Bekannt, vermutet wird, in Falten/Taschen am Eileiter.

So wie ich schon in der RADIATA (Heft 4/2010) bei Graptemys nigrinoda nigrinoda ,eine Verpaarung im Oktober beschrieben habe, so habe ich es auch schon mit Clemmys guttata praktiziert. Sowohl im Frühjahr wie auch im Herbst mit Erfolg. Siehe auch auf dieser Web-Seite unter Haltungstipps, Paarung.

Mit der Eiablage selbst beginnen meine Tiere Grundsätzlich am späten Nachmittag. Oft dauert es bis in die Nacht hinein. Meist so um die 4,5 Stunden, bis alles Akribisch genau erledigt ist. Haben die Weibchen erst einmal Begonnen, dann lassen sie sich auch beim Ganzen Eiablagevorgang beobachten. Ich kann so alles Gut verfolgen und auch Fotos und Filme machen. Meine Anwesenheit wird eigentlich gar nicht mehr war genommen.

Alles Beginnt damit dass die Weibchen schon zwei bis drei Tage vorher unruhig auf dem Landteil herum laufen. Der Sand wird hierbei durch aufkratzen immer wieder Geprüft. Auch fressen die Weibchen kaum noch. Clemmys guttata liebt es gut Feucht (eigene Erfahrung und mündliche Mitteilung Armin Stettner). Allerdings ist dieser bei mir immer gut Feucht, da ja eine Verbindung durch das Riff zum Wasser besteht. Wie schon gesagt am späten Nachmittag, meist zwischen 16 und 17 Uhr, beginnt das Weibchen mit dem Ausheben der Eigrube. Hier geht alles ganz Akribisch korrekt und ohne jegliche Eile vonstatten. Allerdings merkt man dem Tier schon die Anstrengung dabei an.

Nun werden die Eier von mir Geborgen und sie kommen ohne dass sie gedreht werden ins angefeuchtete Vermiculite. Die weichschaligen Eier von Clemmys guttata sind härter und so fester als die von Chrysemys oder Graptemys. Die Eischale ist etwas dicker. Auch sind mir noch nie Eier von Clemmys guttata, beim inkubieren aufgebläht. Sollten die Eier erst einige Tage nach der Eiablage geborgen werden, so entwickeln sie sich nicht weiter. Eigene Erfahrung und auch Dr. Praschag hat diese Erfahrung schon gemacht( mündliche Mitteilung). Der ganze Brutvorgang wird so Abgewickelt wie es schon bei Graptemys nigrinoda nigrinoda beschrieben wurde (RADIATA Heft 4/2010).Ein wenig feuchter wird das Brutsubstrat gehalten. Wie schon erwähnt Aufblähen tun die Eier nicht, nein sie fallen eher zusammen, schrumpfen ein, sollte es trockener werden (eigene Erfahrung).Bei 26 Grad schlüpfen nach etwa 62 Tagen ganz sicher Männchen. Bei 30,5 Grad schlüpfen nach nur etwa 50 Tagen genauso sicher Weibchen. Wo genau der Scheitelpunkt liegt habe ich noch nicht herausgefunden. Nur gehen Sie davon aus, dass uns auch hier die Natur manchmal einen Streich spielt, aber nur ganz, ganz selten. Ich inkubiere immer bei gleichbleibender Temperatur ohne Nachtabsenkung.

Tabelle Gelege Clemmys guttata

Wenn man Beide Tabellen, Wachstum und Eiablage mit einander vergleicht, so kann man sehen, dass die Weibchen direkt vor der Eiablage, gut an Gewicht zugenommen hatten.

Ist der Dottersack aufgebraucht, so beginnen die Schlüpflinge auch zu Fressen. Als erstes gibt es Mückenlarven und Wasserflöhe, hier wird auch gleich der Jagdtrieb gefördert. Weiter kommen Bachflohkrebse und kleine Regenwürmer mit auf den Speiseplan. Nach nur etwa 8 Tagen kann man alles füttern, was auch die Elterntiere fressen, am besten Mundgerecht zerkleinert. Mit in die Heimchendose und ins Aufzuchtbecken kommt immer Wasser aus dem Terrarium der Elterntiere, so kann sich eine gute Darmflora bilden (ein Ratschlag von Siegbert Schulz).

Falsch ist die Annahme das so kleine Clemmys guttata schlecht schwimmen. Nein sie können dies ebenso gut wie Chrysemys und Graptemys. Ich habe mir ein Aquarium in folgenden Maßen, für die Aufzucht bauen lassen (108 X 23,5 X 22 cm-L.T.H.). Das Becken passt so genau auf die Hälfte meiner Fensterbank, in der Wohnküche. Das Fenster zeigt genau zum Süden. Gut Strukturiert wunde es mit kleinen Steinaufbauden, kleinen Savannenwurzeln und mit Wasserpflanzenteilen. Aufgefüllt wird dieses mit ca.16 cm Wasser.

Tierschutzgesetze werden uns auch da nicht viel weiter helfen, vielleicht schafft man mit ihnen viele Arbeitsplätze, dann haben wir ja etwas Sinnvolles, durch sie erreicht. Unsere Artenvielfalt, auf unsere Erde, werden sie weder im Wasser oder auf Land, auf lange siecht Erhalten.

Also sollten wir doch darüber froh sein, wenn uns Tierliebhaber einen, wenn auch nur kleinen Teil unserer Tierwelt erhalten.

Übrigens für Wildtiere gibt es nur drei Dinge, die für sie Wichtig sind. (eine Aussage des ehemaligen Zoodirektors "Wiesner", in München)

Wie und wo finde ich immer ausreichend Nahrung.

Wie schütze ich mich vor Feinden.

Wie erhalte ich meine Art.

Und dabei ist es ihnen vollkommen Egal, ob in freier Wildbahn oder im Naturnahen, artgerechten Terrarium.

