Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok this is gonna sound weird but i have my boxies in a plastic kiddie pool. most of them spend most of thier time in the water side. but one of them died and when i was cleaning out the pool i found a egg. so im wondering if it is any good. i have no idea how long the turtle had been dead. there is s tiny piece of the shell missing but the membrane is still intact. it is now sitting in a tupperware container full of sand. any thoughts?

I don't know if the egg stands a chance, but it seems doubtful. I had an egg split once and it dried out rapidly, but maybe someone else here has had a more positive result.

Was the turtle that died a female? Is there any soil of any kind in the kiddie pool?
The reason I ask is because, if a gravid female that cannot find a suitable nest, she may lay an egg or two on the surface or in water (which is not normal) and possibly even die from being eggbound.
A kiddie pool is not really the best place to keep box turtles, and there are plenty of people here who can suggest better options for you to consider.
Stephanie

well right now all i have and can afford is a kiddie pool but they have been in it for years with no major problems. and it is a bigg kiddie pool. i dont know wheather it was a female that died or not. i have heard several ways to tell so i dont know. as for dirt i keep puting it in but they keep knocking it into the water. so maybe she? laid her eggs in the sand and they got knocked in. but it was the only egg i found. how do i tell if it is any goood?

Only time will tell.
If it dries out, its not viable. If it turns brown or grows mold, its not viable. If it had been submerged for any length of time, its not viable.
How many turtles do you have, and how big is the kiddie pool?

i have about three box turtles and a painted turtle. the kiddie pool is the big ones you see at walmart without the steps. the one thats about 9 or ten bucks. it has a big brick in the middle so they can sun them selves. the egg right now is a tanish pinkish color. i also have a ball python and two dogs.

I'm not a Walmart shopper, so I have no idea what the size of this pool is. If it cost less than 10 bucks, it can't be very big: certainly not big enough for 4 (excuse me, 3) box turltes and an aquatic turtle.
Based on the information you've given, the setup (the pool) is not adequate for your turtles. The link below is to an article on proper housing for box turtles. I sincerely hope you'll read it and take measures to improve the housing for your pets.
I also think its really sad that you had a dead turtle in there but didn't know how long it had been dead, or even if it was a male or female. Maybe you should contact a herp rescue and surrender them, so that someone else can provide them with what they require.
From what you've described, the egg is probably not viable.
Stephanie
Link

ya know i think its sad when people try to tell you how to raise your animals when what you have done already for them has been good enough for years and years. the egg is not good anymore because even though the membraine was still intact half of it was caved in. and when i opened it the yolk was like pudding and there was nothing soldid. i have had my turtles in thier setup for five plus years and i have never had anything like this happen to me. yes it is sad that i lost one but that is life. i feel sorry for you that you have never been to a walmart but the pool is huge, pleanty big for four turtles. i have had a herpy breeder look at thier envornment and said it was as long as it was kept clean. it gets clean every week. as for giving up my babies i dont think so. i woulod ask you to give up yours without seeing where they live.

Oh, don't feel sorry for me; I've been to Walmart. I simply choose to shop elsewhere.
You should be feeling sorry for your turtles.
Stephanie

well i would if they were reading this crap. as i said i have had thier place checked out by a breeder with no problems so its good enough for me. i would rather shop at walmart then anywhere else and the fact that you chose to shop somewhere else is your problem. i dont know about you but i am not rich so i have to save money. my turtles are all healthy and have no problems.

One of your turtles is dead. Most people would consider that to be a BIG problem.
Unfortunately you seem to be unwilling to acknowledge that there's alot of room for improvement with your setup, and that you could avoid any more problems (ie: dead turtles) by creating a more suitable habitat for them. It wouldn't have to cost a fortune.
This isn't about who shops where, this is about doing right by the animals in our care. So when I asked you the size of the kiddie pool, I was hoping you'd post the actual dimensions of the thing.

Stephanie

oh well i dont know exactly and my tape measure has gone awol. as for the turtle dieing my sister has informed me that this one was the one that had been sick and quarantined from the other turtles. we do not have a herpy vet nearby. but the turtle was sick when we got it and i am sorry i was so short with you. i have too many family members who have looked down on me since ive gotten my snake and they have been very rude to me. i didnt mean to take it out on you. you have been helpful and i am going to make the habitat better. i have a friend who is gonna build me a turtle pen. he owes me big LOL
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Mom of four turtles and a ball python

I'm really glad to hear that you're going to make a new habitat for them: it really doesn't have to be expensive to be better than a kiddie pool. Make it as big as you can, so that you can give them as much room to roam around as possible. There are some good ideas and suggestions in the article I linked you to earlier.
Good luck with them.
Stephanie

Got to butt in - but I think you kiddie pool is about 6 ft x 4 ft. It is tight for anything above 2 adult turtles. What I am concerned about are 2 things... (1) you have a painted turtle & boxies mixed together. Personally, I don't recommend mixing 2 totally different species of turtles together like this because the needs are totally different, one is a land turtle and the other is a water turtle and (2).... You have had a sick boxie mixed with healthy ones in a limited area. The more limited the area, the better chance of the other ones getting sick. Do you know what the boxie died of? Not to say that your other boxies will get sick, but there is always that chance.
To build an enclosure, if you have the space in your back yard can be really inexpensive. I built a nice enclosure by finding scrapes of wood people throw out and using it (a while back) when I was alot younger. All It cost me a box of screws (about 4 bucks worth) to put it together with a little sweat. That enclosure is now long gone. I Built me a much better one when times got better for me.
If you could build an enclosure double the size of what you have now for the 3 boxies, they'll do fine. I would make other plans for the painted though - (maybe just leave him in the kiddie pool.) Good luck!

ok well in the first place there is both land and water in the pool, second place they get along fine. as for the sick one, no idea what it died from but i got sick and then it got better. we let it sit by itself for a week before introducing it back with the others. i know the pool is definatly bigger then what you said but it doesnt matter cause they're getting a better one. they were gonna get a better one anyway
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Mom of four turtles and a ball python

Dear Herpy Momma,

It’s neat that you have ball pythons and painted turtles and box turtles.

