Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my neighbor found this guy i was curious what type of turtle it was? whats the care requirments? etc....
thanx
-Robert

Where was this turtle found? Where do you live, that is. It looks like a three toed box turtle or possible a western box turtle. Is its plastron (bottom shell) hinged?
Can it close up and go into its shell? Was the turtle found in the united States?
There's lots of information about box turtles if that is indeed what it turtns out to be. More info and a pic of the upper and then lower shell would help.

it was found in southern cali, roaming around in field at a school. its shell is hinged on the bottom, it can close up all the way and it seems to have a taste for snails, it will eat what i feed my iguana which is veggies and greens and etc, i will post more pics tomorrow, thanx for the help, untel tomorrow.
-Robert

p.s
here is a pic of him again from top view

Well with that second picture you have posted, i think there is only one likley candidate. The tan shell and red head and the fact that it is hinged make me strongly lean toward three toed box turtle.
This animal, Terrepene carolina triunguis (a subspecies of the "Eastern Box Turtle" if you will) is a native of the South Central United States and lives no where near California. In fact California has NO native box turtles at all.
But this species is a fairly popular pet and so it is likely that this particular one is a pet which wandered (or dug) out of a yard or was released by its keeper.

Although most of California has a climate in which a Three-Toed could probbaly survive, it should NOT be allowed to roam in the wild as it is an introduced species.

If you want to care for it, you will find that information abounds both on the web and in books about North American Box Turtles. I will say though, that you will find some conflicting ideas about husbandry for this species. If I were you, i would start at this site:

tess cook's box turtle site

and then, as questions arise, i wouild ask the here at kingsnake's box turtle forum or at the box turtle yahoo group.

Some basic things do apply though.

Firstly, this is a species that needs a lot of space. Box turtles are not fish tank pets. The best arrangement is probably a large outdoor pen (the larger the better) Failing that, a large indoor enclosure (at least 25 square feet) could be used. Don't try to keep it in a plastic storage bin or large aquarium.

They are omnivores. Any veggies that your iguana eats are probably okay (and should initailly be encouraged as Box turtles are sometimes picky eaters, prefering meat and insects to plant/fungus and developing dietary deficiencies in the process). Popular foods will include berries, mushrooms, fruits of the plum family, earth worms, slugs, snails, insects of any kind, hard boiled egg white, and even small amounts of fish.

The animal should always have access to drinking water and should either be soaked daily or allowed access to a water basin which is a few inches deep into which it can wade. They do swim, but they swim relatively poorly. They will benefit from several inches of a soil sunstrate in which to burrow and should also always havea hide box.

In the long run, it will be very important to allow the turtle to reach an aera of high humidity and and area of low humidity as it chooses.

Since you keep an iguana you probably already know about UVB lighting and high calcium diets. All that applies to an iguana regarding these issues goes also for the Three Toed box Turtle.

If you chose to keep it I am sure that anything that comes up can be handled by some of the folks at the Box Turtle forum.

It has to be a three-toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis)..but in CA?

It is a three toed box turtle. I am sure of it. But in California? It must have been somebodys pet that got away or they let it go.