Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was looking for some advice on a Western Box Turtle (Ornate) that is recovering from an eye infection. He was brought to our rehabilitation center about a week ago and has been treated by a vet. I am continuing with eye drops (neomycin, polymyxin B sulfates & dexamethasone ophthalic suspensio) and his eyes are begining to look better. They are opening now, and he is getting more active.

I am concerned about releasing him though. From what I have been reading, he should not be released until he is completely better - but the weather is getting colder. Most recommendations are not to keep an adult box turtle indoors, but I fear by the time he is completely better - it may be too cold to release him before winter.

Most of our evenings are still in the lower 50s, but we did have a 37F night last night. How long does it take them to get to a safe deepth for hibernation? If it is still going to be in the 50's at night for a few evenings in a row - is it still safe to release?

Also, he has not been eating well since we have had him. He is interested now, but I still have not seen any food left for him disappear. Will he be healthy enough to hibernate if he has not been eating properly?

Any recommendations are welcome! I just want to do what's best for the guy, and I have been stressing over this!

My feeling is that keeping him until the eye infection has cleared up and then releasing him would be the way to go. In fact, I'd look for a likely spot and actually 'tuck him in', rather than leaving it up to chance, preferably in an area where there are lots of likely spots for him to take cover under.
As far as the absence of appetite goes, that's actually typical for box turtles as hibernation time approaches: box turtles tend to fast before hibernation in order to empty their digestive tract. As long as your guy is not grossly underweight he should be OK.
I hope you intend to release him as close to where he was originally found as possible, so that he's on or near his home turf when he emerges and can get back to his usual routine in the spring.
Stephanie

You can not release this turtle if you have been feeding him. If you are sure he has not had ANY food and is 100% healthy, it is fine.

Otherwise, keep him for the winter but avoid too much contact (wear gloves, etc) with him, and don't let him have any contact with other turtles. If you are going to release, you don't want him to pick up any human pathogens to spread to other turtles in the wild.

In order to hibernate, box turtles must not eat for about a month or else the contents of the stomach will rot over the winter, making them sick and most likely killing them.

Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck!

I know this sounds silly to ask, but in which state are you located? How much does the turtle weigh, and how large is it? Was it a pet, or found recently in the wild?

Also, eye infections are often secondary to respiratory infections, so systemic(injectable) antibiotics might be needed to clear up the problem completely. If this guy (or gal) had the infection for a while, it might not have eaten properly for a while, and might not be at a good weight for hibernation.

If you keep it for the winter, do try to keep the basking lights on for 14 hours a day, to trick its system into thinking it's summer.

Katrina