Eastern box pics

Here are some pics of the Eastern Box turtle that spend the winter in my yard. I am amazed that the dogs didn't find her.
First pic is of her when she had first dug herself out, second is after I cleaned her up. Right now she is in a tank with fresh strawberries, a bit of greens and some crickets. I plan on releasing her in a state park this weekend.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...box4_11_08.jpg


https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...ern4_11_08.jpg

Looks like a male to me... lol

what a gorgeous animal!

glad he made it out of hibernation for another year :gj:

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Looks like a male to me... lol

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Nope, it is definitly a female. And if the rings method is to be trusted, she is about 20 years old.

Thanks fishmommy- she is gorgeous, I really thought at first she was a he b/c of how bright she is.
The second pic is her wet too so that makes her a lot brighter looking than she is dry.
I will be sad to see her go.

What a stunning creature... Get lots of pics before it goes bye-bye! :)

I said a male just because of the color of the eyes. Males have the red eyes, but I dont know squat I guess.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

I said a male just because of the color of the eyes. Males have the red eyes, but I dont know squat I guess.

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The fist pic is deceiving a bit I guess, the flash made her eyes a redder than they are. IRL, they are much more brown. But you are correct on the males having red eyes.

Gorgeous! It must be hard to not keep her, but that would be mean/possibly illegal. So adorable.

Beautiful! Why do you want to release her at a state park? Why not where you found her?

Some animals do not do well after being moved. They can get disoriented. Some do not survive a move.

Catawhat, I hope you don't think I was being harsh by suggesting you return the turtle to the same place. Here is some information to support my recommendation:

"Important note - if you find a box turtle, please, please, please do not pick it up and take it home or release it elsewhere. I have become convinced of late that it is far more harmful to release a turtle to a new area in the wild than it is to leave it in place. For more info, see my page on "free & wild" turtles, or read the FAQ. If you have picked up a turtle, please return it to where you found it ASAP. Yes, even if the place is in the middle of a city. The best thing you can do for a turtle on the road is to move it to the side it was heading to - only if you can do so safely."
from: http://www.marietta.edu/~mcshaffd/boxt/boxt.html

More information from same website:
http://www.marietta.edu/~mcshaffd/boxt/boxfree.html

Other websites:
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/m.../whatyoudo.htm
http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/wildli.../boxturtle.pdf
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/boxinfo.htm
http://redcreekwildlifecenter.com/blog/?p=48

I am just trying to help. I do not intend to jump on your case. :hug: But from what I'm reading, you should return her where you found her as soon as possible.

Melissa,
I totally understand your concern and in normal circumstances, I would have left her where she was. However, I live on a very busy street and almost everyone has dogs here. I feel putting her back out in my yard would just sign her death warrant.
My bf found her in my yard and I am amazed that he found her before the dogs did. This is not their usual area to be hanging out in. There are no woods nearby and no fields either. How she got here is a mystery.

You could always call a local wildlife relocator/rehabber and ask for advice. Some think that moving her is signing a death warrant. She might be OK against most dogs b/c they close up completely in their shell. And if she got there before winter, she probably knows where to go this spring as long as it's not right next to the street.

I know it's a hard call. Good luck!

I have talked to a couple of wildlife people, I guess I could call ODNR, but I am not real fond of them.
In the mean time, she is safe and has food/water. I have seen her drink and she ate a few crickets, a strawberry and a bit of mustard greens.
She can't stay inside here too long, so I guess I need to figure out exactly what to do by tomorrow.
I do appreciate the advice Melissa :)

Tough case here. Good luck whatever happens, I wish the best for the turtle, and you!

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Originally Posted by MelissaFlipski

She might be OK against most dogs b/c they close up completely in their shell. And if she got there before winter, she probably knows where to go this spring as long as it's not right next to the street.

I know it's a hard call. Good luck!

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It is risky to relocate a box turtle. but any dog over 30 pounds is very capable of crushing a box turtle. How do I know? One of my dogs about 30 lbs found an adult eastern box turtle in our yard and crunched it before I could get to it. Relocation can be risky, but is sometimes necessary to give an animal a fighting chance. But if relocating don't do it in the close proximity of the dogs or it will be right back.

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Originally Posted by catawhat75

I have talked to a couple of wildlife people, I guess I could call ODNR, but I am not real fond of them.
In the mean time, she is safe and has food/water. I have seen her drink and she ate a few crickets, a strawberry and a bit of mustard greens.
She can't stay inside here too long, so I guess I need to figure out exactly what to do by tomorrow.
I do appreciate the advice Melissa :)

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You are very welcome. I hope it works out for the beautiful gal. And what an honor to see her eat and drink. How wonderful!

I'm sure you'll do what's best for her. Give her a kiss for me... uh-oh, I sense a new thread coming, "Do you kiss your turtles?" :rofl:

Blu, I see your point.

Why not kiss the turtles?! Better looking then some folks. And they don't talk back to you!!:)
By the way, that is a beautiful turtle!! Very vivid!!

I just realized I never updated this thread. I was talking to my neighbor about 2 weeks ago and told her what I had found. I said to her that it must have been eating out of her garden last fall and then came into my yard to hibernate. Turns out that her husband brought it home from their farm about 20 miles away to show the grandkids last fall. Then instead of taking it back, they let it go into the backyard thinking it would be fine.
Long story short, she went back to her home grounds. I'm going to miss her lots, she was a character and friendly as could be but I know she is where she is supposed to be :tears:

That's so great that you were able to find out where the turtle really belonged! Thanks for the update.

I guess that at least partially negates what was said about not moving since this particular one hibernated just fine away from her home turf. Not that I'd recommend relocating a turtle just for the heck of it, but it might give some more hope for cases where "just leave it there" doesn't seem like a reasonable option.

I actually was looking up this thread cuz I remembered reading it when you first found the turtle, and now I've rescued one and have a similar dilemma of what to do with it... I'll be posting a new thread shortly.

That is so amazing that you happened to talk to your neighbor and find all that out! I am so glad she went back where she belonged AND is safe from dogs. What a nice happy ending! Thanks for updating us. :gj: