FOR SALE - Burmese Brown Hatchlings - Manouria Emys Emys - Second Generation.

[clevency]

As promised some shots of this year hatchlings as well as two shots of parents. More photos and caresheets emailed upon request. Please feel free to contact me with questions.

[clevency]

Originally Posted by Helen M

What is the growth rate like with these little chaps?

Helen xx

At 1 yr these guys are easily double their hatch size.
You have a good med sized tortoises at 3-4 and a tortoise that will definitely need an outdoor shed by around the age of 5-8. Good mature giant size by around 10 years old. They appear to grow most in first 15 years, but continue to grow their whole lives (just a lot slower).

[TortBabe]

They are lovely, congrats

[Helen M]

Originally Posted by clevency

At 1 yr these guys are easily double their hatch size.
You have a good med sized tortoises at 3-4 and a tortoise that will definitely need an outdoor shed by around the age of 5-8. Good mature giant size by around 10 years old. They appear to grow most in first 15 years, but continue to grow their whole lives (just a lot slower).

Some of these guys are definitely on my wishlist. I think I will have to wait a couple of years though. Could you possibly pm me a caresheet?

Helen xx

[ziggy's owner]

Omg they are cute

[SeeShell]

Wow, so tiny then so big!!! They're lovely! What sort of personalities do these guys have - outgoing / shy etc

[clevency]

Originally Posted by SeeShell

Wow, so tiny then so big!!! They're lovely! What sort of personalities do these guys have - outgoing / shy etc

These guys are very friendly gentle giants and both females and males live well in small groups. When small they can be a little shy, but soon become very outgoing and extremely friendly .. almost like dogs. Show a great interested in what your doing in their pen! They have beautiful big eyes that look straight at you. Will happily feed from your hand and love to be sprayed with water.

introduction caresheet with basics and advance caresheet with setup tips etc available.

[ziggy's owner]

what size do these guys get too.........

[clevency]

Originally Posted by ziggy's owner

what size do these guys get too.........

4th largest variety in the world. Largest Asain tropical tortoises. Second largest mainland tortoises. Manouria emys typically are a uniformly dark brown / black in colour. They have a flattened elongated carapace with a straight line length of 40cm to 60cm. The supracudal scute is always divided. The posterior marginals are slightly serrated in heavily. These animals are pretty armour protected and have well developed scales on their front legs and back feet giving the animal its local name of six footed tortoise. There are also several large pointed spurs on each thigh. Adult animals typically weigh from 20-40kg.

[clevency]

Beginners Guide to Burmese Browns

The Burmese Brown tortoise (Manouria emys emys) is a rarely kept species in the UK although captive bred specimens do pop up from time to time.
The genus Manouria has only two extant species left - the Burmese Brown and the impressed tortoise Manouria impressor. The latter species generally does poorly in captivity and should be avoided especially if wild caught. This genus is thought to be an early evolved tortoise genus and probably one of the first of the true land tortoises.
Burmese Browns are large tortoises regularly attaining a size of 60cm long and up to 20Kg in weight.
At present there are two known subspecies M. emys emys and M. emys phayrei, the latter is the larger. Both tortoises are a solid brown to black colour with thick set long legs covered with quite spiny scales. There are two spurs on each thigh and quite protruding scales from the heels (leading to the species' native common name of the six-legged tortoise).

The Burmese Brown tortoise inhabits thick tropical rainforest habitat, being commonly found close to water in mountainous regions across tropical Asia.
Housing in captivity
In captivity they require large quarters with plenty of indoor space, Burmese do not like bright sunlight and prefer shaded conditions. A large insulated heated shed or greenhouse will be required with access to a well planted outside area. Provide plenty of water since Browns like it wet; these tortoises drink heavily and love to soak for prolonged periods. High humidity is essential for keeping skin in good condition.
These tortoises tend to do better if heated from below. They generally shy away from heat lamps, preferring to burrow into a warm substrate of damp bark chips. Burmese Browns do not like high temperatures and prefer ambient temperatures of about 25-28C. Adult animals are remarkably cold hardy and are often active and feeding at only 10C. This makes them an ideal species for keeping outdoors with access to a heated shed all year around in the UK.

Feeding this species of tortoise is a controversial subject since there are various views on the types of diet fed. Typically, Burmese Browns are fed a rainforest tortoise diet of chopped fruit, leafy greens and a small portion of animal protein once per week or so. Some European keepers have challenged this idea and believe these animals should be fed a higher fibre green leaf diet with little or no fruit and no access to animal protein.

My own animals were captive bred juveniles only one week old when they first arrived. Since day one they have been fed a rainforest tortoise diet including chopped fruit, edible weeds and small amounts of animal protein. These animals have grown quickly and healthily with smooth shells and strong bone development.

Diet Daily: Chopped apple, cucumber, apricot, fig, banana, plum, dandelion (leaves and flowers), sow thistle, plantain, curly kale and water cress, mixed together with calcium carbonate powder. Animals which have regular access to an outdoor area and natural grazing feed on anything green including fresh grass and dried grass, preferring Spillers ready grass to normal hay types.
Weekly: Protein is given once weekly. Under the age of two years feed Zoo Med tortoise pellets and soaked dry cat or dog food (usually Iams) mixed with calcium carbonate powder. Over the age of two years I have changed this slightly by adding cooked chopped pieces of chicken and Zoopreme Primate leaf eater pellets (usually fed dry, mixed with calcium carbonate).

Breeding Burmese Brown tortoises is quite straightforward and can happen any time throughout the year. These tortoises are very gentle with each other. Groups of animals can be kept together without aggression. Try to keep less males and more females together though.

Females produce large nest mounds to deposit eggs. These nests are usually constructed from dead leaves and rotting vegetation. In captivity keepers have recorded this species using straw, bark chips and shredded newspaper. Once the nest is constructed the female positions herself in the centre of it to lay her eggs. These tortoises are highly productive and may lay as many as forty eggs per clutch. After nesting the female covers the eggs and sprawls on top of the nest to protect them.
Eggs typically measure 50-55mm and weigh around 60g. They will require a high humidity of around 80% to hatch and at 29C will hatch in 60-90 days.

These tortoises do not hibernate.

In conclusion Burmese Browns are quite easily maintained in captivity. They are a large active tortoise which grows quickly. They are friendly, personable tortoises which are very rewarding if kept properly.

Further Reading
http://chelonia.org/Articles/PDFS/ http://www.tortoise.org/archives/man...0Tortoiseb.pdf