# Planted Tanks > Vivariums >  Malayan Box Turtle - Where to buy?

## niggy

Hi, 

Am new here. Other than the ones I've heard are on sale in Chinatown for food, has anyone seen any Malayan Box Turtles (_Cuora amboinensis)_ for sale in any of the pet or fish shops? Have tried a number of places, but the closest they have are the red-eared sliders.

Would really appreciate a point in the right direction, especially for a juvenile one.

Thanks so much for any help.

PM me if you'd rather not post.

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## aquarius

I've seen them in a chinatown fish shop more than ten years back. That is the only place that i know off that sells them. I've not gone there for yrs now but you can go over there and enquire. By the way do take a pic of the turtle and show them cos i don't think they know the english common or scientific names.

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## reagan022

bro. didn't know you can buy them. thought not allowed. 

anyway better stay clear from posting such stuff......AVA......AVA..... :Grin:  :Grin:

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## juggler

Found from AVA website that pet shops can sell Malayan Box Turtles.
http://www.ava.gov.sg/AnimalsPetSect...xhib/PetShops/

Never seen them before though.

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## niggy

Hi,

Thanks to you guys for trying to help. Am still looking for one. Don't know which fish shop in chinatown though, but I've seen them b4 also 10 yrs ago in Yishun. Probably b4 AVA started clamping down and you were able to get other tortoises as well.

As for them being illegal, I know they are legal, along with the red-eared sliders. Just about the only turtles/tortoises that are legal in SGP.

Used to have a Malayan Box when I was a kid, donkey's years ago, so I know they make good pets. Just want my kids now to get the same pleasure. They don't like the red-ears and neither do I.

Anyway, if anyone has any info that can help me track one down, would really appreciate it. Will owe you one.....

Thanks

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## lucasjiang

i think u should go chinatown market look see look see. they may have some 'rare turtles' there being sold as food sometimes.

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## beetroot

kept one before too, very cute.
but will be very very hard to find one here in Singapore. 
have not seen them in lfs and they are banned from export in Malaysia due to high risk of extinction.

http://yubanet.com/enviro/Illegal-tr...-continues.php
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_323028.html

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## niggy

Hi,

Once again, thanks for all the helpful inputs I've gotten. Guess I'm getting impatient, so am thinking of getting one from Chinatown if available.

Does anyone know if Chinatown market has them currently and if possible, let me know exactly where the stall is? If you'd rather e-mail me, also can at [email protected].

Thanks so much

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## niggy

Ok, went down to Chinatown market today and they did not have any. Just red ear sliders and softshell turtles.

So I'm open to anyone with any suggestions on where I can get one of these.

So sad.....

Thanks

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## Bettafanatic

I got mine from chinatown wet market many years back. Do visit there once in awhile as thats the only place I know that might have Malayan Box. Good luck bro!  :Smile:

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## slowmo

> Hi, 
> 
> Am new here. Other than the ones I've heard are on sale in Chinatown for food, has anyone seen any Malayan Box Turtles (_Cuora amboinensis)_ for sale in any of the pet or fish shops? Have tried a number of places, but the closest they have are the red-eared sliders.
> 
> Would really appreciate a point in the right direction, especially for a juvenile one.
> 
> Thanks so much for any help.
> 
> PM me if you'd rather not post.


Sorry the 1st impression I got from your post is that you are quite heartless. You knew or thought of a chinatown shop selling these turtle as food, and you want to get them as a pet but it never crossed your mind at all, to make it your 1st priority to go to those shops to buy your pet there. The one turtle you buy is the one turtle you save from death. If I were in your shoes, i'd buy up ALL the turtles there, to save them, but not before I call up AVA and get the guy arrested.

But d*on't* bother. I went to the shop in CHinatown already wanting to save the turtles. The ugly fat oily Chinese man suspected something was amiss. He did not sell me any, even though the tip off I received was that the MBT are hidden and not displayed openly in his shop.

I hope all the disgusting people in the world who harm or kill turtles or tortoises die.

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## Simon

Slowmo

We appreciate your concern over the tortoise, but please refrain from using SMS/IM lingo.

I have also edited a phase in your reply that discriminate against a certain group of people. We are here to learn from each other and not create disharmony. 

Last but not least, there are many ways to educate the public in the consumption of such animals. Not buying them from such stalls is one of them.

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## stormhawk

For reference:

http://www.ava.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/0...boxturtle2.pdf

I would suggest that people stay away from keeping the Malayan Box Turtle. We have so many Red Eared Sliders in our parks and reservoirs, that it is a joke that we still have LFS selling baby sliders, of which the majority end up dead or released into the wild.

I've seen some stores with the Malayan Box Turtle, but as the shop is required to track the stock of their MBTs, I don't think they want the hassle.

They are not meant for consumption purposes locally, since according to the AVA website, they are only meant as pets. So if you see any in the market, do the right thing and call AVA, because they are probably smuggled in from Malaysia. Or save one from almost certain death, by buying one instead of buying from the LFSes.

