Turtles Anybody know anything about turtles?

I don't know an awful lot about tortoises, but had one as a child. I have two friends with tortoises now - one young, and one over 30 (the turtles' ages that is!).

I know that they eat salad and fruit - not dis-similar to piggies. I know that they are good climbers - so would perhaps think about a covered c&c cage! Over here, if they're kept outside, they must be brought in (shed/attic) to hibernate. I have been bitten by one - they have very sharp beaks!!!

Hope someone can help out more. Look forward to hearing all about her! Pictures?!

Well I'm not an expert on turtles. But, growing up my brother and I would often find a box turtle in our hikes in the wood, and our parents usually let us keep them for a few days or so. My dad is a wildlife biologist, so he was always very helpful with that sort of thing. First, make sure you always wash your hands very well after handling since you can catch salmenella (sorry I have no idea how to spell that properly). They will usually eat a lot of the same fruits and veggies that the piggies like, but they also like earthworms. If you find it is not eating, you might want to consider releasing it back into the woods since it is a wild creature. However, my neighbor keeps them as pets and had them growing up as well and his seem to do fairly well. I think he has them in a large aquarium with mulch and logs, as well as a special lamp over them. Like I said I am not an expert, but hope this helps get you started and maybe someone with more experience can help further. Good luck!

There are no woods here, just heat and desert. That is why we think it was someone's pet and released it. ( why someone would release an animal not native to this area is beyound me.) We have no earthworms. no water, no natural grass. So now must do what is best indoors, in my daughters apt. She has cats. I have grids but must get coroplast. How big for a turtle? 2X3? Do they need alot of room? Water, like a pond?
My daughter fed it fruits and veggies last night and it ate. She was hungry. No idea how long she has been outside. Our weather has been in the 100's.

We have two box turtles but they live in our backyard. We had one a long time ago in the house in a terrarium, but he didn't do very well. He just wasn't happy being inside as they like to roam and wander. The two we have outside pretty much take care of themselves. They eat the grass and eat bugs. They're really funny to watch "running" after a cockroach. ha! They also love snails and worms. We have to provide water if the weather is too dry. With you guys being in Arizona, you would have to provide shade and water so they can get out of the heat. They are cold blooded, so their bodies are the same temperature as their surroundings. If it's too hot, they get too hot. The same with cold. The two we have stay outside all year long and burrow down into the ground during the winter to hibernate. I really am not a good source of information about keeping a turtle in the house. I would recommend keeping her outside if you have a fence yard. They definitely are climbers, so a chain link fence will not keep them in. They are also diggers, so they can dig under a fence. We have cinderblock fences with deep footers, so they can't climb or dig out. The male turtle we've had for several years, the female was brought to us recently by a friend when they found her wandering along the freeway. We've had as many as 9 turtles at a time. The last time we had that many we also had just gotten two puppies. The puppies just wouldn't leave them alone. Guess they are too much fun to play with since they really can't "run" away. We ended up giving the turtles away to a friend with a large yard. When the dogs were older, we found the male turtle wandering a busy street, and they all got along together well. The dogs are since gone (each lived to be 14) and the turtles have the run of the yard. We really enjoy them...they each have distinct personalities. But they....like all pets....have unique care requirements. Good luck with the one you found. I'll help with any questions you have. I just haven't had very good luck keeping a box turtle inside, although I know it can be done.

I know about Turtles. If you post a picture I can see if I can figure out the species. Get me a picture of her top, side view (with head) under shell and a good picture of the tail and I may also be able to tell you if it is a male or female.

She would be a Land or Box Turtle and not a tortoise as N.America has no native tortoises.

By your general description you either have an Eastern Box turtle, Gulf Coast or an Ornate box turtle. The Eastern box turtle is more likely though not native to your area. It is hoever the most commonly kept pet box turtle and could be an escapee or a dump.

Yes they can live in a C&C. Like with GPs the bigger the better! Land turtles like to roam. You can use wood mulch for bedding (cypress is a good choice). The bedding won't need to be changed too often as box turtles are fairly clean with minimal "output". Wood mulch, if kept dry, only needs to be changed about every 2 weeks.

It is best if there is also a pan or water or small pond in the cage. It is best to have a small pond at least twice as deep as the turtle is wide so if she flips over in the water she can right herself. If that is impossible then a pan or basin with an inch or two of water only should be provided so she can at least soak her legs. Provide stable rocks for climbing in and out of the pan or pond.

