Four-clawed Land Turtle is a common land turtle, and it is a first-level protected animal in China. However, many people still keep them as pets. Four-clawed Land Turtle is relatively easy to care for and can adapt well to captivity. Therefore, it is loved by turtle enthusiasts.
Chinese name: 四爪陆龟
Chinese alias: 旱龟 陆龟 塔西帕卡 塔斯帕哈 草原龟
English name: Central Asian tortoise
Scientific name: horsfieldi
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Subclass: Diapsida
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Testudinidae
Subfamily: Testudininae
Genus: Testudo
Subgenus: Agrionemys
Species: Four-clawed Land Turtle
Distribution: Only found in Huocheng County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Habitat: Four-clawed Land Turtles inhabit the desert at an altitude of 700 to 1000 meters, mainly in loess hills desert areas. The area belongs to a grassland and semi-desert landscape with Artemisia desert vegetation.
Size: 15-25 cm. The carapace is round or oval, about 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) long, and occasionally there are reports of individuals exceeding 9 inches (23 cm).
Appearance: The carapace is noticeably flattened along the vertebral shields. The color of the carapace varies, ranging from light brown to yellowish-green, and to olive, with brown or black markings on larger scutes.
Reproductive behavior: Oviparous. Every early spring (from March to May), the land turtles wake up from hibernation and immediately start looking for mates.
Diet: Herbivorous, the diet consists entirely of herbaceous plants and succulent plants, including grass (fresh and dry), tender branches, flowers, fruits, and young stems and leaves of various local wild and cultivated plants.
1. Carapace damage: For mild carapace damage, clear all loose and floating dead scutes, clean up debris, and disinfect with hydrogen peroxide, then apply potassium permanganate powder directly (or apply hydrogen peroxide multiple times daily without potassium permanganate).
2. Strong odor or foul smell from the entire body or specific area may indicate a severe infection caused by sensitive bacteria. Treatment requires injection of antibiotics. Use ceftriaxone sodium for injection, which has low toxicity. Prepare the solution for intraperitoneal injection and inject into the peritoneal cavity. During treatment, supplement with some multivitamins and keep the terrapin dry. If a cheaper antibiotic, such as cefazolin, is used, it can only be administered by intramuscular injection.
3. If there is a hole as shown in the picture and the terrapin has refused to eat, it may be caused by the perforation. In this case, injectable antibiotics must be used. For local treatment, clean and disinfect with hydrogen peroxide, pat the affected area dry with a clean cotton swab, soak the perforated area in povidone-iodine solution for 15 minutes, 4-5 times a day.
4. Treatment for severe carapace damage takes a long time and requires love, patience, and perseverance.
5. Sunken eyes: Sunken eyes may be caused by extensive carapace damage leading to long-term anorexia or food refusal. It may also be caused by severe malnutrition due to a large amount of internal parasites. Treat accordingly. Use oral Jinsierge, with a dose of one-third of a grain per 500 grams of body weight daily. Adjust the treatment for half a year to one year.
6. Tearing: Check if the humidity is appropriate. Check if there are any unusual odors in the habitat. Check if there is shelter in the enclosure. Excessive exposure to bright light can also cause tearing.
7. Mouth angle inflammation: Mouth angle inflammation, commonly known as angular cheilitis, often occurs on one or both sides of the oral mucosa. It can be classified into nutrition-induced angular cheilitis, bacterial angular cheilitis, and fungal angular cheilitis.
- For nutrition-induced angular cheilitis, apply some oil or crack prevention oil. Take vitamin B2 orally three times a day. For local treatment, apply Boric Acid powder or Yunnan Baiyao. If there is inflammation, apply Dragon's blood purple solution twice a day. With these simple treatments, the majority of angular cheilitis can be cured quickly.
- Bacterial angular cheilitis is caused by infection with streptococcus or staphylococcus, characterized by wet and white corners of the mouth, ulceration, pus, bleeding, and scabbing. After local cleaning, apply antibacterial ointment (such as erythromycin ointment) and orally administer broad-spectrum antibiotics.
- Fungal angular cheilitis is caused by fungal infection, mainly candida albicans. It exhibits wet and white corners of the mouth, more prominent white color, ulceration, or sores. For treatment, wash the affected area with anti-fungal solution, such as nystatin, ketoconazole, or miconazole. Note that broad-spectrum antibiotics should not be used for this condition.