Wie gehe ich nun vor? Mitte Oktober wird die Fütterung ganz eingestellt, bei 18 bis 20 °C Wassertemperatur wird auch kaum noch gefressen. So kann sich Magen und Darm ganz leeren und es kommt während der Winterstarre zu keinen Infektionen von innen heraus. Zu dieser Zeit wird noch 8.Std. Beleuchtet. Nach etwa zwei Wochen wird die Wassertemperatur, bei abgestellter Raumheizung und Filterheizung weiter gesenkt. Gleichzeitig wird der Wasserstand auf ca.6 cm gesenkt und die Filter werden abgestellt. Ab Mitte November wird auch nicht mehr Beleuchtet. So verbringen dann die Tiere, die Winterruhe, bis etwa Mitte Februar im Schildkrötenkeller. Die Fenster sind immer gekippt, nur sollte Außen die Temperatur, ins Minus fallen, dann wird geschaut, ob sie nicht doch geschlossen werden müssen. Ein Thermostat verhindert aber Minusgrade im Keller. So kühlt der Keller in der Regel bis auf vier Grad ab.

Clemmys guttata verliert auch in der inaktiveren Jahreszeit ein paar Gramm Gewicht (siehe hierzu die Tabelle)"Wachstum").Weitere Einzelheiten zur Winterruhe können Sie noch im Bericht Graptemys nigrinoda nigrinoda nachlesen (RADIATA Heft 4/2010).Im Grunde werden Chrysemys, Graptemys und Clemmys guttata gleich gehalten, mit nur kleinen unterschieden.

Eins werden wir aber fast nie berücksichtigen können, die unterschiedliche Herkunft von Clemmys guttata. Wir werden in den seltensten Fällen, die Herkunft der Ahnen unserer Nachzuchten erfahren. Also können wir auch nicht die sehr unterschiedlichen Klimatischen Bedingungen, im doch Großen Herkunftsgebiet berücksichtigen, weder in der inaktiven noch in der aktiven Jahreszeit.

Direkt unter dem offenen Kellerfenster, an der Außenwand, steht das Terrarium "Clemmys guttata" Weibchen 1. Nun muss sich vom Fenster an der Außenwand herunter, ein Luftstrom gebilted haben, mit der Außen Luft im Minusbereich. Diese ist in den zur Wand hin offenen Unterschrank gezogen. Der Abgeschaltete aber mit Wasser gefüllte Filter ist Total eingefroren und genauso das verbliebene Wasser im Terrarium darüber. Mein Thermometer im Raum zeigte vier Grad plus an und alle anderen Terrarien waren auch nicht gefroren. Alles war soweit in Ordnung, bis auf das besagte Becken.

Alles so lassen, das Fenster schlissen und warten bis das Eis getaut ist. Das würde ja Tage, ja Wochen dauern. Heute im Nachhinein denke ich dass dies das Richtigste gewesen wäre.

Was habe ich nun gemacht! Ich habe ein ganz scharfes Stemmeisen genommen und um das Tier herum, ganz Vorsichtig das Eis entfernt. Dies hat etwas über zwei Stunden gedauert.

Das Weibchen selbst war nicht zum Eisklotz gefroren. Ich habe es in ein anderes Terrarium gegeben und hier hat es mit all den Anderen, die Winterruhe zu Ende gemacht. Überraschenderweise hat dem Clemmys guttata-Weibchen dies alles nichts ausgemacht. Vielleicht war es aber der Grund dafür, dass es erst zwei Jahre später als ihre Schwester, mit der Eiablage begann.

Es ist ja Bekannt, dass Schildkröten auch in freier Natur mal im Wasser einfrieren. Aber sie müssen ein Mittel als Frostschutz im Blut haben, dass sie selbst nicht gefrieren lässt.

Übrigens einem Bekannten von mir, sind mal zwei Rotwangen im Gartenteich total eingefroren. Auch diese Tiere waren im Frühjahr wieder voll aktiv ohne irgendeinen erkennbaren Schaden.

Oftmals bekommen wir Bilder von Schildkröten mit ganz auffallenden, intensiv tollen Farben. Ja und wie schauen meine dagegen aus?

Hier ein Beispiel: Herbert Becker (mündliche Mitteilung) bekam eine Anfrage aus Schweden, wegen Nachzuchten von Clemmys guttata. Der Interessent sendet Bilder mit und so wie auf den Bildern, so sollten auch die gewünschten Tiere aussehen. Nun Herbert Becker hat sich gut 25 Jahre mit Clemmys guttata befasst, nur so etwas wie auf diesen Bildern hatte er noch nie gesehen. Als erster Gedanke war, dass es sich um Gemälde handelte. Die Tiere hatten leuchtend, intensiv, orangefarbene Punkte.

Nun aber wie kommt so etwas Zustande? Einmal wie schon von Peter Buchert erwähnte. , kann man mit Futter wie Süßwasser Garnelen, die orange/ Rotfärbung intensivieren, fördern. Aber nie so wie auf den genannten Bildern. Zum anderen kann man die Tiere einfetten, so werden die vorhandenen Farben auch intensiver, auf den Bildern. Kommt nun noch Kunstlicht hinzu welches die Farben verfälscht, dann können solche Bilder herauskommen. Also glauben wir nicht alles was uns auf Bildern vorgegaukelt wird. Wenn dann schauen Sie, dass sie Bilder, die unter Naturlicht aufgenommen wurden bekommen. Auch selbst sollten wir nur solche ehrlichkeitshalber Verschicken.

.

Zolling,der 30.Ma1 2012

Zum Jahr 2012

In diesem Jahr haben meine beiden Weibchen bis auf ein Ei nur befruchtete Eier gelegt. Bis auf das Gelege mit dem unbefruchteten Ei und dem letzten Gelege von Weibchen 1.(Gelege 1 und 3 - je 3 Eier) waren es bei allen weiteren Gelegen immer zwei Eier.

Zu Weibchen 2. ist zu sagen es frießt schon immer wesentlich weniger als seine Schwester Weibchen 2. und aus diesem Grund,so Vermute ich es legt es auch weniger Eier in jeder aktiven Jahreszeit. In diesem Jahr waren es zwei Gelege mit je zwei Eiern. Weibchen 1. setzte vier Gelege mit insgesamt zehn Eiern ab.

Bis auf ein Verschulden von mir,bei einen Gelege von Weibchen 1,auf Weibchen inkubiert,war das Erbrüten aller anderen befruchteten Eier,von Erfolg gekrönt. Das auf Weibchen inkubierte Gelege,bei 30°C,wurde von mir nicht feucht genug gehalten und so Starben die Schlüpflinge noch im Ei.

