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Encyclopedia / Turtles / Southeast Asian box turtle
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Variations

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Southeast Asian box turtle

Cuora couro · Cuora amboinensis, Amboina box turtle, Malayan box turtle, Asian box turtle

Shy and peaceful; needs land and water.

Since a 2023 split, the box turtle sold in shops is Cuora couro. True C. amboinensis lives only on Sulawesi and the Moluccas.

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25 cmAdult size ✓
UnknownTemperature ?
UnknownpH ?
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.

Not recommended
  • Southeast Asian box turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Not recommended
  • Southeast Asian box turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Not recommended
  • Southeast Asian box turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ?Can live alone
Temperament ?Semi-aggressive
Swims at ?Bottom
Care level ?Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ✓25–30 years
Size in shops 3–5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Shy and peaceful; needs land and water.

Check your local laws. CITES Appendix II (all Cuora species, since 2000). There is a large illegal trade. US: live turtles under 4 in (10 cm) carapace length may not be sold. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.

Good to know: Semi-aquatic; needs a dry land area.

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Food

Pellets, worms, fruit and vegetables.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males are slightly smaller and lighter, with a relatively longer tail and a slightly concave plastron; females have a flat plastron. Differences show from about 15 months.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-layer (buried clutch) · Moderate

Egg-layer that lays a few large eggs per clutch, several times a year; egg size, incubation period and season vary widely by origin. In captivity eggs have been laid from November to August.

Pairing

Pair.

Setup

Semi-aquatic tank with land.

What starts it

Warm season.

Eggs

1-4 (rarely 5) large eggs per clutch, often 2; about 3 clutches a year in captivity; incubation 47 days at 30.5-31 °C to 78 days at 27.5-28.5 °C.

Raising the fry

Hatchlings are fully independent: house them in shallow warm water with a basking spot and feed small pellets, worms and daphnia daily.

Common mistakes
  • Undersized tank and weak filtration
  • No UV or basking heat (soft shells, poor growth)
  • Releasing unwanted turtles into the wild
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSoutheast Asia – from northeast India to Indonesia and the Philippines
Rivers and lakesRivers and wetlands of Southeast Asia
HabitatSwamps, rice paddies and slow rivers
Native rangeAbout 2,500 km across
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The story of the southeast asian box turtle

A semi-aquatic box turtle of shallow, still, soft-bottomed wetlands such as marshes, ponds and flooded rice fields; it can close its hinged shell.

French zoologist François Daudin described the Southeast Asian box turtle in 1801. It was named after Ambon island. It can close its shell tightly using a hinge.

First described by François M. Daudin in 1801. Named for Named after Ambon (Amboina) island in Indonesia.

  • Its hinged shell closes completely.
  • It was named after Ambon island in Indonesia.
  • It spends time both on land and in water.

Sources

10 facts checked with sources