Reptile & Amphibian Forums

while cleaning the yard of my apartment(i live in a fairly urban area with some woods)when i pulled out some trash from the sunken water main box.
under the trash i found a box turtle! its a male, about 3" tall.
the shell is very domed with the front right flared edge not grown.
it also has 2 toes on its right rear foot, and 3 on its left rear foot.
it seems to have a touch of difficulty getting about, seems like weakness in the right rear foot.

currently(temporarily) we have him in a 20 long aquarium with a light, and a ramped turtle bowl.
he spends most of his time in the water(pretty shallow on him)looking out the glass.

anybody else seen/caught mutant turtles?
best way to insure that he eats? we have had him for 2 nights now, and i got him pellets, bok choy, collard greens, and reptomin softgel.
i dont think he has eaten any of it.

its a mutant 3 toe.

Have you try soaking warm water and then feed it some Commercial food like Mazuri turtle food? Make sure the water is just warm to the touch so not to overheat the turtle. Hot water can be very dangerous. They also like lots of dusted insects, invertebrates and mouse pinkies. Mouse pinkies should only be on occasion cause it's too fattening. Snails and night crawlers seem to be their favorite.

just got mazuri today.

he now eats superworms too, as soon as they hit the ground he is gobbling them up.

Try this site: www.boxturtlefacts.com.

Sorry! Wrong address. www.boxturtlefacts.org

I personally save many box turtles from the side of the road. (many being injured) I have found that when they don't eat well they may accept cantaloupe or other juicy fruits. I recently have also saved a "mutant" turtle. He is missing his front right foot and back left foot. He is also only 3 inches long from front if shell to back of shell despite his rings indicating that he is about 12 years old(by now he should be full grown). Anyways, try to get him to eat some other food besides worms. Fruits and veggies are best for them as a staple diet. I've also heard of people feeding them moistened dog food but I haven't ever tries this. Also don't forget to give him proper lighting if you keep him indoors for a long period of time. Best of luck!

Sorry I just realized how long ago this was so I probably wasn't any help at all.