Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi...my gardener found a box turtle in my front yard about a week ago and gave it to my mother. My mother, being well aware of my love for herps due to the collection and such, gave him to me. I'm not really a big turtle guy, even though I've always loved those alligator snappers, but this little guy has stolen my heart. I've done some homework and it sounds like they need an outdoor enclosure, which it sounds like I won't be able to provide any time soon. I have four dogs, one outside and three inside. Right now he's in a cage that's obviously too small for him but I take him out into the back for a few hours daily and bathe him afterwards. The enclosure is two by two feet and filled with deep peat, soil, and ground orchid bark. He's got a big dish which he happily craps in on a regular basis. His current diet consists of a lot of stuff. I know his absolute favorite peaches. It takes a little coaxing to get him to eat other stuff, but he runs for peaches. His second favorite is bananas and after that strawberries. I'm having trouble getting him to eat veggies but he does so occasionally. I've tried spinach leaves and other things. I'm scared when I feed him cuz it feels like I'm doing something wrong. I think that his three favs are high in natural sugar and that is probably a lil' bad for them if fed too often and he makes a squeaky noise when he swallows. As far as behavior and appearance he seems healthy. He holds his body off the ground when walking, his eyes are very bright and clear, and he is deathly afraid of me. H'es calmed down with some hand feeding...the peaches. I discovered a bubbley fluid on his nose when he was eating some strawberries today. They're his first strawberries. I plan to take him to a herp vet so he can get checked out. I'm worried that I won't be able to provide enough space/environment/time for this animal. I plan to start breeding some ball pythons and getting into bigger monitor lizards soon so my time will be almost taken up. If I could get the outdoor enclosure available I feel that everything would click but I don't want to risk it. I love this turtle but I don't know if I can give him the stuff he needs. Would he be able to wait while a special big cage is ordered for him? What are the basic care requirements for him? I've read the care sheets, but what can you tell me? He's an ornate box turtle.... I think. I don't know if he's native..., I think he is.....Anyway I think he got dumped cuz he would have had to cross a few streets and up a hill to get to where he was found. Thanks soooo much in advance for ANYTHING you have to tell me. ANYTHING....PLEASE.....thanks

Would a 4'Wx1.5'D enclosure serve as better temporary housing as opposed to his current cage?

Where do you live b/c if the turtle is native and if it is a wild turtle, I would definately recommend returning them to the wild. I would try to find a wildlife rehabilitator to ensure proper release. If you really want to get a turtle, you can buy a cb or find one that was in captivity and no longer wanted. I don't think tanking another one from the wild is a good idea, However if it is not native then you are right in saying that somebody may haev dumped it.

Christina
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1.1 Russian Tortoise (Willy & Mikey)
0.1 Ornate Box Turtle (Lily)
1.0 Red Eared Slider (Chester)
0.0.2 White's Tree Frog (Kermit & Phil)
0.0.1 Red eyed Tree Frog (Justin)
0.0.1 Big Eyed Tree Frog
0.0.2 Bubbling Frog
0.0.2 Tiger Leg Tree Frogs (Akari & Shiro)
0.0.3 Amazonian Milky Tree Frogs
0.0.1 Dwarf Megophrys
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0.2 Chinchillas (Layla & Snickers)
0.3 mice
0.1 dog (Holly)
2.0 Cats (Champ & Bear)

Oh and a husband

I live in southern cailfornia

I just don't think he's wild due to the fact that he was found in a garden area surrounded by roads and cars, he had to climb up a sidewalk (from the gutter) and not get eaten by all the dogs kept by the asses that don't believe in leashes next to me. I also live high up in a place with lots of real estate and stuff..... there's a lot of natural habitat high up the hills, but it's very desert like. Plus, the only wild reptiles I've seen are fence lizards and ONE garter snake. And I'm always looking. Then again he could have been caught wild, then let loose on my house. The little area where he was left off is very foresty, nice, and right next to a street... so I can see why someone would leave a turtle there. Also, I'm pretty sure box turtles reside usually in woodland habitats. Where I live is mostly rocky.

i mean, could it be a cdt? not everybody knows exactly waht box turtles are. does it have a hinge on the lower shell that moves and lets the turtle completely box itself in? i linked a jpg that shows the hinge thing. anyway, first you have to find out exactly what kind of turtle or tort you have. then find out if its native. go from there....
box turltes and the hinge

if I remember correctly there are no natural populations of box turtles in calif.. might be wrong though, also.. it's not uncommon to find a box turtle in a highly developed area, if they dont get crushed while the buidlings going on then they get built around.. and usually get crushed by cars or caught by kids.
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1.2.1 Terrapene Carolina Triunguis
0.0.1 Nymphicus hollandicus
1.0 Melopsittacus undulatus
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Although many folks keep them in your region, there are no indigenous box turtles in Southern California. Most likely he escaped from a neighbor. Given that, it's your choice to keep him or post that you found him.

I have heard of other folks in California finding boxies wandering the side of freeways, parks etc. Often people buy them at pet stores and let them loose in parks or wooded areas thinking they have set the creature free when they or their children no longer want the pet, however this is a bad alternative for many reasons. Your boxie may be one of those animals, so fortunately for him/her, it is in your care for now.

What you choose to do from here is up to you.

Paul