Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After reading through these last few posts, I have to wonder if the female I found might have eggs. Do females feel heavier when they have eggs? My wife and I both noticed or thought she seemed very heavy for her size compared to are other males. If she where to lay eggs would we be able to tell or know what to look for? One last thing on the day I found her she leaked out a lot of water like substance more like a mucus of sorts all over my truck floor. Again the extent of her injuries I don’t know if they could have an effect. She is walking around and drinking water but not eating yet, about 3rd day now. I am enclosing a photo, if it comes through, of her and you can see where she lost part of her foot from another injury. Thank you for the responses.

Alan Grafton

She may have been looking for a nesting spot when she came onto the road. The first two weeks in June, in particular, are when most turtle females are nesting. They may live in small home range, even in Suburbia, quite fine.....but at nesting may wander to look for an open area, bringing them into yards and on roads. The foot looks fine, and turtles will easily survive in the wild with a missing limb. From the front, she doesn't look injured..where and how bad are her injuries.
Back to your other questions....gravid females will feel relatively heavy. If you extend one of her hind legs, you can poke a finger (gently) into the soft area of her "belly", in front of the leg. If she has eggs in her, you can often feel them as roundish objects. It is unmistakeable once you know it. Behavorialy females that want to nest are often more active (pacing actively around their pen or trying to climb out), they may also soak in the water a lot more. Generally they begin nesting in the evening, so check every night just before dark to see if she is digging. Make sure she has an open area of soil to dig in...hopefully she is in a roomy outdoor pen.

Thank you for the response, excuse the late reply had to work late, her injuries where on the bottom of her shell and edge it looks like abrasion with flakes of her shell covering off and raw pink. At the hinge area was some bleeding and one time blood bubble in one of her nostrils, that appears to cleared up. AS I said she drinks and soaks and we put surgical bandage on the pink area for 2 days, have removed that and still looks raw but healing. I think she ‘s coming around. In the past I have taken my other turtles to a herp vet when needed and will take her if needed also even though their quite expensive….)

Alan

This is the time of year when females would normally be out and about looking for nesting sites so she could be gravid. If the injury is not too severe you may want to put her back because fully grown, adult wild box turtles are hard to acclimate to captivity. If she is a breeding age turtle she would serve the species better in the wild.

A wildlife rehabber can x-ray her to see if she has eggs and take care of the injuries. The lost hand should not hurt her chances of survival is it is healed. Do you live in an area with harsh winter weather?
Tess

Thank you for the response, I live in NE Ohio severe winters and all I have three other turtles I
Hibernate for the past 5 or 6 years. As to returning this turtle back to where she came from is somewhat awkward as a recent large subdivision has taken up most of any safe area to release her. As a matter of fact I was quite surprised where I found her it was near the Cuyahoga River
Near downtown heavily populated area with just a sliver of wood lands that a box turtle might
live in. I have in the past returned boxies to the wild and helped them across highways. As I have done in the past I feel responsible and will do what is necessary.

Alan

It is amazing, how a relic individual may survive in a sliver of forest. Good luck with her!
Is she eating yet? Any more sign of eggs?

She's not eating yet, but does get around the garden and lays in sun plus I'm keeping my males away from her. I have seen a little blood at her hinge, faint traces, I will proably take her to herp vet sometime soon. Will keep forum informed.
Thanks

Alan

Since the box turtle is a species of special concern in Ohio there may be regs in place that limit what one can do to help a box turtle, not that anyone here will be upset that you have saved this box turtle from a certain death sooner or later in such an enviroment. It's a shame that turtles (and other herps)placed in such a category are not protected from development. I am now trying to get box turtles in the path of a new interstate protected from destruction from the highway construction.

I'm in the same boat, my state no longer allows the captivity of eastern box turtles but those who already had box turtles could grandfathered them in before the state regs changed. Any turtles that need rehabbing now must be given to a licensed wildlife rehabber.

Good luck! Tess