Den Erfolg,eigentlich in diesem Jahr zum ersten Mal, führe ich auf folgendes zurück: Die Weibchen und auch die Männchen,sind mit zunehmenden Alter,immer Erfahrener und so Reifer geworden. Die gleiche Erfahrung habe ich bei Graptemys nigrinoda nigrinoda gemacht. Auch hier wurde das erfolgreiche Züchten im dritten,vierten Jahr nach der ersten Eiablage immer besser. Vor allen läuft alles bei der Begattung,ohne die Bekannten Zickigkeiten der Art ab. Allerdings ist es dabei geblieben,dass die Weibchen das Männchen nur einmal im Jahr Aufreiten lassen.

Feststellen musste ich auch in diesem Jahr wieder,dass sich mein Männchen “Sternenhimmel“ bei der Vererbung der unregelmäßig vielen Punkte/Tupfen, noch nie sich durchsetzen konnte. Die Punktierung der Nachzuchten,entspricht immer in etwa der,der Weibchen. Weiter musste ich feststellen,das mein sehr wenig Punktiertes Männchen 2.

(die Punkte wurden im laufe der Jahre immer weniger) die dickeren und intensiveren Tupfen vererbt.

Eine interessante Beobachtung.

Sowie der Dottersack sich voll zurück gebieltet hat und die Schlüpflinge mit dem fressen beginnen,ab dem Zeitpunkt schwimmen sie recht gut. Fast immer an der Wasseroberfläche,aber sie tauchen und schwimmen auch,im tieferer Bereiche. So zeigen sie das gleiche Verhalten,wie Schlüpflinge von Chrysemys oder Graptemys.

Irgendwie hat die Natur es so Bestimmt,dass in der Schwimmblase bei gerade geschlüpften Tieren etwas mehr Luft bleibt.Sie steigen immer wieder mit einen leichten Auftrieb an die Wasseroberfläche auf, um so ein ertrinken zu Verhindern,der noch etwas Unerfahrenen Graptemys,Chrysemys oder auch Clemmys guttata Schlüpflinge.

Nach etwa 14 Tagen im kleineren Aufzuchtbecken,am zum Süden hin gelegenen Küchenfenster,kommen die Schlüpflinge von Graptemys und Chrysemys ins voll eingerichtete Aquaterrarium,bei einen Wasserstand,von ca.58 cm. Clemmys guttata Schlüpflinge kamen bisher immer in ein gut strukturiertes Aufzuchtbecken bei etwa 15 cm Wasserstand.

In diesem Jahr,nach dem ich ja nun schon seit Jahren Beobachten konnte,wie gut die kleinen Clemmys guttata schwimmen,habe ich einen Versuch Unternommen und habe Sie mit zu den Graptemys und Chrysemys,zu den besagten Terrarium mit 58 cm Wasserstand gesetzt. Natürlich habe ich alles über Stunden,gut Beobachtet und siehe da alles ging gut. Es zeigte sich auch,dass sie sich gegenüber den Graptemys und Chrysemys Nachzuchten gut Durchsetzen konnten,ohne Dominant zu sein,vor allen bei der Futteraufnahme.

Hiermit möchte ich aber nicht dazu Ermuntern,die heranwachsenden semiadulten und später adulten Tiere,wie Graptemys oder Chrysemys, zu Halten und zu Pflegen. Nein halten Sie sie Bitte so wie im Bericht Oben Empfohlen. Den nur dies Entspricht der von der Natur vorgegebenen artgerechten Tierhaltung,von Clemmys guttata,der Topfernschildkröte.

Zur Zeit (mitte Oktober) haben die adulten Tiere die Futteraufnahme fast Vollständig eingestellt,obwohl die Wassertemperatur,tagsüber noch etwa 24 bis 26 °C beträgt.

Mit der Vorbereitung zur inaktiven Jahreszeit wird in der kommenden Woche begonnen und ab Anfang November sind die Tiere dann in der Winterstarre.

Husbandry and Breeding of the Spotted Turtle, Clemmys guttata(Schneider, 1792)

Introduction

“When I saw spotted turtles for the first time, I fell in love with their grim faces right there and then.” was what a fellow turtle keeper said when he came to fetch three captive-bred juveniles from me.

While the head with its very pretty pattern and the face that appears “grim” to a human viewer are certainly most intriguing, the spotted turtle is truly a beauty in all other aspects as well. These include a black dorsal shell with a pattern of irregularly shaped, ivory to orange yellow spots and a light-coloured plastron with black blotches. Moreover, the keeper can look forward to enjoying a timeless beauty: Clemmys guttata does not lose its attractive looks over the years (in litt. Peter Buchert on his about 15 year-old spotted turtles, and Klaus Lambertz, who keeps about 25 year-old specimens) as it may be the case, for example, in map turtles of the genus Graptemys, which tend to turn ever

more grey to black with age (own obs.). The spotted turtle is furthermore of interest to the terrarium keeper due to its petite size. In fact, it is one of the smallest turtles of all.

Clemmys guttata is currently regarded as a monotypic species. It was first scientifical­ly described by Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider in 1792. This author was a Saxon classical philologist and naturalist who was born in Collm in 1750 and died in Breslau (today’s Wroclaw in Poland) in 1822.

Systematic position

Order: Turtles (Testudinata)

Suborder: Hidden-necked turtles (Cryptodira)

Family: New World pond turtles (Emydidae)

Subfamily: Emydinae Genus: Clemmys Species: guttata

Description

The carapace is anthracite-grey to black in colour. It often shows small, irregularly shaped, orange yellow patches in the poste­rior or lateral parts of the dorsal shell. The scutes are marked with irregularly scattered dots that may be reminiscent of spattered drops of paint. These are typically ivory white to yellow or orange yellow. In older captive specimens, the latter shade of colour is apparently a result of the turtles having been fed a diet rich in freshwater shrimps or scuds (Buchert in litt.). I noted that all hatchlings that emerged in my care initially had ivory-coloured dots save for the last dot on the median keel, which was orange yellow. These dots are not always per­fectly round, but often have an irregular out­line. They are usually arranged in three or four rows that run the length of the shell. If there are four rows, two of them parallel the median keel on either side whereas the other two are located more towards the mar­ginal scutes. There are also spotted turtles in which the dots are ran­domly scattered so that their pattern brings to mind a comparison with a star-studded night sky.