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## fisherw

> Ok, went down to Chinatown market today and they did not have any. Just red ear sliders and softshell turtles.
> 
> So I'm open to anyone with any suggestions on where I can get one of these.
> 
> So sad.....
> 
> Thanks


Slowmo, if you want to criticise, you should at least take the time to look through all the posts. He did go down to Chinatown to try to buy.

In any case, buying up all the MBTs merely serves to benefit the seller/importer. There are other ways to make your point without cursing and heaping death onto others.

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## lyan

Don't try to find. It really very rare in singapore now even AVA give approval to let pet shop to sell them but they are under control and cannot come in to singapore so where to find. Only can get them in the wild but is better to let them breed then to keep them lonely with you. Can we breed them?? Answer is no. I also hoping to see them wherever I go nature reserve. Let them be free and is supposing to be one of our local species.

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## niggy

Still looking for one.

PM or email me at [email protected]

Thanks to those who have tried to help.

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## Merviso

Bro niggy, saw one adult Box Turtle last week at Tropical Fish International at Pasir Ris Farmway 2... You might want to call them to check out whether it is still available.  :Wink:

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## niggy

Thanks Merv...

Tried calling them....apparently it's the boss's personal pet, so not for sale.

Really appreciate the heads up though....thanks.

Thanks to anyone who has been trying to help too.

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## gachua

http://www.adpost.com/sg/pets/56194/

~

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## niggy

Thanks gachua, emailed the person a few days ago, but got no reply. I guess it must be sold?

Appreciate the heads up.




> http://www.adpost.com/sg/pets/56194/
> 
> ~

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## madscientist

Interested too. Usually if there's enough interest, people will sell them as pets than food.

How many times you seen people selling giant gourami here as food? In Indonesia, it's a food fish. 

High demand also encourages captive breeding by the suppliers

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## gachua

but box turtles population is threaten already. Sad for the turtle..... do think twice before having them as pets. They have very long lifespan too

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## madscientist

Yup, keeping them as pets generates awareness. Husbandry techniques also improves due to research being done by the suppliers in an attempt to cultivate them. Without a market for revenue, no one will want to pump in money for research. Just look at mussels, oysters, clown fish and sea horses

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## gachua

hmmm~ dont agree with tat 100%.... conservation doesnt work out that way. they will not consider about their genetic variety, their proper habitat and the whole ecosystem balance..... all the supplier see is $$......  :Sad:

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## gachua

mussel is even a threat due to overpopulation.... seahorse breeding technique is not mature too.... most of the seahorse in market are wild caught. then, they dont eat and die in aquarium........  :Mad:

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## hardric

> I hope all the disgusting people in the world who harm or kill turtles or tortoises die.


You are quite extreme right? Isnt education better than killing them? Or else what's the difference between you &amp; them?

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## gachua

> You are quite extreme right? Isnt education better than killing them? Or else what's the difference between you & them?


for some people, education is useless......  :Smile:

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## felix_fx2

> for some people, education is useless......


The most important thing is keep trying.
You cannot teach all, but if you don't even try. Very thing will be like lonely George in due time. 

FYI, George is an 'now' extinct species of Gal&#225;pagos tortoise.

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## gachua

who say i'm not trying? i study conservation in degree. 
not only the tortoise which make it to the frontpage of news, many animal extinct silently without publicity to public. some not even named or documented in sci..... sad

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## felix_fx2

Never say you. Why you study that??
Let's end the OT.

Thanks

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## kennethc

Hi is anybody keeping malayan box turtle now?

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## mukyo

saw one in c328 2wks back.
no smallthough about 5inch


-----------------------------------------
Visit and comment my L Tank and S Tank... <-- Click click !!
Thank you  :Smile:

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## kennethc

> saw one in c328 2wks back.
> no smallthough about 5inch
> 
> 
> -----------------------------------------
> Visit and comment my L Tank and S Tank... <-- Click click !!
> Thank you


There are about 10 pieces in Pet Mart

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## yyx747

Petmart no more MBT, so sad...  :Sad: 
Wonder when next batch will come...

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

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## mukyo

curious why you so eager with mbt. they dont look pretty no?
dont tell me youre going to eat them lol

-----------------------------------------
Visit and comment my L Tank and S Tank... <-- Click click !!
Thank you  :Smile:

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## felix_fx2

> curious why you so eager with mbt. they dont look pretty no?
> dont tell me youre going to eat them lol


You replying who? I normally don't reply to people who have 1-5 posts 
malaysia no export this anymore..banned from export... if LFS have... means someone breaking laws of another country to get...

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## kennethc

> You replying who? I normally don't reply to people who have 1-5 posts 
> malaysia no export this anymore..banned from export... if LFS have... means someone breaking laws of another country to get...


Should ask Ben from Pet Mart..

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## David

Hi Everyone

The Malayan Box Turtle has been deemed endangered and the Malaysian authority together with WWF and IUCN are now monitoring the trade of this species.

http://www.iucn.org/about/work/progr...m?uNewsID=2520

This thread is now closed

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