The Asian Turtle Consortium

Sacalia bealei : Four-eyed Turtle

PHOTO BY DAVID LEE

Photo by Russ Gurley

Chinese Four-eyed Turtles

Sacalia bealei

by Russ Gurley

Comments: One of the most exciting baby turtles I have seen in recent years was a hatchling Sacalia bealei at a private breeder's facility in 2002. These beautiful turtles, with their alert posture, flat angular heads, and the intriguing false eyes, are precariously hanging on to their place in turtle breeding programs. They are delicate and there is dangerously few in captive collections and few left in their dwindling native habitat.

Distribution: Sacalia bealei is found in mountain streams of southern China and northern Vietnam. Sacalia quadriocellata is found in Fukien, Kwangtung, and on Hunan Island. The rare Sacalia pseudocellata is found only in the Hainan Province of China.

Adult Size: Sacalia reach 6” (14 cm) as adults, with little size difference in males and females.

Captive Care: At the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group, we have been successful in keeping Sacalia healthy by maintaining them in large tubs or stock tanks that are warm, humid, and heavily planted. There seems to be quite a bit of female-to-male and female-to-female aggression in this species and so we suggest that they be kept in small, male heavy groups or in pairs or reverse trios of two males with one female. The water in their enclosure should be kept shallow, clean, and aerated. We suggest 75º to 78º F (24º to 26º C) and a basking spot at 85º to 90º F (30º to 32º C). The water's pH can be neutral to slightly acidic but they seem to tolerate a range of water conditions. We keep the water level at only 8” to 10” for Sacalia . We make sure that the water is heavily filtered and aerated to simulate their natural stream habitat. We offer them lots of rocks, slate, and driftwood for climbing and basking. Also, we make sure there are plenty of aquatic plants, both submerged and floating. Sacalia seem to enjoy exploring the plants for bits of food such as aquatic insects and leftover pellets.

Sacalia will bask, so make sure they have access to natural sunlight or a shop light fixture with UVB-emitting bulbs. The addition of several basking spots will allow multiple turtles to receive plenty of UVB with a minimum of stress from competition for space.

Feeding: On land, Four-eyed Turtles are fed a varied diet consisting of finely chopped and grated vegetables and fruit with a slightly higher proportion of fruit. They also feed aggressively on earthworms, wax worms, and crickets and will acclimate to take commercial aquatic turtle food in the water as part of their balanced diet.

Common Health Problems: When they were being imported, these turtles arrived with slight shell damage and minor injuries. These cleaned up well with a light Betadine® scrub and applications of antibitioc creams. Many imported specimens have arrived with small fish hooks in their mouths or digestive systems. With luck, these poorly-made hooks dislodged, were partially digested and fell out, or were passed with the animal's feces. Turtles that were left untreated died from this trauma.

Parasites were removed quite easily with Panacur® and Flagyl® and a prophylactic treatment with Baytril® seemed to help, especially since many Sacalia arrived with bubbling nostrils, puffy eyes, and other signs of respiratory problems. These turtles were treated quickly with Baytril® and kept warm in well-planted enclosures. Those that were feeding well and were fairly alert recovered fully within a few weeks. The others took as long as six weeks of more intensive, hands-on care to recover.

Breeding: There is very little published about Sacalia bealei in captivity and even fewer articles relating to their courtship, breeding, and egg-laying behaviors. Ernst and Barbour (1989) report that they lay from two to six eggs and Pritchard (1979) reports that they only lay two eggs per clutch. Regardless, this is definitely a species with a low reproductive rate and it will take much attention and perseverance to make sure that these beautiful turtles remain viable in captive collections.

The few captive-hatched baby Sacalia have thrived in vivaria with shallow (1”) water with a land area of peat and sphagnum moss. They should be provided with lots of decorations including slate, driftwood, leaves, and green moss. They are aggressive feeders on wax worms, small redworms, and small crickets on land and guppies, mosquito larvae, and blackworms in the water. Care should be taken not to overfeed them (three times a week seems to be plenty), and their food items should be dusted with calcium and vitamin powder every other feeding as they grow.

An interesting developmental characteristic is proving true of these unique turtles. Adult male Sacalia have green eye spots on the tops of their heads. The females have pale yellow spots. It appears that all baby Sacalia are hatched with the characteristic yellow eye spots of females. As the babies grow, the eye spots of the males take on the lime green coloration seen in adult males and the females' eye spots remain yellow.

SUGGESTED READING

Karsen, S. J., M. W. Lau, and A. Bogadek. 1986. Hong Kong Amphibians and Reptiles. Urban Council, Hong Kong.

* Excerpt from Gurley, R. 2003. KEEPING and BREEDING FRESHWATER TURTLES . Living Art publishing. 305 pp.