The number of dots is always a matter of indivi­dual ity. The dots appear still a little obscured in hatchlings, but then be­come sharply defined and clearly ivory in colour within a few weeks.

The head, neck, tail, front and hind legs have a dull black ground colour at least abo­ve, whereas the underside may be yellowish orange in some individuals. Like on the carapace, there are irregularly shaped dots that contrast with the dark skin. Two larger orange yellow dots, occasionally expressed as thick bars, are situated behind the eyes. The dark pupils of what I think are most beautiful eyes are encircled by a bright orange yellow iris. Hatchlings have long and thin tails.

The plastron is ivory-white to a pale shade of orange in colour. It is usually marked with several larger, irregularly shaped, dull black blotches that are situated to the left and right of the median line of the plastron. In some specimens, these blotches can be fused to form large, irregular, dull black patches near the margins of the shell. The plastron is slightly concave in males, as opposed to a slight convex shape in females.

Given all this variability of pattern and colour, each specimen has its unique, un­mistakable identity.

Adult specimens replace their scutes once every year, usually in July and August (own obs.), whereas this happens several times a year in juveniles, up to five times to be precise, depending on their growth. Every moult introduces minor changes to the dotted pattern, rendering it a little more intensive in colour or a little more obscured. In one of my males, the number of dots has diminished over the years.

In contrast to the map (genus Graptemys) and painted turtles (Chrysemys) in my care, Clemmys guttata exhibits a very individual manner of replacing its scutes in that it grinds off its dead scutes under water on the edges of rocks. This process is aided by its throwing sand on its back with the front feet. It takes several days during which I can actually clearly hear them “scouring themselves” on suitable objects. Once it is completed, the shell shines in anthracite- black once more.

The carapaces of adult females are al­most twice as high as those of males, and the former may be twice as heavy as their partners. In absolute figures: in October of 2010, the spotted turtles in my bree­ding group weighed 224 g (Female 1) and 236 g (Female 2) as compared to the about 1 cm-shorter males with 116 g (No. 1) and 125 g (No. 2). In adult females, the cloacal opening is flush with the carapace scutes. The tail of an adult male is much thicker and slightly longer than that of a female, and the cloacal opening lies about 1.5 cm

beyond the end of the carapace. This cha­racteristic becomes only discernible at an age of two to three years when the turtles enter sexual maturity.

The sexes can be distinguished by means of external traits from an age of about three years. Male Clemmys guttata become sexu­ally mature at three years of age (own obs.). One of my female produced her first clutch of eggs at an age of five years, the other, which originated from the same clutch, only when she was seven years old.

Distribution

Clemmys guttata occupies a fairly large distribution range. It occurs in the southeast of Canada (Ontario) and in the USA, from Michigan, northern Illinois and southern Maine south to the central parts of Florida (Vetter 2004). There are populations that are isolated from those on the east coast, for example in the US states of Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania (see the distribution map in Vetter 2004). Local colour morphs do not appear to exist, however. I also discussed this subject with Reiner Praschag in October of 2010, who, over many years, visited numerous natural habitats of this species and stated that he never found any particular colour morphs.

Owing to the vastness of the distribution range, climatic charts are of very limited use for obtaining pointers for the proper hus­bandry of spotted turtles if the exact origin of specimens is unknown. Most individuals that are available today are captive-bred, but a few wild-caught turtles appear every now and then in the terrarium animal trade.

Ecology

In the wild, Clemmys guttata lives in marshes, bogs, small lakes, ponds, but also in smaller streams. It likes to bury itself in peat, moss, loose soils or leaf litter where it spends longer periods of time during hotsummer weather. Spotted turtles are active from spring through autumn in the largest part of their range, spending the winter in a state of dormancy. Adult individuals have few natural predators whereas juve­niles have to avoid encounters with foxes, racoons, but also birds of prey (e.g., Ernst & Lovich 2009).

My specimens

Today, I am the proud owner of a breeding group of 2.2 Clemmys guttata, but it was no easy feat to obtain these. After having studied this species, as thoroughly as I could in the face of only a very few husbandry reports being available, I found that keeping and trying to breed these turtles was for me.

Following a period of searching in vain, I eventually located a German lady breeder in the classifieds circular of the German Society for Herpetology and Herpeto culture (Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde, DGHT). I phoned her up and paid her a visit one Sunday morning with the intent of buying some captive-bred spotted turtles. The lady was very amenab­le, readily showed me her terrarium, and patiently answered all my questions. I left with four captive-breds from two clutches

hatched in 2003. Two specimens originated from an older clutch so that the pairs of siblings differed in size. It later turned out that all of the four turtles were females, though. This lady breeder had a unique way of incubating turtle eggs: Her terrarium had been set up in an open-plan kitchen with a south-facing window. In other words, it was located in a warm environment, espe­cially during the summer of 2003. After recovering the eggs, she arranged them in a container that was then placed on the wooden frame of her self-made terrarium. There they were left until they eventually hatched. Considering how much effort and contemplation many turtle keepers invest into the incubation of turtle eggs, it is nothing short of surprising how easy success came to this lady breeder.

A year later, I managed to acquire a semi-adult male specimens in Austria, and I sourced another semi-adult male in Germany one year after that.

The two smaller females perished for reasons I will describe during the course of this contribution. Anyway, I now have a breeding group of 2.2 spotted turtles, with males and females being very probably unrelated.

Husbandry

Some years ago, two German-language reports were published on the captive care of Clemmys guttata, one by Becker (1994) and a subsequent one by Buchert (1999). Both authors described how they successfully kept their specimens in groups. Becker (pers. comm. 2010) told me that at the time far less was known about the proper care of Clemmys guttata than is today. He had acquired several hatchlings and kept them in a well-structured aquaterrarium. This worked out nicely in the beginning, even after his specimens had become sexually mature, and there were oviposition and hatching events. Negative experiences in the shape of diminishing fertility rates, biting incidents, and obvious stress, for example, then made him rethink his husbandry strategy, and today he advises against keeping these turtles in colonies (see Becker 2012). Similar experiences were conveyed to me by Buchert (in litt.), who likewise switched to keeping them individually.

