Pictures

SharLin

Punkin

Emmett

The Turtle Palace, essentially a 4' x 8' screened planter box on wheels on our deck

The Turtle Tank inside, for winter and bad weather

The water end of the tank has a false bottom, a technique borrowed from frog keeping. For the turtles, the idea is to keep the water cleaner by letting the coco-peat and stuff sift through the plastic grid, so I have left off the fine screen that usually goes over it for a terrarium.

Cuora flavomarginata Information and Care

There are several excellent care sheets on the web, so only the most basic information is given here.

Wild habitat: Southern China, Taiwan, & Ryuku Islands (of Japan).

Captive Care: These turtles are from tropical areas, and so require warm, humid conditions. They mainly live on land, but do need access to water for drinking and soaking. They are omnivorous and tend to eat more protein than fruits and vegetables.

Links and References

Web Sites and Email Lists

• Box Turtle Care and Conservation, by Tess Cook, which includes her online book Box Turtle Care A to Z
• The article about Chinese Box Turtles by Michael J. Connor and Vickie Wheeler at The California Turtle and Tortoise Club (CTTC)
• The section on Yellow-margined Box Turtles at Mary's Turtle Puddle
• Vickie Wheeler on Chinese Box Turtles
• YahooGroups has email lists for discussing Chinese box turtles, box turtles in general, and the Asian Turtle Crises

Books

All of these books have a section on Chinese box turtles and are available by mail order from Amazon Books and other places:

• Box Turtles (Complete Herp Care), by Tess Cook
• The Box Turtle Manual, by Philippe de Vosjoli and Roger Klingenberg, D.V.M.
• Box Turtles, by Jordan Patterson