| Tom's Homepage | Visit Australia! |
| Bell's Hingeback (K. belliana species) |
Home's Hingeback (K. homeana) |
Forest Hingeback (K. erosa) |
Natal Hinged Tortoise (K. natalensis) |
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| Female | Hortense1 | Hortense2 | Hortense4 |
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| Hortense5 | Hotense3 |
Hingeback tortoises, as those in the Genus Kinixys are known, are relatively small tortoises that are distributed throughout
sub-saharan Africa. Consisting of several species and subspecies, they are
offered as wild caught specimens in many pet shops. A Home's Hingeback became my first pet tortoise, but it died quickly.
After I had three hingeback tortoises die, I gave up keeping hingeback until I started college, and realized how demanding these
species can be to take care of when they are freshly imported. One of the ways I learned about the proper care of tortoises was through internet listserve's, like turtle-l.
After realizing the challenges to keeping tortoises, I now keep three bell's hingebacks. I have one
female Kinixys bellliana nogueyi, a subspecies of the Bell's Hingeback, according to Erst and Barbour (1989). I also have
two other Bell's type hingebacks that i do not know which race they belong to. Because of these differeces and variation amongst
members of this genus that I have seen, i've become especially interested in the taxonomy of this confusing genus.
I hope to develop this page to be a place to share experiences with keeping hingeback tortoises, and provide a center of
information where an owner of a new hingeback tortoise can get a good start learning about the needs of a newly imported
tortoise. I would also like to encourage and document captive breeding efforts.
Hopefully, Kinixys and all turtle and tortoise and turtle species will be banned from importation in the future. Although
Kinixys belliana are no longer imported into the United States because they carry a tick that may carry a deadly cattle disease, K. erosa and
homeana are being imported at great numbers, even though these are on ofthe most difficult tortoise species to keep. There is recent thought and discussion that these tortoises are chronically dehydrated in captivity, because they are actually semi-aquatic.
Hopefully captive breeding programs can be established to relieve the stress on wild Kinixys populations as has occurred in
other tortoise species.
"Hinge-Back Tortoises," by the Tortoise Trust
A page by the Tortoise Trust that outlines basic care for Kinixys belliana, K.erosa, and K. homeana.
"Kinixys erosa (Schweigger 1812) A Captive breeding experience,"
by the Tortoise Trust
This is another excellent page from the tortoise trust
"The Yertle Memoral Page"
This site outlines the care for the Forest hingeback, K. erosa. Unfortunately Yertle proved that freshly imported
forest hingebacks do not make good pets.
| Bell's Hingeback (K. belliana species) |
Home's Hingeback (K. homeana) |
Forest Hingeback (K. erosa) |
Natal Hinged Tortoise (K. natalensis) |
