Picolio - Geoclemmys Hamiltonii Observations

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Geoclemmys Hamiltonii Observations

Notes on the Geoclemmys Hamiltonii

March 03, 2004
I've had the privilege of observing these turtles in captivity for 10 days now and every single time I have looked in on them they have brought a smile to my face. Not only are these juveniles (ages 2 and 3) screaming with astounding patterns and a unique visual style but they are also extremely active and sociable.

When they were unaware of my presence they were seen, in almost a playful state, climbing up and down their stone ramp between the sand and water side of their tub, all four in a line like school children taking turns on a playground slide. They would climb up one side of the ramp, reach the sandy area, dig a lil bit kicking dirt off to the sides using only their front legs, circle around the edges of the sandy section, stop a moment to look up at the heat lamps, and then trail back down the other side of the ramp into the water. Once in the water, they would scurry, rather quickly and almost as if running on all fours across the bottom of the tub, to the opposite end, fiddle with the intake of the filtration pump, and then head right back to the end of the line to climb up the stone and repeat the same activity all over again.

One afternoon, with temperatures holding at about 82 F, I observed the foursome doing this for close to an hour without a single one of them swaying from the line or slowing up the process. During this time a "ring" was formed around their sandy area creating almost a mountain in the center of the area with a ditch going all of the way around it (most of the removed sand of course ended up in the water zone as they trailed it down the ramp). After they had completed this "play time" the two larger hamiltoniis dug out lil nests of sorts and half buried themselves into the sand under the basking lamp to rest. The two smaller hamilitonii's headed for the water side and continued to fiddle with the intake pump of the filtration system.

All of the hamiltoniis have proven to be extremely tolerant of human interaction as well. Placing a gentle forefinger on the top of the head of any one of them and gently petting, has caused the hamiltonii to slowly stretch his or her neck out to allow for longer strokes. Sudden movements will usually cause the head to be tucked back into the shell but only a couple of calm gentle strokes are needed to return the neck to a fully stretched out position.

The movement of the hamiltoniis has also been impressive as they tend to stand up on all fours and straddle along like a clumsy puppy without dropping back onto their plastron until they have reached their destination (in this observation they could go no further than 8 ft without turning around). Observing turtles of other semi-aquatic species has often shown them sliding on their plastrons to 'scoot across' their path. The hamiltoniis, however, appear to have stronger abilities to use all four of their legs to hold themselves up and quickly move forward to wherever it is they are headed.

April 22, 2004
All four hamiltoniis have now been moved to an outdoor pond enclosure where they can enjoy their sun worshipping routines as well as having an abundant supply of snails, worms, and fish to munch on. The Geoclemmys hamiltonii appears to thrive on snails most of all however. Of the large variety of foods we have offered they are drawn to the live snails and have yet to be observed eagerly partaking in live fish, worms, and commerical foods as readily as they do the snails. They have shown no interest whatsoever in any type of vegetation.

Even these four young hamiltoniis have shown how powerful their jaws are. When seeking a meal they will spend a great deal of time foraging through the sand and upon locating a snail they quickly scoop it up and bite firmly into it resulting in the snail shell shattering into several pieces revealing the tasty morsel hidden within. This is not to say the hamiltoniis do not eat the shell. They do! It's as if they simply want to eat the snail first and consume the rest of the shell in bite size chunks. I have not seen them consume a large snail yet. So far the snails we have observed them eating have ranged from the size of a pen point to approximately 1/2 inch.

When not digging in the sand, or worshipping the sun, the hamiltoniis are difficult to find! They carefully burry themselves into the ground leaving only a small "breathing hole" for their noses to surface in. They have no problem resting in this nest for several hours to several days! Upon emerging they seem to head for the water first to simply swim a bit and rinse off the sand. After appearing cleansed they go about their routines as per usual.

In the two months that we have had the opportunity to care for these young specimens they have shown themselves to be extraordinarily hardy turtles! No signs of repertory, skin, or shell infections have been seen. Their shells are hard and thick and their skin is strong and smooth. It is not uncommon for us to find a nick or scrape on our other pond turtles due to scratching their shell across a rock or receiving a love bite from one of their pond mates, however no such injuries, superficial or otherwise, has been found on any of the hamiltoniis residing here.

Last Updated Wednesday, September 13 2006 @ 09:47 EDT

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Notes on the Geoclemmys Hamiltonii