8. External parasites: Remove the parasite by squeezing it tightly with tweezers until it dies, wait for half an hour, and then remove it with tweezers. Apply medication and disinfect.
9. Cold: If the temperature difference between before and after soaking is more than 15 degrees and lasts for a long time, promptly administer cold medications. If the temperature difference is less than 15 degrees, observe for 24 hours. If nasal discharge is observed, administer cold medications immediately. If symptoms persist for half a month, one month, or even longer, such as mouth breathing, excessive drinking, loss of appetite, mucus around the mouth, and heavy breathing, it indicates a lower respiratory tract infection, which may be mild or severe. If it is a mild infection, oral antibiotics are still effective. If it is severe infection, injectable antibiotics are necessary.
10. Internal parasites: Administer 1/20 of the recommended dose of vermicide per 500 grams of body weight.
11. Do not use excessive vermicide, as it may weaken the terrapin's constitution and even cause death.
12. Stones: For early stone formation, increase soaking temperature and time to promote excretion. Oral administration of a compound grass extract until the uric acid turns into a large amount of gel-like white substance, then stop the medication. For intermediate stones, use a glycerin enema to stimulate excretion. If the stone cannot be easily expelled, carefully insert smooth forceps into the anus, grasp the hard object with the forceps, and gently pull it out. If the stone is too large and cannot be expelled, it will eventually lead to organ failure and death. Surgery is not ideal due to the terrapin's unique body structure, but as long as there is hope, we should make an effort. Consult a veterinarian for surgical removal of the stone.
13. Gastroenteritis:
- For mild cases, fasting can be an effective method to eliminate toxins from the body and allow the terrapin's digestive system to adjust naturally. Alternatively, administer probiotics orally to help establish intestinal flora quickly.
- For severe cases, use oral antibiotics for treatment. Supplement with multivitamins containing trace elements to maintain electrolyte and acid-base balance in the terrapin's body. After completing the course of antibiotics, administer probiotics orally.
The Four-clawed Land Turtle is a typical herbivorous turtle. In the wild, the food of the Four-clawed Land Turtle is not single, because there are many kinds of plants that can be eaten by it. This also reminds turtle lovers that in order to ensure the health of the Four-clawed Land Turtle, different foods should be constantly replaced.
First, the foraging activities of the Four-clawed Land Turtle
In late March and early April, the Four-clawed Land Turtle wakes up from hibernation and starts feeding 1-2 days after waking up. April to May is the breeding season and the climate is suitable, which is the peak season for feeding. During July and August, due to high temperature and large evaporation, the activity of turtles significantly decreases and their appetite also decreases, followed by hibernation. The Four-clawed Land Turtle has two feeding peaks every day: one is from 10:00 to 12:00 noon after sunbathing and before shade, and the other is from 18:00 to 20:00 before going into the den after the shade. The Four-clawed Land Turtle often walks and feeds for a short time, and rarely stays in one place for a long time to feed. During the breeding season, the mature males are particularly like this, while the females have longer feeding time and larger appetite.
Second, the food composition of the Four-clawed Land Turtle
The Four-clawed Land Turtle is a herbivorous animal. It feeds on 47 species of plants, accounting for 80% of the surveyed species. It prefers to eat 18 species of food such as heliotrope and morning glory, and generally consumes 22 species of common food such as oats and foxtail millet. It occasionally eats 7 species of occasional food such as bitter beans and flat clover. The types of food consumed, the degree of preference, and the feeding parts vary greatly in different months. In April, there are abundant species such as ice flowers and Ranunculus asiaticus, and the Four-clawed Land Turtle mainly eats their flowers. After May, the above-mentioned two plants fruit successively, and the Four-clawed Land Turtle's consumption of heliotrope and Ionopsidium acaule greatly increases. May is also the month with the richest variety of food consumed by the Four-clawed Land Turtle. The types of preferred food and general food in April and May have 50% and 70% similarities, respectively, but due to the change in the growth period of plants, the feeding parts are not exactly the same. In June, the main food of the Four-clawed Land Turtle is Lalateng and heliotrope, and the types of food consumed are relatively reduced. 18% of the preferred species are the same as in April, and 44% are the same as in May. In July, the types of food consumed are only 34% of May, and in August, only 13% of the turtles are still awake and their food consumption is very little, and their activity basically stagnates. The Four-clawed Land Turtle can obtain preferred food such as Violaceae, chicory, and dandelion throughout the entire activity season.
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