I also had to pay for experience. I had prepared only three terraria for my initial four specimens. The two larger ones were

housed separately right from the start, while the two smaller turtles moved into the third tank together. It was a feast for my eyes to see them swimming together and interact. Unfortunately, I completely misinterpreted their behaviour, and one day I found one of them crouched apathetically in a corner. It would neither feed nor move. I moved it to a smaller tank, but it nevertheless died just a few days later. I can therefore only recommend keeping these turtles one by one.

Spotted turtles are less skilled swimmers than the species of the genera Graptemys or Chrysemys (own obs.). It is often stated that Clemmys guttata would actually only be able to walk on the bottom under water, but I think this is merely based on the fact that these turtles are commonly kept at water levels that are too low for swimming in the first place. I see two options for setting up a terrarium for them: First, you could recreate a swamp or bog environment. This was how the menti­oned lady breeder where my breeding females originate from had set up her terrarium. The bottom of her tank consisted of an about 15

layer of peat, sand and soil into which was sunk a small pond. A basking spot was made available in the shape of a rock flake above which a spotlight was mounted. Some pieces of roots provided structure. Everything was densely overgrown with plants, amongst which a plant of pothos (a.k.a. devil’s ivy, Epipremnum aureum, or Scindapsus aureus in earlier times) had taken over. Other than that, there was a moderately large earthenware flowerpot that had been coated with small, sharp-edged stones on the inside by means of hot glue. The lady breeder described how the turtles would use it to rid themselves of their old scutes in the manner described above.

This concept of keeping Clemmys guttata had originally been adopted also by Naths (in litt.) for his conservatory. It certainly makes for a very decorative terrarium, but seeing the turtles becomes a matter of rare luck; they hide amongst the vegetation or bury themselves in the ground. Swimming is rendered impossible for them as well.

I wanted to see and watch my spotted tur­tles more often than that, actually whenever I wanted to. I did some more research until I found Schulz (pers. comm.) who was practi­cing another type of husbandry that suited my needs much better and corresponds to my present husbandry concept.It is based on an ordinary aquarium measuring 100 x 40 x 50 cm (length x width x height) that sits atop a cabinet and is covered with a wooden illumination unit. The cabinet houses the filter and has no rear wall so that the hoses of the filter system can be led to the tank above without being too obvious. The same applies to the cables for the illumination unit that also accommodates a spotlight. This wooden cover furthermore prevents the turtles from escaping. An about 3 cm-layer of washed playground sand ser­ves as a bottom substrate. Porphyritic rock flakes from the gardening supply centre were stacked to form a structure of about 40 cm in height that enables the turtles to use about one third of the tank for basking and oviposition. The remaining two thirds of the space can be used for swimming (Figs. 2-5).

The stacked porphyritic rock flakes per­mit the spotted turtles to climb out of the water from under its surface and so reach the terrestrial portion. Two flakes in the upper portion of the stack stick out farther than all others and the turtles typically use these for resting. The spotlight is directed onto one of the uppermost rock flakes and so provides a basking spot. The remaining area of the terrestrial section has been filled with playground sand and is used for ovi­position. The stack of rock flakes has been covered with fleece on the terrestrial side as to keep the sand from dissipating through the gaps into the water. On the other hand, the water can penetrate the sand so that it is always moist in the upper and wet in the lower portions

The water level is kept at about 28 cm deep. The bottom is covered with sand, upon which three porphyritic rock flakes have been distributed and a few round stones towards the front pane. A piece of savannah wood root rests on the ground while another root has been affixed to the wooden top cover unit so that it extends into the water from above. A small flower box has likewise beenattached to the wooden cover and holds hanging plants. These not only conceal the rear wall and provide the viewer with a very attractive backdrop, but the roots dangling into the water also remove nutrients from it and allow the Clemmys guttata to swim amongst. Aquatic vegetation would stand no chance of survival, whereas if the turtles damage the tendrils or roots of the plants above them, they will just grow back.

It would appear that my turtles like such a naturalistic aquaterrarium very much. They are usually found in the water, swimming and climbing on the roots and rocks where they find suitable hiding and resting spots.

The water is kept clean by means of a thermofilter, Eheim Professional 2224. With just one turtle occupying the about 60 litres of water in the tank, the filter only needs to be cleaned two or three times per year during the activity period of the turtle. The built-in heater of the filter takes care of maintaining a water temperature of about 25 °C during the day and up to 4 °C less at night in summer; a timer switches the heater off between 18:00 and 6:00 h the next morning.

The basking spot is irradiated with an Os- ram HQL-R de Luxe (80 W) that comes with its own transformer. It is set to be switched on for four to six hours daily during the summer months. This basking spot is madeuse of by the Clemmys guttata to a surprising extent, in particular by gravid females. They all show no signs of shyness, quite in contrast to the map turtles (Graptemys) in my care. The spotted turtles will not even give up their basking spots when you look into the aquaterrarium right from above them. The rest of the day, they have to make do with the light from a 36-W fluorescent tube for plant growth that is long enough to illuminate two adjacent aquaterraria. This setup has proven its suitability for many years.

The tanks are filled with normal tap water, irrespective of its degree of hardness. Nearly complete exchanges of water are effected at three- to four-week intervals.

The aquaterraria for the males are almost identical in their outfitting. Merely the sand- filled terrestrial section is wanting, i.e., the oviposition spot that is not required. Their tanks measure 60 x 60 x 60 cm and are fur­nished with stacked porphyritic rock flakes up the rear wall. A cork island floats on the water surface.

While the females are kept strictly alone to ensure their complete peace and quiet, the males live in the company of juvenile painted turtles (Chrysemys picta picta or Chrysemys picta bellii), without any problems having surfaced to date.

Co-inhabitants

The aquatic sections additionally house gup­pies (.Poecilia reticulata) and sucking catfish (Ancistrus sp.), which both make for useful co-inhabitants that need not be fed separately. The livebearers consume the smaller leftovers of the turtle food and so contribute to the fact that the water and filter need not be cleaned for extended periods of time. Moreover, these short-lived small fish produce frail old ones all the time, and these form a natural source of additional food for the turtles. The guppies reproduce at such a rate that there is always a population of all age classes present. The catfish, on the other hand, really love the rock structures where they can attach their eggs to the undersides of the flakes, producing baby catfish on an ongoing basis. Feeding on algae, they graze the rocks continuously and keep them free of overgrowth. They furthermore occasionally rasp remains of old scutes off the dorsal shells of the turtles, which the latter appear to consciously allow. In one case, I kept a very old catfish with a Clemmys-guttata female in the same aquaterrarium and the fish would go scouring the turtle all the while. The turtle always responded very calmly to these approaches by relaxing on the bottom of the water. One day I noticed that her carapace was becoming lighter and lighter in colour, though. I removed the large catfish from her tank and indeed, her dorsal shell resumed its anthracite- grey to black colouration after some time.

