found a turtle or tortoise

[mommanessy247]

but its stuck in the bottom of a drain outside our house . hopefully we'll find someone to come help us get it out, soon. we'll keep an eye on it til then . if we do find someone to help us we'll soon have a pet turtle . its some kind of land turtle that found it way through a pipe near the creek near our house. i wonder if its some kind of wild one or if it was a pet at some point .

[mommanessy247]

with the help of internet photos, i've identified it as an eastern box turtle, native to north & south carolina.

[mommanessy247]

& it is now rescued YAY!

[771subliminal]

thats good to hear, but you bring up internet photos if you posted some it would be great too

[mommanessy247]

heres a pic thast looks exactly like him

[mommanessy247]

i sure hope he eats soon. maybe its the sress of being captured...we've never had a turtle before & we rescued it yesterday so...we're fairly new at this.

[Christine]

Wild caught box turtles need to be set up correctly. A glass tank is not good for them.Proper diet is a must. Can you tell us how you are caring for it? These turtles are very prone to RI if you dont have the humidity right. Here is a care sheet.
Also check your state laws it is illegal to keep them in some states being that wild populations are having a hard time.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Car...sternboxie.htm


I keep turtles and there is a lot that goes into there care such as uvb bulbs and heat and humidity set up. If kept indoors. They can be costly to set up in the begining. If you are committed to setting them up right thats great. Good luck!
ps the best interest for this turtle being that its wild would be to let it go. There are some great box turtle breeders on the website I gave you the link for. That would be the best way to start off.

[mommanessy247]

well, i have it in a glass terrarium with sliding front doors (this is supposed to be my future snake's terrarium).
i have a regular desk lamp on over the screen on the top for light/heat.
i have a heat pad sticking to the bottom of one side of the terrarium but its not plugged in as i still do not have a thermostat.
i was gonna try covering the top with aluminum foil to keep in as much humidity as i can as i have a lamp on over the whole thing. i know lamps suck out humidity so i know im gonna struggle with that. a care sheet i read on the internet said the turtle needs a heat/light lamp so thats why im using it...should i take it off?
we are getting set up for a snake so the turtle is a bit of a difference & we only have lettuce for him at the moment. i plan to buy different foods (crickets, worms, box turtle food, etc.) for it, when i get more money, which will, hopefully, be soon.

[Christine]

I would strongly suggest going by the care link I gave you. Box Turtles stress badly in glass tanks. If they can see through class they will keep trying to get through it.. These turtles need a good amount of humidity. A outdoor enclosure or a huge tub is better and the correct substrate is a must. These turtles need to dig in. No heat pad just use lights. They are baskers and need to get heat from the top. They are not like BPs that need warmth from the bottom. A correct uvb/uva bulb is needed and coiled uvb/uva are not recommended. Event tho they are cheap they burn turtles eyes.
Also since you put a wild caught animal in your snake cage you need to totally disinfect that cage before you put any snake into it. You dont know what this turtle can be carrying. Proper diet with vitamins. NO DOG FOOD. That is the worst thing you can feed them. Turtles are very prone to MBD if not fed correctly and not given uvb/uva bulbs. Get a good thermometer and something to read humidity levels . Not those little dial things in the pet stores get a digital.

[mommanessy247]

i was getting set up for a snake & i've done alot of research on the net & this forum. i was planning on getting an accu-rite digital thermometer so i'll have to get 2. i also looked at the care sheet, thank you very much for that.
i was planning on getting some food for the turtle & vitamin supplements to sprinkle on the food. is this a good idea?