Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found this turtle in the street in our neighborhood in Newberg Oregon. Could this be an escaped pet, or is it a native turtle.

We live across from an abandoned orchard that may have a stream in it.

Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! I was expecting to see a Western Pond turtle since you live in Oregon. What you have is an Ornate box turtle. It's a turtle of dry prairies and deserts. It's most definetely a released captive. Are you going to keep the turtle? If you are, you are going to have to provide it with some specific care. If not, you can surrender it to a reptile rescue organization. In the meantime, let it walk around in an enclosed outdoor area for a few hours on warm days. Be careful, as this turtle is probably a result of their escape prowess. Feed it veggies like squash and tomato, fruits like cantaloupe and strawberry, and especially feed it living bugs like earthworms and superworms. Please research its needs more fully if you try to keep it. I'm only talking short-term. The box turtle forum on this site can give you some great info. What a find! I'm amazed at all of the non-native turtles that people are finding out there. I've only found one, aside from all of the RES.

No I'm not going to keep it. We're getting a dog in a few weeks (newfoudland), and I've seen online some of the problems they can cause. I'm not a big fan of caged animals as pets (for me).

I fed her (?) a small chunk of banana yesterday (didn't go for lettuce) and she ate a few bites. I let her run around in the yard this morning for a while. She cruises along quite well and seems pretty savy. Didn't move much if she noticed I was watching, but as soon as I turned around, she'd take off.

I live in a small town, so I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to move this turtle along to a proper owner. Our newspaper is weekly, so won't have any lost ads yet (I checked last weeks). Animal control is a day-only job for one person.

I've checked Craigs list and put up flyers. Any other ideas?
j

Oh that one looks so much like the one I have who was torn up by a dog! I live in their natural habitat but that's far away from you.
Try looking through this list of reptile societies. There are turtle rescuers in herp societies so maybe if you email one of them closest to you they'd be able to help you find this one a home.
Here's the URL:
http://www.anapsid.org/societies/index.html

Good luck!
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PHRatz

Me again, wanted to follow up with more that I'd learned.

PHRatz - Thanks for the link, but it looks like both the societies listed for oregon are defunct. Both links are broken. My wife did find a rescue here in Banks Oregon, so they are willing to take it, and so is my college age neighbor.

I did get a reply from www.tortoisetrust.org with the following, very informative links on care and keeping of ornate box turtles.

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/care/cornata.html

This is an article on how to prevent common health problems in box turtles:
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/avoidbox.html

kensopher - thanks for the quick id. I'd been poking around on the net most of the day, and I can't tell one from the other, except for the sea turtles.

This guy IS an escape artist. Crawled out of the 8" tall bin he was in, and was happily roaming around the house. (S)he also loves to run around outside. Doing well and should be off to the new home this weekend.

Thanks all for the quick replies, it helped to point me in the right direction.

J

I'm glad you've been able to find some help despite the broken links.
Since she is such an escape artist I wonder if anyone has run a lost ad in the newspaper or has been looking for the turtle?

Whatever happens it's a good thing that someone like you found her so that one way or another this turtle will end up with a good home.
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PHRatz