Diet

Clemmys guttata is omnivorous, even though it takes in only very little plant matter. This is why I limit their feeding with vegetable matter to what is contained in the turtle pudding I prepare for them. While they really appear to enjoy the latter, pellets with a raised vegetable content (algae etc.) are accepted only with great hesitation. Duckweed, which I collect from a nearby pond and place into the tanks every now and then, is rarely eaten. Other vegetable matter, such as pieces of banana or currants, is principally ignored. I always keep an eye on myself as to not offer them too much food, as this would compromise the water quality.

The spotted turtles in my care readily accept food of animal origin, and the following is a list of common feeds with annotations from my personal experiences:

Mosquito larvae, red, white or black - always a good food, in particular when offered alive to hatchlings and juveniles. The wriggling insect larvae trigger the hunting instinct, but they also make a good food when frozen (defrost before use) or freeze-dried. Daphnia - an equally good food, for the same reasons.

Tubifex- an equally good food as mosquito larvae, but attention must be paid to the risk of introducing diseases to the tanks. Gammarus, scud - an excellent food, no matter whether frozen or freeze-dried; very useful for raising juveniles.

Freshwater shrimp - usually obtainable from Asian food markets, shrimp are a valuable type of food, causing the orange and red colours to intensify in turtles fed thus; also available in freeze-dried form. Earthworms - no matter whether from the biological compost heap or in the shape of lob worm, earthworms make for excellent

turtle food. I like to use smaller worms for raising spotted turtles. I offer them whole so that the baby turtles are kept busy for longer.

Locusts, crickets, cockroaches and other ter­restrial insects - a valuable category of food, but my Clemmys guttata do not seem to like roaches. If you set out to collect insects from the wild, you need to be aware of possible nature conservation restrictions.

Mealworms and giant mealworms (Zopho- bas) - a good live food that should not be given too often as it will cause deficiency syndromes in turtles.

Small fish - smelt, roach and blueband dwarf barb constitute excellent food when freshly killed. I offer them whole, including their innards, just like turtles would most often encounter them in the wild. If you need to chop up larger fish, for making turtle pudding for example, the bones need to be extracted first, as they might injure the turtles. Una­ware of this risk, I lost two Chrysemys picta picta through injuries sustained from trying to eat fragments of large fishbones.

Woodlice, caterpillars, flies, beetles, spiders - almost everything you can catch in a house or garden is suitable as turtle food; nature conservation laws need to be taken into consideration, though.

Octopus and other seafood - chopped to manageable size, I occasionally use these as turtle food.

Beef heart, muscle meat, poultry - useful for adding variety, but not to be used too often due to the fat content and the disad­vantageous calcium/phosphorus ratio in beef heart.

Pink mice - freshly prekilled or defrosted, I offer these occasionally.

Pellets - I use pellets with a high content in fishmeal and a low percentage of algae.

Cuttlefish shell - should always be avail­able as a source of calcium, for females in particular (floats on water); eggshells are an alternative. I feed my turtles rather irregularly - not always at the same time of day, not every day either, and only once on a day of feed­ing (juveniles maybe twice). Females are offered food every or every other day, but I ensure that gravid females receive food daily. As far as the males are concerned, it suffices to feed them every two to three days. I always offer only as much as can be consumed within a short space of time, as leftovers will compromise the water quality. According to my observations, Clemmys guttata females consume about three to five times as much food as males.

Breeding

I always put great emphasis on my turtles receiving a high-quality and varying diet. This is the only way of ensuring healthy eggs and strong hatchlings. It entails that the females be fed with food of good qual­ity right into the month of October, because autumn is the time when follicles for the next year are formed.

Everybody who is engaged in the propa­gation of turtles knows how “bitchy” these animals can behave during mating. I think it is most important to never leave specimens that have been placed together for mating without supervision, as interfering may become a matter of urgency at any point of time. I always place pairs together in cold water (about 12-14 °C), either shortly before their overwintering or right after it in spring.

After the female tank has been filled with fresh tap water to a level of about 20 cm,

the male is introduced. If everything works according to plan, he will start courting the female right away. If the female is receptive, she will calmly sink to the bottom and permit the male to mount her. I witnessed copulation events that lasted up to 16 minutes. I never observed that the male would use his claws to hold on to the margin of the female’s carapace. After a while, the female will try

to escape the male and drag him after her until the connection is severed. This is the right point of time to relocate the male to his own tank. Leaving the two turtles together for longer would only lead to biting fights, initiated in particular by the female. The female will often ascend onto the terrestrial section and remain there until the male has been removed, which she also does if she is not willing to mate in the first place.

I never observed more than one copulation event per year with the female blocking any further attempts. Females are able to store sperm, however, and use it for all clutches of a year.

Eggs are laid from April or May. I prepare for them by sinking a container filled with moss into the sand of the terrestrial section. Both Thieme and Buchert (pers. comms.) confirmed that Clemmys guttata like to bury their clutches in moss. Buchert furthermore informed me that he would then take the moss-filled container with the eggs, place it as is into an incubator, and so incubate the eggs successfully. My females have been opting for burying their eggs in the sand, however, until one of them changed her mind recently (see chapter “Particular observa­tions”). It happened on several occasions that they deposited their clutches so deep in the sand that they were below the water level, which then spoiled the eggs.

As far as my spotted turtles are concerned, an oviposition event always begins in the late afternoon, typically between 16 and 17 h, and it often takes until well into the night, usually some four and a half hours, before everything is completed. Once a fe­male has started excavating a nest pit, she can be watched throughout the event without a risk of her aborting it.

