The Commercial Value and Rearing Risks of Two-Headed Turtles: Novice Turtle Keepers Should Be Cautious!

Antuen, the two-headed alligator snapping turtle—I wonder if everyone has come across it. It is now 12 years old. The owner takes good care of them (the two-headed alligator snapping turtle). Over a decade ago, many people wanted to buy it for a high price, but the owner could never bear to sell it. Now they (the two-headed alligator snapping turtle) are getting bigger and bigger, and their value is also increasing. Some estimate its (the two-headed alligator snapping turtle’s) value to be as high as 7 million yuan.

Such a large two-headed alligator snapping turtle is rare in the world. This is because two-headed turtles are uncommon, and those that can grow up safely are even fewer. Although 7 million yuan is an exaggeration, it (the two-headed alligator snapping turtle) is indeed priceless and could be recorded in the domestic and international annals of turtle history.

The Nature and Rarity of Two-Headed Turtles

A two-headed turtle, as the name suggests, has two heads sharing one body. Two-headed turtles are mainly caused by abnormal embryonic development and are essentially a type of deformed turtle.

I once watched a blogger who spent 1,239 yuan on a two-headed Red-eared Slider hatchling. At the time, I was looking forward to seeing him (the blogger) raise the turtle to adulthood. Unfortunately, because he (the blogger) had to go on a business trip for a few days, he left it in a friend’s care. When he (the blogger) returned, he found the little turtle in very poor condition, and it passed away not long after.

Cases of Successfully Raised Two-Headed Turtles

An owner spent around a thousand yuan on a two-headed Chinese Pond Turtle. After several years of care, it is in great condition and has grown up. Now its price has multiplied several times. If this is a male turtle and has a chance of undergoing melanism in the future, its price would increase by dozens of times.

We know that Chinese Striped-neck Turtles grow fast. The same is true for two-headed Chinese Striped-neck Turtles. A netizen posted their (the netizen’s) home-raised two-headed Chinese Striped-neck Turtle; it’s very large and also very interactive, welcoming wildly whenever someone approaches.

A two-headed Asian Giant Turtle. The Asian Giant Turtle is a semi-aquatic turtle. A netizen showed off their (the netizen’s) two-headed Asian Giant Turtle. Whenever they (the two-headed Asian Giant Turtle) are placed on the ground, both heads crawl towards the food. Although there are two heads, they are still very coordinated. Hopefully, they (the two-headed Asian Giant Turtle) can grow up on schedule and will be very imposing in the future.

A two-headed Yellow-margined Box Turtle. We know that the Yellow-margined Box Turtle is a “noble” turtle. Its (the Yellow-margined Box Turtle’s) price itself is already very high, and with the added feature of being two-headed, its status immediately becomes even more prized. When general players hatch a two-headed turtle, it’s as if they’ve obtained a treasure, “with an excited heart and trembling hands.” It is even more uncommon to be able to raise a two-headed Yellow-margined Box Turtle to this size.

Other Rare Two-Headed Turtle Species

Seeing others successfully raise beautiful two-headed turtles to adulthood is actually a kind of misconception. The probability of a two-headed turtle growing up smoothly is too low. Those that are shown to have grown up can be said to be one in ten thousand.

Two-headed Map Turtle

Two-headed Diamondback Terrapin

The Diamondback Terrapin is also one of the valuable turtle species, and its unique patterns are loved by many turtle keepers. Two-headed Diamondback Terrapins are rarely seen and are relatively expensive, with an extremely rare number successfully growing to adulthood. If a two-headed turtle also has a golden yellow coat, then it is truly a masterpiece among masterpieces.

The Commercial Value of Two-Headed Turtles and Viewing Them Rationally

Nowadays, some people in the market specifically research the probability of hatching two-headed turtles. They start preparations when a turtle is about to lay eggs, such as what kind of food to feed it to increase the probability of the turtle laying double-yolked eggs. Then they (the researchers) collect all the double-yolked eggs for centralized incubation. Although the hatching probability of double-yolked eggs is relatively low, after time and again experiments, they (the researchers) have increased the probability.

Today, the price of a two-headed hatchling of a common species might be around 3,000-6,000 yuan. For special species, such as the Yellow-margined Box Turtle, Diamondback Terrapin, or even tortoises, the price is even higher. I remember once at a turtle exhibition, a rare two-headed Chinese Pond Turtle was priced at 168,000 yuan. A two-headed turtle is fundamentally a deformed turtle; there is no need to hype it up. What do you all think?