	Sacalia bealei : Four-eyed Turtle PHOTO BY DAVID LEE Photo by Russ Gurley Chinese Four-eyed Turtles *Sacalia bealei* *by Russ Gurley* Comments: One of the most exciting baby turtles I have seen in recent years was a hatchling Sacalia bealei at a private breeder's facility in 2002. These beautiful turtles, with their alert posture, flat angular heads, and the intriguing false eyes, are precariously hanging on to their place in turtle breeding programs. They are delicate and there is dangerously few in captive collections and few left in their dwindling native habitat. Distribution: Sacalia bealei is found in mountain streams of southern China and northern Vietnam. Sacalia quadriocellata is found in Fukien, Kwangtung, and on Hunan Island. The rare Sacalia pseudocellata is found only in the Hainan Province of China. Adult Size: Sacalia reach 6” (14 cm) as adults, with little size difference in males and females. Captive Care: At the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group, we have been successful in keeping Sacalia healthy by maintaining them in large tubs or stock tanks that are warm, humid, and heavily planted. There seems to be quite a bit of female-to-male and female-to-female aggression in this species and so we suggest that they be kept in small, male heavy groups or in pairs or reverse trios of two males with one female. The water in their enclosure should be kept shallow, clean, and aerated. We suggest 75º to 78º F (24º to 26º C) and a basking spot at 85º to 90º F (30º to 32º C). The water's pH can be neutral to slightly acidic but they seem to tolerate a range of water conditions. We keep the water level at only 8” to 10” for Sacalia . We make sure that the water is heavily filtered and aerated to simulate their natural stream habitat. We offer them lots of rocks, slate, and driftwood for climbing and basking. Also, we make sure there are plenty of aquatic plants, both submerged and floating. Sacalia seem to enjoy exploring the plants for bits of food such as aquatic insects and leftover pellets. Sacalia will bask, so make sure they have access to natural sunlight or a shop light fixture with UVB-emitting bulbs. The addition of several basking spots will allow multiple turtles to receive plenty of UVB with a minimum of stress from competition for space. Feeding: On land, Four-eyed Turtles are fed a varied diet consisting of finely chopped and grated vegetables and fruit with a slightly higher proportion of fruit. They also feed aggressively on earthworms, wax worms, and crickets and will acclimate to take commercial aquatic turtle food in the water as part of their balanced diet. Common Health Problems: When they were being imported, these turtles arrived with slight shell damage and minor injuries. These cleaned up well with a light Betadine® scrub and applications of antibitioc creams. Many imported specimens have arrived with small fish hooks in their mouths or digestive systems. With luck, these poorly-made hooks dislodged, were partially digested and fell out, or were passed with the animal's feces. Turtles that were left untreated died from this trauma. Parasites were removed quite easily with Panacur® and Flagyl® and a prophylactic treatment with Baytril® seemed to help, especially since many Sacalia arrived with bubbling nostrils, puffy eyes, and other signs of respiratory problems. These turtles were treated quickly with Baytril® and kept warm in well-planted enclosures. Those that were feeding well and were fairly alert recovered fully within a few weeks. The others took as long as six weeks of more intensive, hands-on care to recover. Breeding: There is very little published about Sacalia bealei in captivity and even fewer articles relating to their courtship, breeding, and egg-laying behaviors. Ernst and Barbour (1989) report that they lay from two to six eggs and Pritchard (1979) reports that they only lay two eggs per clutch. Regardless, this is definitely a species with a low reproductive rate and it will take much attention and perseverance to make sure that these beautiful turtles remain viable in captive collections. The few captive-hatched baby Sacalia have thrived in vivaria with shallow (1”) water with a land area of peat and sphagnum moss. They should be provided with lots of decorations including slate, driftwood, leaves, and green moss. They are aggressive feeders on wax worms, small redworms, and small crickets on land and guppies, mosquito larvae, and blackworms in the water. Care should be taken not to overfeed them (three times a week seems to be plenty), and their food items should be dusted with calcium and vitamin powder every other feeding as they grow. An interesting developmental characteristic is proving true of these unique turtles. Adult male Sacalia have green eye spots on the tops of their heads. The females have pale yellow spots. It appears that all baby Sacalia are hatched with the characteristic yellow eye spots of females. As the babies grow, the eye spots of the males take on the lime green coloration seen in adult males and the females' eye spots remain yellow. SUGGESTED READING Karsen, S. J., M. W. Lau, and A. Bogadek. 1986. Hong Kong Amphibians and Reptiles. Urban Council, Hong Kong. * Excerpt from Gurley, R. 2003. KEEPING and BREEDING FRESHWATER TURTLES . Living Art publishing. 305 pp.
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