An impending oviposition event is her­alded by the female becoming restless and walking about the terrestrial section two to three days before, scratching the surface of the sand and examining it. A female at thisstage will hardly feed. Clemmys guttata appear to prefer a well-moistened oviposi- tion substrate (own obs. and verbal comm. Stettner). This is the case in my aquater- raria anyway due to the manner in which the terrestrial section is separated from the aquatic portion. As has been described above, the stack of natural rock flakes per­mits water to soak the bottom layer of sand to the water level, keeping the sand above moist all the time.

Using her hind feet, the female exca­vates a pit of some 6 to 8 cm in depth. If it is deeper, it will fill with water, and to prevent this from happening, I have taken to reducing the water level when I notice that oviposition is to be expected within the next few days. The female’s earthworks can take up to two hours to complete. Once the female is satisfied with her pit, she will sink her rear half into it and lay her eggs, which usually number two. Right after, she starts refilling the pit by shovelling sand back in with her hind legs. After this has been achieved, she will compact the sand by stamping it with her hind and front feet and finally smoothen the surface by sliding over it on her plastron. The female may

then stay on land for a while longer before returning to the water.

The eggs now need to be carefully un­earthed, recovered and placed in moistened vermiculite without turning them. They are soft-shelled, but harder and more solid than those of painted and map turtles, and the eggshell is slightly thicker. Eggs of Clemmys guttata furthermore differ in that I never experienced them to inflate from an excessive absorption of water during incubation. If the eggs are recovered only some days after they have been laid, they will not develop further (own obs.); it would appear that the embryos respond very badly to their eggs being moved. I apply the same incubation principles as for Graptemys ni- grinoda nigrinoda (comp. Roddewig 2010), only that the incubation substrate is kept somewhat moister. As I said before, I have never noticed the eggs to inflate, rather they would cave in and shrink when the ambi­ence becomes too dry. Incubated at 26°C, certain male hatchlings will emerge after about 62 days, whereas 30.5°C will just as certainly produce females after only 50 days. I always apply a constant temperature without nightly decreases.

Rearing

Most hatchlings emerge from their eggs without a major yolk sac. Typically, two to three days will pass from the first cut through the eggshell by means of the eggtooth, al­ways at a pole, to leaving the egg. I leave the hatchlings alone until they start walking about the incubator. I made the experience that hatchlings that do not manage to exit their eggs without help will not prove viable afterwards.

After collecting the hatchlings from the incubator, they are placed in cricket containers that are filled with 1 cm of water and contain a tuft of hornwort. They are closed with a lid that has been furnished with a few ventila­tion holes. The individual containers are then left in an aquarium for a day or two until the remains of the yolk sac have been resorbed. The navel slit will often have firmly closed by this point of time as well and the eggtooth will have disappeared. The temperature in this aquarium is maintained at 25 ± 3 °C.

Once the yolk reserves have been used up, the hatchlings will start feeding. Their first food consists of live mosquito larvae and daph nia, which are meant to trigger their hunting instincts right from the beginning. Scud and small earthworms are subsequently added to their menu, and after just about eight days, they are fed with everything the adults also receive, only that it is selected or chopped up to fit their feeding capabilities. The water with which the cricket boxes and the aquaria for the juveniles are filled originates from the aquaterraria of the parents, as this will help to establish a healthy intestinal flora in the young (verbal comm. Schulz).

The young Clemmys guttata in my care are very skilled swimmers. They are raised in a custom-made nursery aquarium measuring 108 x 23.5 x 22 cm that fits perfectly into one half of the window sill of my open-plan kitchen. This window faces south. The tank is richly structured with low piles of rocks, small savannah roots, and aquatic plants. Care needs

to be taken when decorating the nursery tank to ensure there are no crevices in which the inquisitive juveniles can become wedged-in. This happened to me only once in the past when a baby became so solidly stuck that it drowned. The water level is kept at about 16 cm. A few pieces of cork bark float on the surface and are used for basking. The water temperature is maintained at about 25 °C by means of a heating rod. There are no further technological implements. Water exchanges are effected when required as are cleaning sessions. The tank is shaded when insolation becomes excessive, but this rarely necessary. The nursery tank can be covered with a fitting pane of glass, which may be required at night or on cloudy days, in order to avoid the risk of the young catching cold. The cover ensures a layer of humid warm breathing air above the water surface.

The baby turtles remain in this tank for about six to eight weeks. By then, they will have stabilized and feed so reliably that they can be passed on to interested and qualified fellow keepers. Clemmys guttata is still being traded at reasonable prices, but the latter should not be so low as to encourage spontaneous purchases. With the number of turtle enthusiasts producing Clemmys guttata offspring growing over the past years, it only takes a little patience to find captive-bred specimens today.

Particular observations

This is the right place to report on two particulars I have observed in my female Clemmys guttata over the years. As has been mentioned above, I afford my females a choice between burying their eggs in sand or moss. Initially, they ignored the moss completely, until suddenly, in July of 2011, one of the two females started digging in the plant mat­ter. It had become a little dry, and the turtle moistened it with liquid from its anal bladder. It was interesting to see that this continued for the next two days. The female would dive into the water, obviously refill her anal bladder, ascend to the moss-filled container in the terrestrial section, and empty it there, only to repeat the procedure several times. The moss was also turned over with the hind feet again and again, apparently with the aim of moistening it through and through. Once the female was satisfied with her achievements, she proceeded to deposit her eggs in the moss. The other female meanwhile continued to bury her eggs in sand as she always had, without paying attention to the moss.

In female 1, an oviposition event lasts up to five hours from the excavation of a nest pit to closing it. It always takes place in the

evening hours and often stretches to well after dark. On one occasion, I found Female 1 busy excavating a nest pit during an evening check (about 18:00-19:00 h). When I checked again around 21:30 h, I could see in the darkness that she was busy closing the pit. I left the room and came to check on her once more around 23:00 h. The pit had by now been refilled, and the female had returned to the water. I set out to recover her eggs right away - only that there were no eggs to be found anywhere in the entire terrestrial portion. Female 1 had obviously busied herself for close to five hours with excavating and closing a nest pit without even placing a single egg in it.

Hibernation

The Clemmys guttata in my care are over­wintered in their individual aquaterraria as described above. Mid-October sees me cease their feeding completely as the turtles hardly continue to feed at water temperatures of 18 to 20 °C anyway. At this stage, the lights are still on for eight hours a day. Water tempera­tures are reduced further some two weeks later by switching off the room heating and the heating element in the filter. At the same time, the water level is reduced to some 6 cm and the filter is switched off. Lighting is turned off as from mid of November.

