Dwarf Side-Neck Turtles

[laf27]

I have a pair (Male + Female) of Dwarf Side-Neck turtles for sale. Brilliant character, very entertaining.

Come with full set-up, that includes 2ft/2ft Exo - terra glass terrarium with matching stand, Exo-Terror UV light, Heater and pump, cork bark and rock. Lovely piece of furniture.

Looking for offers around £150 and can be collected from Essex.

[Graham]

Do you mean Pelusios nanus?

[Geomyda]

Originally Posted by laf27

I have a pair (Male + Female) of Dwarf Side-Neck turtles for sale. Brilliant character, very entertaining.

Come with full set-up, that includes 2ft/2ft Exo - terra glass terrarium with matching stand, Exo-Terror UV light, Heater and pump, cork bark and rock. Lovely piece of furniture.

Looking for offers around £150 and can be collected from Essex.

Can you post pic's?

[kellysmith1976]

Is there such a thing as a Dwarf side neck ?..

I have 2 side necks... and ive never heard them described as dwarf before.. any chance of some pics!!

[Graham]

Yes there is such a thing Turtles of the World > Species: Pelusios nanus (African dwarf mud turtle), African Mud Turtles are also known as Side Neck Turtles.

[laf27]

Yes that's correct. They are Pelusios nanus. If anyone can send me a PM with details on how to post pics on here, I will post them tonight. Otherwise, pm your email address and i'll send some.

[Graham]

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/turtl...otobucket.html

Also PM'd this to you.

[Geomyda]

Originally Posted by Graham

Yes there is such a thing Turtles of the World > Species: Pelusios nanus (African dwarf mud turtle), African Mud Turtles are also known as Side Neck Turtles.

You are quite right, but I have not seen these on any dealer list before. I will be fascinated to see the pictures. From what I know, they are very similar to the adanson's Hinged turtle (Pelusious adansonii), which I have seen imported into the UK. However, their range in Angola, Congo and Zambia, is quite unusual to get imports from.
Bill Branch's book Tortoises terrapins & Turtles of Africa has Photo's of the species, but frankly the defining features are not easily recognisable.
It really needs a good plastron shot and of course the adult dimensions will be quite telling.
However, that said, if they are indeed a truly dwarf species, it might make a very interesting captive breeding project, as animals of this size would make potentially, a very good captive species. Not bad, for an LBJ- (Little brown job)?
I did hear that Cold blooded, the reptile shop in east London were offering what were described as dwarf Side neck turtles a few months ago, but no more info was available.

[Graham]

Yes I remember hearing about those turts at Cold Blooded too, but never heard any more.
As you say these two, if they are genuine Pelusios nanus, would be very interesting especially if they could be persuaded to breed.
As I understand it they only grow to around 4" SCL, so would make an ideal species for keeping in an aquarium.

[laf27]

I actually purchased these from Cold Blooded around August last year.

I've kept lizards, geckos and snakes for the last 13 years and have avoided keeping turtles due to growth rates and eventual adult size. However, these have proved to be fantastic pets and would certainly make an interesting captive breeding project.

If they are what you believe them to be, what should the male to female ratio be - 1.2. / 1.3? and would either of you be able to accurately tell gender based on pictures? If so - would length of the tails etc. be an indication?

I'll try and take some good shots tonight and post them.