As far as feeding. First tell me how concave her bottom shell is? That will help me tell how malnourished she is. (males have a naturally concave shell so they "fit" on the female for mating) While adult box turtles are mostly vegetarian she could probably use some protien and calcium. Offer her a feed of wet chunky cat food or cooked small cubed chicken. Mix in with it finely (and I'm listing what you probaly have inthe house) shredded romaine, shredded carrot, diced apple or grapes. Mix it together well and offer her that. The veggies should make up about half of the mix. If you have pet fish also add some fish food to give her a boost. You can also mix in those reptile sticks they sell for aquatic turtles.

I am going to add a follow up post in a few minutes with a better feeding list for you but for now that mix I gave you will be good for her.

Here are good links for care, housing and feeding
North American Box Turtle Care
Box Turtle Care and Conservation Webpage
(broken link removed)
(broken link removed)
Austin's Turtle Page

Most of those links contain even more links so check them all out.

One other thing, pick up a few cuttlebones (like for birds) and put them in the cage. They will usually chew on them if they feel they need calcium.

I'm available for more questions. Just let me know.

One more thing. If you decide you don't want the responsibility and if you can find a way to get her to me I take in rescued turtles. I have enough room in my outdoor enclusure to fit a few more.

I don't have a camera so here goes. She is a dark brown, a slighty green head. She has cubes on her back that seems to have lines running in them, kind of lighter brown to very soft white. sort of like a zebra. Her undershell is yellow/gold with brown markings, again like a zebra, very pretty. Her legs look like elephant legs with yellow spots/stripes on them. She has claws that go somewhat at an angle. Her shell looks like a helmet, round. She is about maybe 6 to 8 inches wide, like I said about the size of a small cantelope. Her tail is small and pointed. (I'm using she could be a he too.)
The vet said she was a box turtle but not any specific kind, not sure of the age but not a baby. I didn't notice her underside if it was caved in or not. I will check with my daughter later. What does that mean if it is caved in? My daughter gave her romaine lettece, zucchini squash, carrots, tomatoes and apple. That's what she had in the house last night. She does have canned cat food for her cats. Do we buy worms or anything? Right now she is on timothy hay for bedding. My daughter gave her a small dish of water but she knocked it over, needs more of a lip or side to it.
My daughter is at a conferecnce today, but I will be talking to her later. We will go shopping tomorrow. Does she need a light of some kind?
Thank you for all your help.

VoodooJoint ..... thanks for the wonderful information and website links. I have learned so much. Suzilovespiggie ..... I'm glad you are going to keep the turtle. They make such fascinating pets with their different personalities. If you ever need to give her up, I could meet you half-way. Just a thought for later if things don't work out.

Does she look like this


If so it's a Male Ornate turtle. (broken link removed) There is further descrition in that link that should help you. Only the males have green heads. Here is another page about ornates CTTC - U.S. Box Turtles by Michael J. Connor

A male turtle has a longer more evenly tapering tail then a female. A female's tail has a sudden taper with a more bulbous root (for laying eggs) and is shorter.

On a female a concave belly usually means it is malnourished. It can mean the same on a male but males have a natural concavity as well so it's harder to tell if they are malnourished. Either way good food should help.

Yes the turtle will need a basking light. Read the care links I provided and it will tell you more about what kind or light and more about proper care.

Wow, I'm blown away. Thanks you! We will look up all those sites. I'll let you know what my daughter wants to do. I meant to ask about floor time. Can the turtle be loose if my daughter is right there?

NMPiggyMom said:

VoodooJoint ..... thanks for the wonderful information and website links. I have learned so much

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You are very welcome. Turtles are not as easy to care for as people think and can be quite difficult to properly keep inside. They are one of the "wild exotics" that I believe should never be kept as pets. Hopefully this info I gave will help everyone do better for their turtles.

Everyone needs to keep in mind that if they come across a turtle they need to leave it exactly where they found it unless it is 100% certain that it in NOT in an area it could survive such as in an inner city park not big or wild enough (I found one of my rescues in such a park) or in a very suburban/city yard or pool.

If you decide to help a turtle that is on the side of the road only move it in the direction it is going. Most likely it is heading to bredeing ground or a food source. Making it go in the opposite direction will do nothing as the trurtle will only turn around and continue it's journey in the same way it was heading.