When water temperatures decrease to some 14 °C in late autumn, the turtles will already have started behaving notably quiet. Once temperatures decrease further and reach 10-11 °C, they enter a state of stupor. With the legs, head, neck and tail retracted into the shell as deeply as possible, the turtles spend three to four weeks motionless out of the water, on a rock, or entirely submerged in the water. Even when I check on them about every five days with a torchlight at night, they will show no signs of feeling disturbed. But following these three to four weeks, they will eventually change the position.

The turtles will now spend the winter in their cellar room until about mid-February. The windows there are kept slightly open,

unless frost outside demands they be closed. A thermostat connected to a heater serves as a safeguard against frost in the cellar, but per­mits the temperatures to decrease to 4 °C.

Room temperatures are gradually returned to normal from late February when water and air temperatures once more reach some 22 °C within a period of two weeks. The water level is restored to normal, and the filters, including their built-in heaters, are reconnected. During the early years of my keeping spotted turtles I spread this period of readjustment over a longer period of time. Then my second small female died during this phase, I decided to substantially shorten it, and never encountered another problem. My Clemmys guttata lose a few grams in weight during this period of dormancy (see Tab. 1 -2). Even without my knowing where exactly in the vast distribution range the ancestors of my spotted turtles came from, the described procedure to facilitate an annual phase of inactivity has been working just fine every year anew.

To which extent spotted turtles are adapted to low winter temperatures in the northern parts of their distribution range was some­thing I realized during the altogether very cold January of 2008: My turtle cellar, in which the Clemmys guttata are overwintered as described, cooled down rapidly as a function of the slightly open windows. Its room thermometer showed 5 °C,and I closed one of the windows, knowing from experience (hat room temperatures would now not drop below 4 °C. It did not in this case either, but I failed to notice that the aquaterrarium housing Female 1 was standing right below the window that had remained tilted open. A falling draught must have developed from there into the tank, carrying frosty air into it and to the filter below. Unnoticed by me, the switched-off filter and the remaining water in the aquaterrarium above froze. My room thermometer still showed 4 °C, and none of the other terraria showed signs of being exposed to frost. All seemed to be in good order. On one of my routine inspection tours, which I undertake more often during phases of severe frost weather, I noticed that Female I was almost completely ice-locked. Only a narrow strip of about 1.5 cm of water had remained along the front glass pane, which was where the head of the turtle was. The rest of the body was locked in a solid block of ice. I blamed myself to no end and im­mediately went to try and rescue the turtle by carefully hacking it out of its icy prison with a sharp crowbar. It took me about two hours to achieve this. The female itself was not frozen solid, and I placed her into an­

other aquaterrarium, where she continued to hibernate like all other spotted turtles. This Clemmys guttata female eventually woke up with no lasting after-effects, but it might be that this incident was the reason for her pro­ducing her first clutch of eggs only two years after the other female of the same age.

Conservation

Clemmys guttata is not included in any international conservation category, even though the USA have repeatedly called for its inclusion in a CITES appendix. Their notion has so far been rejected with the argument that the species would be almost exclusive to the territory of the US and could therefore be protected by means of national legislation. This has led to its being protected in some states of the US (and in the Canadian province of Ontario). Spotted turtles can still be legally exported, though, and trading captive-bred specimens is even permissible within the US. Which regulations apply exactly differs quite substantially amongst US states and the situation is hardly transparent for an outsider. A few small turtle farms exist in the US that have taken to breeding Clemmys guttata on a commercial scale, although this species is less productive than the more trade-relevant painted and map turtles.

In closing

Clemmys guttata surely ranks amongst the most attractive pond turtles. Its major practical advantage is its relatively small adult size. This eliminates the need for huge and therefore very expensive aquaterraria and running costs are kept comparatively low. Another plus is its pretty colour pat­tern that is maintained into old age. Spot­ted turtles are still available at reasonable prices that are on the other hand no so low as to favour thoughtless purchases at the spur of the moment. With captive-bred specimens being quite readily available, it is sound advice to go for these rather than wild-caught ones, in particular if one is a beginner in the captive care of turtles. Housed one by one, keeping spotted turtles can be a rewarding experience that connects the keeper with nature. For me, it remains to be hoped that my report has made other turtle enthusiasts take a closer look upon Clemmys guttata.

Acknowledgements

This contribution would not have been possible without the numerous verbal and written informative communications I re­ceived from the following fellow keepers: Herbert Becker, Peter Buchert, Dr. Tobias Friz, Elke Grunwald, Klaus Lambertz, Volker Naths, Siegbert Schulz, andArmin Stettner. I gladly take this opportunity to thank all of them for their assistance from the bottom of my heart. I furthermore thank Andreas S. Hennig and Holger Vetter for reviewing and editing my manuscript.

References

Becker, H. (1994): Bemerkungen zur Nachzucht von Clemmys guttata (Schneider, 1792). - elaphe, Rheinbach, 2 (2): 17.

Buchert, P. (1999): Haltung und Zucht der Tropfenschildkrote Clemmys guttata (Schnei­der, 1792) im Terrarium. - J. AG Schildkroten, Bennstedt, 8 (1): 9-16.

Ernst, C. H. & J. E. Lovich (2009): Turtles of the United States and Canada. - 2. Auflage Baltimore (Johns Hopkins Univ. Press), 827

pp.

Roddewig, E. (2010): My Experiences with the Keeping and Propagation of the Black- knobbed Sawback, Graptemys nigrinoda nigrinoda Cagle, 1954. - Radiata (English edition), Lingenfeld, 19 (4): 2-18.

Vetter, H. (2004): Turtles of the World Vol. 2. North America. - Frankfurt am Main/Rodgau (Edition Chimaira/Verlag ACS Glaser), 128 pp.

Internet resources

Becker, H. (2012): www.clemmys.de (Download: 03.01.2012).

Author & Photos

Ewald Roddewig

Birkenweg 11

85406 Zolling

Germany

E-Mail: er-picta@freenet.de

Homepage: www.er-picta.de

Die Oben zu sehenden Bilder wurden von Natalie Looser fotografiert und zu sehen sind Ihre

Clemmys guttata