Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Please help! I have been a reptile enthusiast for about 14 years now. I have had great success keepng green iguanas. I've always wanted to expand my knowledge in keeping other species of reptiles, but have never had the chance. Earlier this week, I arrived home to find a box turtle in my backyard. I have a fence all the way around the yard (it's an average sized neighborhood yard and no holes under the fence). There is a rental house next door that the tenants moved out of and curiously, the day they moved out - I find the turtle the next day. I have an ornamental pond in my backyard with water plants and I believe that the neighbors put their turtle in my backyard.

So I took this lost turtle under my care. I looked around on the web and was able to determine that its a female 3-toed box turtle. She measures about 6 1/2 to 7 inches from the front of her shell to the back. The plastron is smooth/worn on the bottom, which leads me to believe that she is an older turtle, but how old I haven't the foggiest...

I had her in one of my iguana transport boxes for the first couple of days and today I moved her into a 55 gallon aquarium with some substrate. I read they like to burrow and she did just that - covered herself completely up! She seems pretty tame, she rarely hisses (only if startled) and will come out of her shell and walk around with people standing around her.

I have offered her several types of food - collard greens and mixed vegetables, some canned dog food (not sure if its a good idea, but I saw it on another box turtle website), banannas and some moist bread. She ate the moist bread right down and picked through the dog food. She didn't touch the greens at all.

I suspect that she may have been wild caught and kept by this family. She's obviously stressed by this transition, but looks very healthy. Her eyes are alert, there is no labored breathing, no strange discharge around the nostrils or mouth or anus. She is surprisingly strong! I would have never imagined that her feet would put up as much resistance as my smaller iguanas.

I have provided her with a shallow bowl of water that she can climb into and it is evident that she does get in. She has deficated (mostly small amounts) over the last 3 days.

Right now, she is buried in the bedding in the 55 gallon aquarium. I have a 75 watt full spectrum spot on one end to provide a temperature gradient.

What I need to know:

1. How do I get her to eat - and/or should I bet trying as she may be trying to hibernate?

2. How do I let this turtle hibernate? She'd be in my garage which stays about 65 - 68 degrees in the winter (I provide heat to the iguanas via electric heaters near their cages).

3. When do they try to start hibernating?

4. How do you check on it while its hibernating?

5. How do you know when its time for it to wake up?

If anyone can be of help. I'd really appreciate it. I'll be checking back here for advice.

Thank you for your time and advice in advance.

Mark

You're asking alot of pertinent questions, and I think many of them will be answered when you read the information contained in the link provided.
If you live in a part of the country where 3-toeds are native, or you live in a part of the country that has a similar enough climate to where 3-toeds are native, your new friend may be better off living outdoors year round, and hibernating naturally.Outdoors as much as possible would be best.
Check out the link.
Stephanie
Link

Stephanie,

Thank you for the information. Last night I was on the phone with my dad and he told me that a guy he works with raises and keeps box turtles. A quick phone call later and I have found a home for her.

I've always wanted to raise a pair of turtles, but right now just isn't the right time in my life to take on any new herps. And I really think her quality of life will be better off with other box turtles.

Thanks again.

Mark

I agree, if at all possible she should be housed outdoors. Then you wont have to worry about the hibernation because she will do it all on her own. I have box turtles, and they always hibernate on their own. I only take them indoors if they have been sick recently.

Glad to see you care for the turtle. Here is a bunch of great info about box turtles....

http://www.boxturtlesite.org/bxbook.html

To answer your hibernation questions, look toward the middle of this form. There were a lot of questions asked by myself, and I got a bunch of great reponses. The BEST thing you can do for that turtle is to make it an outdoor pen. When giving it things to eat, give it some of the foods suggested on the website I gave you. You were offering it some of its favorite foods (wouldn't suggest the bread, though), so it was no trouble to get it to eat that, but it needs some more nutrious foods, so try the items suggested on the website. They have basically the same diet that you feed your iguanas. For its protein, you can buy Nightcrawlers at Academy for cheap or just dig up some worms in your garden. My turtles have never refused a worm. Hope I was some help, and ask if you have anything else you need answered. Reading all the questions and posts on this forum will educate you really quickly.