How difficult is it to keep Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise?

Advanced. This is an advanced-level species. It requires specialized equipment and advanced husbandry skills with precise environmental control.

How large does Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise get?

Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise typically reaches Carapace up to 22cm; males up to 20.6cm as an adult. Size may vary depending on care conditions and individual genetics.

What should I feed Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise?

Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise feeds on: Grasses, fruit, succulents, mushrooms, insects and land snails. Aim for a balanced diet with appropriate feeding frequency.

What is the typical price for Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise?

The price of Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise varies significantly depending on morph, size, and lineage. Check our market price page for the latest pricing information.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise

Q: What is the lifespan of Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise?

The average lifespan of Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise is Maximum recorded longevity in captivity is 26 years, with some sources giving 25-60 years. With proper care and nutrition, they can live a long and healthy life.

Advanced

Kinixys belliana

A hinge across the rear of the carapace can be folded down to shield the hind limbs and tail, the feature that names the hinge-back tortoises. Its shell is the most domed in the genus. The carapace reaches 22 cm, females being larger.

Difficulty

Advanced

Temperature

25〜32℃

Lifespan

Maximum recorded longevity in captivity is 26 years, with some sources giving 25-60 years

Size

Carapace up to 22cm; males up to 20.6cm

Humidity

85%

Diet

Grasses, fruit, succulents, mushrooms, insects and land snails

About

Kinixys belliana is a hinge-back tortoise: a hinge across the rear of the carapace lets it fold the shell down over the hind limbs and tail. The carapace reaches 22 cm and females are larger. The shell is an elongated dome, the most strongly domed in the genus, and the twelfth marginals are fused. The plastron is usually pale yellow, though some animals are deep yellow or yellowish brown or carry irregular or radiating dark markings. Pulley-like enlarged scales develop on the heels and the hind feet bear three or four claws. Juveniles have a raised, keeled carapace that flattens with age as the keel and marginal points disappear. It is active in the rainy season and shelters through the dry season in the burrows of other animals, in termite mounds or at the base of trees, and it will float or swim in shallow water. Omnivorous, it eats grasses, fruit, succulents and mushrooms as well as insects, land snails and carrion.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Lifespan of the Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise

The Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise lives Maximum recorded longevity in captivity is 26 years, with some sources giving 25-60 years.

Size of the Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise

The Bell's Hinge-Back Tortoise grows to Carapace up to 22cm; males up to 20.6cm.

Basic Info

Origin

Central, eastern and southern Africa including Ghana, Togo, Benin, Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique, with introduced animals on Madagascar, in humid forest, dry scrub and grassland

Lifespan

Maximum recorded longevity in captivity is 26 years, with some sources giving 25-60 years

Care Specifications

PeacefulSolitaryBreeding: Hard

Sources: Tortoise Trust: Keeping Kinixys / Wikipedia (Japanese): Bell's hinge-back tortoise / Wikipedia (English): Bell's hinge-back tortoise / Reptile Database / AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database

References & Sources

Edited & verified by: BreederDirect editorial team

The taxonomic, regulatory, and husbandry data on this page are compiled and verified against the authoritative primary sources below.

Primary sources

Taxonomy & Authority

Accepted name: Kinixys belliana Gray, 1830

Synonyms: Kinixys belliana Gray, 1830, Cinixys belliana (Gray, 1831), Kinixys belliana nogueyi (Lataste, 1886)

Authority databases: Reptile Database

Nomenclature follows global taxonomic authority databases.

Regulations & Conservation Status

CITES Appendix II

Listed in CITES Appendix II at the family level (Testudinidae) in 1977 (current listing effective January 2, 2017). As an Appendix II species, registration certificates for international rare wildlife are not required. It does not fall under the designated animals listed in the Animal Protection and Management Act Enforcement Order, nor is it designated as a designated invasive species.

Sources: CITES Appendices / Ministry of the Environment: list of invasive alien species / Order for Enforcement of the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals (designated dangerous animals)

Regulations may change. Always verify the latest information with the relevant authorities.