Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is probably going to be long and rambling. I'll try to keep it on track.

On the way back from grocery shopping today my husband stopped the van and picked up/rescued a male eastern box turtle from the middle of the four-lane highway, in an area that is very much developed, inspite of being a rural overall area. (Obviously it couldn't stay there without risking all sorts of suburban dangers, not to mention the *huge ass highway* it was in the middle of.)

We brought him home, gave him food, which he ate as though starving and soaked himself. Since then he has been utterly fearless, and he was eating out of my husband's hand, taking the strawberries and romaine before they were put down. He's "friendly' in a reptile like way, in that he's now made his way under the desk and is sitting on my foot, occasionally digging at my jeans.

Now, if this is a wild animal, I don't want to keep him. I can't return him to where he was, but i can find an area to let him go. However, if he's going to starve because someone has had him as a pet, and gotten him used to non-natural food items, or coming to people to get fed, letting him go would be beyond cruel.

Advice?

I don't really think there's any fool-proof way to determine if a turtle was previously a pet or not. The fact that it accepts food readily is not an indicator of previous captivity. Adult males seem to be more fearless, and give the impression of 'making themselves at home' very readily. Combine that with being offered something tasty to eat, and many will eat readily.
Its entirely probable that the turtle you've found is wild, even though you found it in a developed area. By having fed it a few times, you will not have diminished its ability to hunt. We have juveniles that have been raised in a captive setting here, that still hunt, even though we feed them regularly. I think hunting is a very powerful instinct.
The walking around and crawling over your foot could be considered typical of a turtle that is looking for a way out. I found a sub-adult years ago that, when I sat down to watch her, would crawl under my knees. Was she being friendly? No, she was trying to hide from me, by going under what she may have thought resemled a handy log.
My personal feeling is that you should release it again, preferably close to where you found it (out of harm's way of course). By keeping it, you may be removing the only reproductively active adult from the area, and inadvertantly dooming the future of the local population.
Good for you for picking it up off the street.
Regards,
Stephanie

If it's the only active adult in the area, releasing it isn't going to help the reproductive rate at all! LOL!

It's a tough call. If he seems happy and you are able to provide proper care, it is tempting to keep him.

However, depending on what state you are in, but there might be laws against this.

On the other hand, releasing him into an unfamilar territory is very stressful, and he may not be able to survive. Releasing him back into his orignial territory could be dangerous if there is a lot of developing going on.

On yet another hand if the development has leveled off in his home range, he will probably do just fine. Boxies are good at living in the backyards, etc.!

So, the issue is hardly cut and dried. There is a lot to consider.
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0.1.0 snapping turtle
0.1.0 painted turtle
0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
0.1.0 Australian shepard
0.0.12 chickens
3.2.0 children
1.0.0 husband

Probably should have said 'adult male', huh?
You're absolutely right about there being alot of pros and cons to weigh when considering releasing vs. keeping it.
Stephanie

The issue hardly being cut & dried. Boy there's an understatement! lol
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PHRatz

Becky we had the same type of situation happen at the end of May this year with 2 box turtles. One we know for certain is wild, the other we are not sure.
The wild one has been coming to our house for 3-4 years looking for meals & getting them. He's now living in our yard since being taken from the mouth of a dog in May. He's known me for the 3-4 years & recognizes me yet today I still cannot get too close to him. He won't let me get too close however he will let me know when he wants food.
The other one was taken from a busy highway & I assumed she'd leave here but she didn't. So after the first time I threw food at her she began charging at me demanding food, she'll come to me when I make kissy noises. Wild? I don't know for sure but we certainly see different behavior from her than from the male we know for certain is wild.
It's not illegal in my state to take them & put them in the backyard, I do know though that doing this is illegal in some states so I'd want to check the law as golfdiva suggested.
Good luck with your decision!
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PHRatz