Look Who Was In The Road!

http://puu.sh/Iw4D
http://puu.sh/Iw44

I honestly have no idea how he got here, he was next to a busy highway, and the woods is like 20 miles away.
We were going to release him at the creek, but the weather got too bad and those dirt roads are tough when wet.


Any idea what he is?
Man, he has such a personality, he's not shy or anything and he's not a biter, either.

Looks like a box turtle

Where do you live? Looks like a box turtle too me too. Wonder if it was someone's pet?

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Originally Posted by DrDooLittle

Where do you live? Looks like a box turtle too me too. Wonder if it was someone's pet?

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Northwest Florida, like an hour from the Alabama border

I think he might have been because he is not scared of anything, and he's not mean.
It looks like he's already gotten in trouble, because there's bite marks on his shell.

Hmm, wonder if he is wild or a pet someone released. Cute little bugger.

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I feel bad for him. It looks like you just got another pet. He already ran into trouble? That's pretty sad :(

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Originally Posted by spankege

I feel bad for him. It looks like you just got another pet. He already ran into trouble? That's pretty sad :(

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Yeah, he's hurt
he's limping a bit

I don't know if I'm allowed to keep him, if he's a wild turtle, he's illegal, if he's captive bred, he's legal but I think I'll take him to the wildlife rescue and just hope they won't release him.
http://puu.sh/IwUD
http://puu.sh/IwUx

He's been gnawed, but he'll be OK. They're really good a walking and are more terrestrial than a fully aquatic turtle. They do fine in the water, but it's not as necessary as it is for sliders and their cousins.

looks like a variety of an ornate box turtle. very terrestrial. i have 3 of them at work and 7 three-toed box turtles among lots of other critters. they can become very socialized and the ones we have even come and check us out to see if we have any food haha

Cute little bugger.
Good thing you saved him from the road!

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Okay, I made a temporary pin for him out of my spare dog crate that is 42"L x 30"W x 32"H

and I took an old cat taxi and took the bottom and flipped it over for a hide box

I'm going to try to find a place that sells hay and put it at the bottom

but I have no idea what to use for a water source.


Is this okay?
I want to keep him, but I'm not sure if I can.
I'll call the wildlife sanctuary monday and ask them

what do I feed him?
I'm guessing he eats mainly meats like fish and worms and stuff
but is there anything specific

http://puu.sh/Iymn
I thought he would like this more than a cramped box in my room for the weekend.

They eat kind of like an adult bearded dragon.. Greens, diced veggies, edible flowers like dandelions, berries, and feeder insects like worms or crickets only as a treat maybe once or twice a week. They are not aquatic and will sink and drown in water where they can not reach the bottom. They like to burrow and dig. They require a large enclosure with a natural substrate and a large shallow water pan like a big plastic cake pan with a ramp or rocks to get in and out.

They have a great memory of their range and should be released close to where they are found. This is usually near a shallow water source like a creek, pond, marshy area, or even a river with easy banks and a wooded area nearby. They know where all the best food sources and water sources are in their range. If it was found very far from an area like this it was either released or lost near there, or carried by a predator. Their season to travel looking for mates should be over with now so it doesn't make sense that it would have traveled that far on its own.

They are naturally shy and friendly. Much less likely to bite than an aquatic turtle.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

They eat kind of like an adult bearded dragon.. Greens, diced veggies, edible flowers like dandelions, berries, and feeder insects like worms or crickets only as a treat maybe once or twice a week. They are not aquatic and will sink and drown in water where they can not reach the bottom. They like to burrow and dig. They require a large enclosure with a natural substrate and a large shallow water pan like a big plastic cake pan with a ramp or rocks to get in and out.

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aye captain :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

They have a great memory of their range and should be released close to where they are found. This is usually near a shallow water source like a creek, pond, marshy area, or even a river with easy banks and a wooded area nearby. They know where all the best food sources and water sources are in their range. If it was found very far from an area like this it was either released or lost near there, or carried by a predator. Their season to travel looking for mates should be over with now so it doesn't make sense that it would have traveled that far on its own.

They are naturally shy and friendly. Much less likely to bite than an aquatic turtle.

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Honestly, we have nothing like that anywhere around here.
I think he was a pet, since he eats okay from hand and was either released or got out.

It's quite possible then. If thats the case, it wouldn't do well if released until it learned the area. It's probably best if you keep it. When I had mine I just kept it in a large Rubbermaid tote with a mixture of cypress mulch and ecoearth. A few inches. They will dig to find the worms if you just dump some in there. Then just a lid for a storage container to put its salad and veggies on every day. The bedding doesn't need to be changed very often because ecoearth helps break down waste if it's misted down a little when it dries out so I'd only change it if it got an odor. You can find care info on them pretty easily.

I use rabbit pans at work for our box turtles and they work great. Places like Tractor Supply or feed stores will sell mini "barrels" of hay. I get small timothy barrels for my rabbits. As far as feeding goes I agree with the previous posts. They love sardines :D I give them as a treat a couple times month. They do love to dig. If they are going to be kept in an outdoor enclosure this should be kept in mind. Our indoor enclosure has 4-6 inches of soil/mulch and then a deeper area of about a foot for them to burrow. Since they are native they do well with most temperatures, but ours have shown to love their heated area. Good luck!