Never remove a wild turtle from it's natural habitat. If you do you must return it EXACTLY where you found it. A turtle needs to know where it's food sources are and moving it to a new location can cause it to starve to death or get killed before it finds enough food to sustain itself.

NEVER release a captive kept turtle into the wild. Not only will they possibly die they can do great damage to the environment. Red Eared Sliders are a pest up north because of people releasing their pets into ponds and waterways. They are starving out native turtles and other species of animals.

Captive kept turtles can also be harboring diseases or bacteria/funguses that can destroy an entire wild turtle population.

Yes, that is exactly what (he) looks like. His yellow markings aren't as pronounced, but you can definately see his head is green. His tail just looked short and pointy to me. Fatter at the top and goes to a point. So I guess my daughter can call him Eddie after all.

Wow, I know he is not native to around here. Would it be best for the turtle to give him up and place him where he would be happier? There is a natural wildlife musem here in Tucson, but it is about animals native to the Sonoran desert. I could check with them and see if they take turtles not native to the desert. We have a desert tortise that lives in the desert, but they are rarely seen and ill-legal to keep.

suzilovespiggie said:

Wow, I'm blown away. Thanks you! We will look up all those sites. I'll let you know what my daughter wants to do. I meant to ask about floor time. Can the turtle be loose if my daughter is right there?

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Absolutely. Inside or outside. I used to take my turtle out to a rather wild field with me to roam and forage. She loved it. To make certain I could find her I would securely tie and tape a helium ballon on a string to her shell. That way where ever she went I knew because of the balloon.

I also had a RES turtle, years ago, that was free range in my apartment. She had a baby pool in a corner with a basking rock/light and ramps leading into and out of the pool. The pool was kept stocked with feeder fish for her if she felt like "fishing". She could enter and leave her pool at will and wander all over the apartment including out onto the turtle safe balcony to bask in real sun if she felt like it. RES turtles only poop and pee in water so keeping her in that manner was very clean.

suzilovespiggie said:

Wow, I know he is not native to around here. Would it be best for the turtle to give him up and place him where he would be happier? There is a natural wildlife musem here in Tucson, but it is about animals native to the Sonoran desert. I could check with them and see if they take turtles not native to the desert. We have a desert tortise that lives in the desert, but they are rarely seen and ill-legal to keep.

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If he's kept well he will be perfectly happy staying with you. It all depends on whether or not you consider him a burden or a joy. My turtles seem very content. They have space to roam, a compost heap to dig up bugs in, a pond to swim in and natural terrain and plants. They even come out from hiding when I call them and beg for treats.

VoodooJoint said:

Everyone needs to keep in mind that if they come across a turtle they need to leave it exactly where they found it unless it is 100% certain that it in NOT in an area it could survive such as in an inner city park not big or wild enough (I found one of my rescues in such a park) or in a very suburban/city yard or pool.

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Both of our turtles are definitely not native to New Mexico. One was found walking down the middle of a busy city street with no safe haven on either side. The other was trying to cross the freeway in the middle of town. I figure they were escapees or were dumped. They both appear to be used to having humans around. The other turtles we had in the past were "inherited" with the house when we purchased it. We figure they were in hibernation when the previous owners moved. We had no idea there were even turtles in the yard until the spring came and they started showing up all dirty and hungry. I'm all for leaving animals in their natural habitat but know there isn't one around this area for these two turtles. Suzilovespiggie...I'm sure you are going to run into the same thing there in Tucscon.

I'm not pointing fingers. All the turtles discussed here seen to be dumped or escaped pets.

I just like to throw that info out because I have seen time and again people get excited about the pictures and all the info and stories of funny/cute things turtles do and want to get one for themselves. Somehow they overlook the long commitment and difficulty of proper care.

Most turtles live for 40-70 years (there are instances of RESs living over 100). Most domestic kept turtles are lucky to make it to 25 years old (many die much earlier) because of improper care. In fact it is so easy to improperly care for a turtle that the Pet-not-so-smart care sheet actually states that the life expectancy is 25 years. I guess they aren't really wrong, normally that is all one can expect out of an ill kept turtle.

I really appreciate the information you provided. I agree that a lot of people will see a cute picture and their "I must have one" reflex gets triggered. Turtles are definitely a long-term commitment and end up having illnesses and health problems just like other animals. The same commitment has to be made for vet care when needed as there is with other critters. I commend you for your rescue efforts with the turtles. I'm sure the ones you have around your area are much different from any that I've ever seen. Thanks for all you do!