Husbandry and reproduction of the Indochinese box turtle Cuora galbinifrons, Bourret's box turtle Cuora bourreti and Southern Vietnam box turtle Cuora picturata in North America

Abstract

Despite their historic commonality in the pet trade, there is still relatively little information published on the care and reproduction of the Cuora galbinifrons complex. Now recognized as three distinct species – Indochinese box turtle Cuora galbinifrons, Bourret's box turtle Cuora bourreti and Southern Vietnam box turtle Cuora picturata – this complex contains some of the world's most Critically Endangered chelonians. The following is a husbandry report for these species. Information was collected from North American studbook participants for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, unpublished reports, websites and the available published literature. Various husbandry methods have proven successful; however, there have been few instances of consistent reproductive success. This paper aims to illuminate some husbandry practices in place at the time of writing and promote the sharing of information for future programmes.