Found Turtle

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I think that was someone former pet and they did a very poor job at it, none the less that they abandoned the poor litle guy to a very likely doom if you hadnt shined in. Good job in rescuing him :) I sugest you give him plenty of great foods, they have a diverse diet but can be extremelly picky as well. Dark leafy greens like turnip, collard, mustard and chicory greens, water cress and dandilions are great staples and really what you want him to eat. Fruits like figs, strawberries, blueberries, peaches and grapes are great treats as well. Slugs, snails, crickets, superworms and high quality turtle and tortoise foods (like from mazuri) should be regulary offered as well. Use a good reptile suplement to help him get that shell rock hard, reptivite is good. Use a 5.0 uv ligth and if he gets better, make a nice outdoor pen for him.
 
coura;4673389; said:
I think that was someone former pet and they did a very poor job at it, none the less that they abandoned the poor litle guy to a very likely doom if you hadnt shined in. Good job in rescuing him :) I sugest you give him plenty of great foods, they have a diverse diet but can be extremelly picky as well. Dark leafy greens like turnip, collard, mustard and chicory greens, water cress and dandilions are great staples and really what you want him to eat. Fruits like figs, strawberries, blueberries, peaches and grapes are great treats as well. Slugs, snails, crickets, superworms and high quality turtle and tortoise foods (like from mazuri) should be regulary offered as well. Use a good reptile suplement to help him get that shell rock hard, reptivite is good. Use a 5.0 uv ligth and if he gets better, make a nice outdoor pen for him.
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Great advice coura but I have one comment. The thing about Terrapene carolina is that they are very reluctant to eat leafy greens. I've tried it for years but they just don't like them. Mine have the ability to free-range on native leafy plants along with dandilion leaves and they hardly if ever eat them.

Box turtles are pretty carnivorous but like coura said they need some plant material. I have great succsess feeding grated carrots, yellow squash and zucchini (all high in vitamin A), tomatoes, corn, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. They will also eat many kinds of mushrooms as well. If you want to add some leafy greens it's best to dice them up and mix them in with items I mentioned. Meat wise I feed mine thawed shrimp, dusted crickets, grasshoppers and their most favorite...earthworms.

Your turtle looks like it's suffering from metabolic bone disease. Whoever had it before you had it on a poor diet and little to no natural sunlight. It's probably dehydrated as well. It would be a good idea to soak it in a shallow tub of warm water for about 20 minutes a day. If I were you I would buy the largest rubbermaid tub they sell and fill it with about 3" mixture of EcoEarth and organic soil. A basking light in the high 80's is important too. Don't forget a shallow dish of water for soaking and drinking.
 
Thanks so much guys. i'll get his tank set up over the weekend and post pics monday. it's surprising to think he was someones pet but it really makes sense. especially with his tempermant. i soaked him earlier and accidently put my finger just about in his mouth and he just looked at me lol he has bright red eyes.
 
Vicious_Fish;4673694; said:
Great advice coura but I have one comment. The thing about Terrapene carolina is that they are very reluctant to eat leafy greens. I've tried it for years but they just don't like them. Mine have the ability to free-range on native leafy plants along with dandilion leaves and they hardly if ever eat them.

Box turtles are pretty carnivorous but like coura said they need some plant material. I have great succsess feeding grated carrots, yellow squash and zucchini (all high in vitamin A), tomatoes, corn, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. They will also eat many kinds of mushrooms as well. If you want to add some leafy greens it's best to dice them up and mix them in with items I mentioned. Meat wise I feed mine thawed shrimp, dusted crickets, grasshoppers and their most favorite...earthworms.

Your turtle looks like it's suffering from metabolic bone disease. Whoever had it before you had it on a poor diet and little to no natural sunlight. It's probably dehydrated as well. It would be a good idea to soak it in a shallow tub of warm water for about 20 minutes a day. If I were you I would buy the largest rubbermaid tub they sell and fill it with about 3" mixture of EcoEarth and organic soil. A basking light in the high 80's is important too. Don't forget a shallow dish of water for soaking and drinking.
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Wow really :) The guys here that raise the nicest ones with owesame shells give them a partially leafy green diet from a early age. You are rigth, I did see that the food was served completly shreded so that they couldnt pick a bit and refuse the rest. The mix included allot of greens, veggies and fruits as well. Earthworms, hell yea, those they would eat even in the darkness:D
 
coura;4675785; said:
Wow really :) The guys here that raise the nicest ones with owesame shells give them a partially leafy green diet from a early age. You are rigth, I did see that the food was served completly shreded so that they couldnt pick a bit and refuse the rest. The mix included allot of greens, veggies and fruits as well. Earthworms, hell yea, those they would eat even in the darkness:D
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Yep, on occasion I will mix something "leafy" in with their grated carrots and squash and it gets eaten. But the same can't be said if I were to throw it in with some tomatoes and berries. They would just pick around it.

Mine absolutely love earthworms. My garden is right next to their pen and when they see me working in it they come to the edge of their pen begging to be fed. Sometimes I'll throw them a worm or two. What I need to do is take some video of them "running" down dusted crickets outdoors. You would be surprised at how fast a food motivated box turtle can be!
 
Great advice guys! Lucky turtle to have been rescued by Elaina!
 
Can't help with the care since I'm not familiar with the species, but just wanted to say thanks for trying to look after him :) Shell deformaties are usually the result of diet, so I would agree he looks like an ex-pet.

Good luck, and keep us posted!
Paul
 
You've been given good advice so far. The comment about Metabolic Bone Disease is correct. I've got a friend who just nabbed an adult redfoot who has really, really advanced pyramiding and MBD, and could barely use it's legs (hips were deformed) when she got him.

The important parts right now are to get him eating (it's true that he'll probably be mostly carnivorous to start, but will open up to greens as you offer them) and to especially get some Calcium dust or other supplement in him to help combat the MBD. A proper enclosure will include a cool side with some hides where he will feel secure, and a warm side with a basking lamp (he'll need UVB and heat to help him digest his food and regulate temp). When you get a good substrate for him, don't be surprised if he burrows down and stays there for days on end; this is very common for boxies in new habitats.

Anyone have an idea on his actual ID? Since he's clearly a former pet, there's no reason to assume he's native to the region he was found. His carapace looks more like a Three-Toed, but in my experience the bluish skin is more true to Easterns. Any thoughts?

In any case, glad you snatched this little guy up.

Josh
 
My guess is that it's a Three-toed or an intergrade. Easterns are native to Maryland where the OP is from but they are illegal to sell and no natural turtle would get like this so it was definitely a pet.
 
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