Description
A large reptile from Southeast Asia is called the impressed tortoise (Manouria impressa). The skin and shell of impressed tortoises are a golden brown colour. Adults have a maximum carapace length of 35 cm (14 in), making them significantly smaller than their relatives the Asian forest tortoises.
Habitat
Southeast Asia is home to impressed tortoises, which are primarily found in Myanmar, Burma, southern China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and northeast India. They occupy moist and dry mountain woods.
Behavior
Due of their small known number, nothing is known about the behavior of impressed tortoises. They are thought to be terrestrial and shy by nature. They typically hibernate for extended periods of time throughout the year under logs or leaves on the forest floor.
Keeping as Pet
Because so little is known about this species, it is renowned for being challenging to maintain in captivity. To safeguard them, some nations, like Thailand, have enacted legislation on wildlife protection.
Enclosure
The captive Manouria i. testudines need a lot of space to flourish. Since glass enclosures typically don’t have the required ventilation, they are not advised for tortoises.
When creating an enclosure for this forest tortoise, it’s important to take a few things into account. The space available should be large, the substrate should be rich, retain moisture well, and be deep enough for digging, the light source should include sunlight or UVB lights, the temperature should mimic the forests the impressed tortoise is native to, and the humidity level should be high. The habitat’s fluctuating temperature also enables the tortoises to control their body temperature.
Diet
They are notoriously picky eaters when kept in captivity. Most giant tortoises that are kept as pets are not captive bred because of the difficulty and poor success of captive breeding.
This makes it even harder to feed them. Many people will refuse to eat or eat only one food item. Almost exclusively, pet or zoo-impressed tortoises will eat oyster mushrooms. They could consume pellets and mixed greens as well.
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