So many people couldn’t care less about reptiles; but aren’t they a wonder to see each day!

When I was a kid every friend of mine had a green red eared slider in one of those plastic palm tree island homes for water turtles. We bought the recommended “turtle food “ from the pet shop ( ANT EGGS) and fed the turtle every day. Although it lived just fine for eight months; one day we discovered it dead. Not sure why...but we did the best we could and were saddened by the loss of life.

Now I have a few Box Turtles and some Arizona Mountain King Snakes, Durango Mountain King Snakes, Jeffersonian Mole Salamanders, a ton of tropical fish, and many more animals...and a Siberian Husky. I love them all.

I later discovered all the poor information we received from those uninformed pet shops; like feeding dried no nutrient ant eggs to our water turtle actually would cause them to die from a poor diet.

Often we received incorrect information; from people who know little about the needs of the pets they sell.

On the forum here; the folks don’t charge you for useless ant eggs. But you’ll get some priceless information that in the long run will save you money, time and your pets life. It takes time to know the specific needs and dangers for our pets. For example ....putting together a Painted Water Turtle and a Box Turtle seems harmless enough...one has it’s need for land, and the other it’s water environment.

However we now know that Painted Water Turtles carry viruses and bacteria that can harm or kill a box turtle. In nature they don’t live in close proximity. Your painted turtle’s fecal matter can easily be picked up by a boxie living in the same pool and slowly get sick...very sick. In the wild the painted turtle lifespan is around 15 years; a boxie’s can live for 60, 70 or longer.... But a boxie's population is quickly fading. Box Turtles are wonderful animals like your colorful painted water turtles; however they have different needs. One big one is Box turtles need Tons of space....Away from other species of animals that can passively kill it. Even if they appear to be getting along; there are silent killers like the thousands of microorganisms contaminating the pool water and land area.

Follow this forum and you’ll know all the special needs for your boxie so that both of you can enjoy each other’s company for a long time.! And who knows; you may decide some day to breed Box Turtles.

Oh...and I do shop at Wal Mart sometimes ; but I NEVER admit that to my neighbors.
Ric

Good post Ric!
Thanks.
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PHRatz

It is possible to have boxies and a painted living together if you have enough room. I have had my painted and boxie living together for a couple of years. I added another boxie this year. I had my snapper in here too for several years, but she got too big and I built her her own apartment this summer.

The boxies have their own soaking dish. No, they don't fall in the big pond and drown. They fell in ONCE, (I was watching for this and pulled them out immediately) and that was all it took for them to learn!

If you want to see more views/details of the enclosure, just keep clicking through my pics:

http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/index.php?photo=149379&user=30796

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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

For tens of thousands of years reptiles survived in their isolated geographical regions. They developed in their genes specific antibodies for resistance to bacteria, viruses and environmental differences. Their bodies adapted to conditions that were specific to their isolated area. With changing land forms, elevations, temperature, humidity, and food sources available; they further became even more specialized. Some were kept in their specific regions by mountains ranges, vast rivers, while others were separated by the vegetation that were their homes, protective cover, and food.

Respectfully,
Ric

Well put.

And even though it's been said before, it bears repeating: having even the same species in too-close quarters can easily result in diseases and parasites spreading much more rapidly and devastatingly than might in a wild population.

Stephanie

I did get a chance and view the pictures of your large enclosure. Very NICE! It appears you have put some thought and time in it's planning and construction. So often hobbyist have small pens with mixed species that are really too small for even the same species. It's also possible that your particular individuals may have some increased resistance. I'm glad that your painted and boxies are doing well. Hopefully they are staying apart and finding their own micro habitat. It's also prudent that you don't have them drinking, bathing from the same water source. Thanks for sharing.
Ric

Thanks for the compliments. The turtles do not share the same water source. The boxies have a large, shallow dish which I clean at least daily. The painted has a large pond (130 gal.) with a good filter. The two water sources are not attached.

The turtles really have no interest in each other. They go about their different routines and rarely, if ever interact.

But it does take a lot of room. Our enclosure is 16'x16'.
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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

Really nice golfdiva. I remember seeing some of your photos before.
Like Ric said most people don't have enclosures large enough for more than one species but it looks like you've done this the right way.

One reason why I don't want to mix species is for lack of space but most importantly it's about another reason & that's Murphy's Law. In my personal experience (pick a topic it doesn't have to be turtle keeping) if it can go wrong it will!! LOL
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PHRatz

btw golfdiva
I just looked through your photo gallery, great pictures you have!
The ornate vs Eastern photos are very interesting. That's the first time that I recall seeing a photo of an Eastern's plaston, it really does look very different from an ornate.
Ornates are all I ever see...
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PHRatz

Thanks for the kind comments. Yes, you probably did see pics before. Last summer when Hubby and Son were making the enclosure I was so excited I kept posting pics of it and making everyone look at them! lol

I should probably take more pics, as the landscaping is very different this year!

As for the eastern vs. ornate pics. I can't take credit. I can't remember where, but I got them online for someone who was asking about the difference.
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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
1.3.0 chickens
3.2.0 children
1.0.0 husband