Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all
I recently rescued 4 EBTs from a neighborhood kids back yard, apparently he was just catching any turtle he found and tossing it back there. My son who is friends with him told me about so I went over and found them roaming about the yard with no hide, no real shade and a tiny water bowl! Needless to say I had a talk with the kid and his mom about it and took the turtles. Amazingly enough they were in decent shape but very dehydrated. One of the has swollen eyes with small amounts of puss/mucus on them. Two questions I have is what can I do for this ones eyes? I have used eyedrops and I am soaking him in warm water twice a day. Anything else I can do? I was also wondering if you could help me determine the sex of them. My plan is to mark them and release them out in a area I frequently herp in this weekend. I took pictures of the tails I can email someone, they are to big for me to post. I've kept and bred snakes for years, but I don't have much experience with turtles. So any help would be much appreciated! Thanks D

You should probably take the turtle to the vet for its eyes. Males have a concave plastron and females have a flat one. You should not release them if you not know where they are from. Box turltles have a homing instinct to return to the place where they were born, possibly crossing roads on the way. They could also release diseases that the local population is not yet used to. If you're conused, a good website is Tess Cokk's website www.boxturtlesite.info
-----
2 Taricha granulosa
1 male Terrapane carolina carolina
10 gal. tropical fish tank.

Thanks for the info! I'm tryin to avoid a vet visit if possible. There are very few vets around here and only 1 does herps. They are very high priced also I might try that new formula Ron Tremper came out with to see if that works first. Oh and I got a email back that I sent and apparently they are all females lol. I was thinking 2.2 due to the shell shape(2 are noticeably flat and 2 are kinda high domed) But I heard thats not completely reliable. Anyways thanks for the response I appreciate any info I can get!

That was very kind of you to rescue these turtles. Do you know where the kid found the turtles? All from the same place? Is the area still attractive for box turtles? You should not release turtles in an area that is not their home range but only in the area they are from- IF it is still good turtle habitat.

The one with the pus in the eyes may have a respiratory infection so he should not be released. Perhaps you can take him to a wildlife rehabber for evaluation. If it is just a very mild case of gummy eyes he may be able to overcome it with lots of tlc, clean water and good food. My vet gives me antibiotic eye ointment and perhaps yours will too.

You can tell male amd female Easterns apart from the plastron-the males will be concaved and the females flat. Also the male's tails are long and muscular and the females have shorter tail. The back claws are also distinctive. The adult male's are often thick, curving and long. The females are usually thinner and shorter. Hope they find their way back home!
-----
Tess Cook
www.boxturtlesite.info

Thank you, as a keeper/breeder/herper I could not allow something like that to go on without doing something I feel that I have a responsiblity to do whatever I can for an herp in need. Although it does tend to get me in trouble with the wifey sometimes;p They are all from around the neighborhood here. The area is still good for release, but I fear releasing them back where this kid will find them again We've had several problems with this kid already and I dont trust him as far as I can throw him. Considering I have a bad back, thats not very far! The one with the eye infection is looking much better now. I've been making sure she is fed, clean, and soaked at least twice a day. I think she will be just fine. They are all female according to a guy I talked to. Probly why I was having a hard time, they all looked the same!lol I guess I'll setup a pen outside for them, would a 8x8 pen be ok for the 4 of them? Thanks for all the info it is greatly appreciated! Thanks D

is collecting legal where you live?

You might consider turning the child/family into some legal agency (police, or whomever takes care of breaking this type of law).
It may put enough fear in the kid to stop doing this collecting.

If the area is still good (other than the neighborhood terrorist) why are you now choosing to keep them captive?
-----
Patsy