Egg retention in the Star Tortoise
"The skin peels off, what's the problem?" the teenaged boy who was fond of
doodling said to Groomer Ken. Groomer Ken relayed the question to me.
"Hard to diagnose over the phone," I said. I thought it was a fungal infection
or deficiency in vitamin D.
It turned out that there were 2 hard white egg-shaped lumps which blocked the passing of
stools. They looked like eggs, although the star tortoise was estimated to be young
and maturity starts at 6 - 8 years of age. The tropical weather with no winter for
hibernation and bright sunshine of Singapore may make this one mature faster.
 |
 |
| Left star tortoise with egg
retention is bullied by the one on the right. Both females. |
"Skin peeling off" is
the complaint for the left tortoise. Plastron is flat in females and concave in
males. |
 |
 |
| Forceps to extract the egg
gently |
2 eggs with hard chalky
deposits |
I advise most owners to
surrender the star tortoises to the government as it is an endangered species. Is it
illegal to possess them?
Will it be in the interest of the tortoise? Many have good owners and the fate with
the government officials is really unknown. Many locals will then abandon them at the
Chinese temples or reservoirs. This one is at least, well cared for.
The star tortoise, Scientific Name Geochelone elegans, was estimated to be 2
years old, 6 cm wide and 9 cm long. A grown up one should be 16 cm long or much
longer. It feeds on vegetables like long beans, being herbivorous predominantly.
Females have a more rounded appearance, and the
male's tail is much larger than that of the female. Males have a concave plastron while
the plastron of a female is completely flat and the gap between the anal and supracaudal
plates is larger in females.
The anterior part of the front legs are
covered by large scales, while the hind legs lack this protection. The soft parts of this
species is creme-yellow to yellow, with a varying amount of dark brown or black irregular
spots.
The Star tortoise has 5 claws on each
foot, and the
posterior claws of females are markedly longer than male hind claws, and more curved -
this is to facilitate nest excavation in the often hard and dry ground. The head is
speckled with black.
Geochelone elegans is a medium to large
size tortoise. The
specimen that so far holds the size record was a female from the northern part of the
species' distribution area, which weighed 7 kilograms and measured 380 mm SCL, but most
specimens are considerably smaller.
The species has been placed on CITES
appendix II, which regulates the legal international trade, and it is also protected under
the Indian Wildlife Act from 1972, where it has been placed under Schedule IV, making it
illegal both to possess and trade in Star tortoises inside India without a permit.
In 60-90 days after mating, the female
usually is ready to lay the first of several clutches. If the soil is too hard and
dry, she will wet the spot by emptying her bladder. She then proceeds to lay a clutch of
1-6 eggs in the excavated nest, replaces the soil with her back legs and flattens the spot
with her plastron. There are reports of Star females nesting in leave mounds in captivity,
but it is possible that this is a behaviour forced by the lack of suitable nesting
places.
HATCHING: The eggs of the Star tortoise
measure appr. 35*45 mms, are hard-shelled and weigh 25-45 grams. The eggshell is quite
different from Testudo-eggs, being significantly thinner and much more brittle. If viewed
under magnification, the structure of the eggs is markedly porous. When newly laid the
eggs are translucent, but under the first 2-3 weeks they
whiten, starting with a 'waistband' of chalky coloration.
Jail and fine for smuggling 1,000
tortoises
Singapore Straits Times Aug 4 2002
AN INDIAN national was caught smuggling more than 1,000 endangered tortoises into
Singapore this week. He had arrived at Changi Airport's Terminal 2 from Chennai, India,
with
four pieces of luggage containing star tortoises.
Worth about $54,000, they represent the third and biggest haul of star tortoises
discovered at Changi Airport this year. All were brought in illegally by Indian nationals
for sale here.
The distinctively-patterned black and yellow star tortoises are considered cute. Adults
grow up to 25 cm long.
Yesterday, Chinnamotur Loganathan Ashokavarthanan, 27, was fined $5,000 and jailed eight
weeks for smuggling the 1,092 tortoises into Singapore on Wednesday.
He must also pay the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) $10,820 for the cost of
caring for the tortoises and sending them back to India, which the AVA plans to do later
this month.
The creatures, which are found in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, are now at
the AVA's Changi Animal and Plant Quarantine Centre. In all, more than 2,400 star
tortoises worth about $105,000 have been seized at the airport this year.
Under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, first offenders can be fined up to
$5,000 and/or jailed for up to 12 months. Subsequent offenders can be fined up to $10,000.
Reference:
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/elegans.html
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