Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I'm going to pick out a 3 toed box turtle on Sunday from a lady who has 35 box turtles. My other two turtles were given to me by people who didn't want to care for them anymore, so I didn't pick them. Any advice on what to look for? How would I go about picking one out from such a large group?
Thanks for any advice

find the ones that catch your eye, check them over for illness, pick them up feel how heavy their are make sure everything looks good, nare are dry and clear, eyes are clear, no ear infections ect.
you still should do a 30-60 day quarentine just to keep your current bale healthy.
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My Site
1.2.1 Terrapene Carolina Triunguis
0.1 Nymphicus hollandicus
1.1 Melopsittacus undulatus
1.0 American Cocker Spaniels
1.0 American Short Hair? Cat
1.1 Rouen Ducks

Tips to look for in Choosing a Healthy Boxie

*** Do a general inspection of the Head, Eyes, Nostrils, Shell, Skin, Legs, and Vent Opening. Pick up the boxie . It's weight should be similar to a water balloon the same size.

*The eyes should be alert, bright not sunken, not swollen, or puffy. There should be no discharges from the eyes.

*The nose should not have any discharge or bubbles coming from it. The boxie should not appear to have labored breathing.

*Look for small holes in the skin that may have fly larvae. The may appear as small cuts in the skin. Look carefully. Also there should be no lumps or redness on the head, ear area, or skin.

*Try to open the mouth. It should be clear of white fungal growth and the tongue should be pink.

*The shell should be well rounded with no raised scutes or parts of the boxie's shell protruding out from the basic smooth curve. Also there should be no growth indentations of the shell. There should be no obvious flattened areas of the shell as the curve should follow smoothly from front to back. The shell should be devoid of any, soft spots, red, white, or black spots, bleeding or pus discharges. The scutes of the shell should be firm, solid and not loose or emitting a bad rotting smell. The shell should not have a distinctive upward growth curl of the first bottom scute along with the boxie unable to close up completely in his shell.

*The feet and claws should be injury free. Check for sores or bleeding . Check for swollen pads. Make sure when the boxie walks it does not have a jerking gait and that it's back legs move fine. Try to get ahold a a rear leg and pull gently. The boxie should pull against the pressure. Or is it so weak that it doesn't seem to care.

*Look at the tail vent opening. There should be no swelling, bleeding or pus discharges around the opening.

*If feces are present, check visually for tiny worms.

Ric K.

Thank you so much for the advice. I picked out a box turtle keeping in mind all that both of you said. I must say that the lady I got her from had a meticulously clean area and all of her turtles and tortoises seemed very well cared for. I had a group to choose from and did not see any problems with any of them. They were all alert, friendly and healthy looking. Thank you Linda!!!!!! We are still thinking of a name for her.