Hello, can anyone help me to find out what kind of tortise or turtle I have ?

[veeja]

my daughter just moved to washington and had me babysit her large dog and small turtle till she bought a house, she got the house but her boys have lost interest in both the dog and thing with shell, She said it was a snapping turtle, buthe is a land beast, and I can only find aquatic snappers. he is brown and yellow with a beak. I can't figure out how to post a pic here but will happily e-mail one to anyone who can help. I just wanna feed and care for her right, so any help will be appreciated by both of us. today she cleared a path in the front of her aquarium of bedding and paced it, even moved her plastic house out of the way. help please carol

 

[Meg90]

What you have there is a majorly deformed, and neglected ornate box turtle.

Can you post some pictures of how there were keeping him? What were they feeding him?

The care it was given has severely deformed the poor little thing. It looks like it has an advanced case of metabolic bone disease.

 

[Yvonne G]

The first clue that your baby ornate box turtle is suffering from metabolic bone disease is the curly, long toe nails. Then there's the overgrown beak.

So, now you know the problem, and you CAN fix it. This little turtle needs to be set up with either a UVB light and lots of calcium, or set up in an outdoor pen where it can get sunshine. Here's a link to a pretty good care sheet:

http://www.turtlepuddle.org/american/boxcare.html

And here's a short article on MBD by Julie at the Turtle Rescue of Long Island:

Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD): This is a condition that is the direct result of poor husbandry. It results from the effects of poor diet, poor or no uvb, lack of Vitamin D, and poor calcium to phosphorus ratio. Pyramiding is a form of MBD which research shows is the result of all of the above and lack of humidity and exercise. If the onset of MBD begins when a turtle is young, it will develop obvious deformities. Tortoises will show raised or stacked scutes on the carapace, overgrown, duck or parrot like beak and the nails will grow oddly curved out and upward. They will have splayed legs and have difficulty walking upright. Many are forced to drag their hind legs because of this difficulty.

Turtles often show early signs of MBD by their shells growing curved upward, some looking like a saddled shape. They will appear to be thickened. Box turtles will not have a working hinge, but rather have it frozen in place. Some will show signs of resorption where you will no longer see a tail because the body is trying to get the calcium from the bones. Often the turtle’s legs will be thin and deformed. As with tortoises the beak will also become duck or parrot shaped. Water turtles will usually show raised scutes, some actually also pyramiding as with tortoises. Their shells will also become serrated even if they are a species that normally has a rounded shell.

To avoid MBD it’s important to provide a nutritional diet with proper calcium and vitamin d, give proper uvb lighting (natural sun is best), plenty of exercise and humidity in the case of land turtles. Providing a cuttlebone in addition to good diet is a good way to let your turtle supplement itself with added calcium.

For some examples of MBD visit the following links:

http://www.turtlerescues.org/scooter.htm

http://www.turtlerescues.org/ornate_box_turtle.htm

http://www.turtlerescues.org/knobby.htm

http://www.turtlerescues.org/toby.htm

http://www.turtlerescues.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1307

You are to be commended for doing your research and trying to do the best for this little box turtle! And:

to the forum!!

Yvonne

 

[Laura]

If she thought it was a snapping turtle.. did she keep it in a aqaurium full of water??!?! what was the diet?
Sorry, but I hope your daughter does not take in any more animals... i hope she learns from this and feels bad ...

 

[veeja]

Welcome. Poor little guy. Glad you are seeking advice to care for it properly. Keep us posted on how the little one does. Pictures are always great

thankyou so much, I was in my pj's gonna veg out for the day, dressed now and heading to pet store, problem is other than a uv light and cuttlebone, a couple of crickets I don't know what else to get. I gave her a nice big water dish to swim in, droppings from a doug fir as bedding, a heating pad. also gonna buy a turtle book, guess I am on the wrong forum also. any need to have her nails clipped ? wow, I was a humane society manager, never got a turtle in. guess animals in need of help just seek you out. thankyou, any info on bedding ect will be greatly appreciated, thankyou carol

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Carol:

No, you're not on the wrong forum. We have many, many box turtle keepers here, and your question is in the box turtle bonanza forum. So, far as I'm concerned, you're in the right place.

You probably won't see this before you leave for the pet store, but my substrate of choice for indoor box turtles is either Orchard Bark (Wonderbark purchased at Orchard Supply Hardwary) or cypress mulch (Jungle Floor or Cypress Bed at pet stores).

I can't offer advice on what kind of UV light to buy because I don't use them. My animals get enough sun that they don't need to get it from a light. But there is a section on lighting here, or maybe someone with light knowledge will help you in that respect.

Happy shopping!

Yvonne

 

[Laura]

you are in the right place!!! There are experts here and not pet store people. People who have YEARS or experience and have learned the hard way what works for them AND the animals.
You need Box Turtle 101, and you just signed up here! a book is a good idea as well.
Somone here will post a great link.. but in the mean time cruise the Box Turtle section and see what you can find.

 

[veeja]

Welcome. Poor little guy. Glad you are seeking advice to care for it properly. Keep us posted on how the little one does. Pictures are always great

thankyou so much, I was in my pj's gonna veg out for the day, dressed now and heading to pet store, problem is other than a uv light and cuttlebone, a couple of crickets I don't know what else to get. I gave her a nice big water dish to swim in, droppings from a doug fir as bedding, a heating pad. also gonna buy a turtle book, guess I am on the wrong forum also. any need to have her nails clipped ? wow, I was a humane society manager, never got a turtle in. guess animals in need of help just seek you out. thankyou, any info on bedding ect will be greatly appreciated, thankyou carol

---

What you have there is a majorly deformed, and neglected ornate box turtle.

Can you post some pictures of how there were keeping him? What were they feeding him?

The care it was given has severely deformed the poor little thing. It
looks like it has an advanced case of metabolic bone disease.

I went out shopping for supplies today, I am confused on what kind of light to buy, I have her in a 20 gal aquarium next to a window she gets 5 hrs sunlight when the sun is out here in the seattle area. couldn't decide on a light. got her 5 crickets which she tracked down and ate within an hour. can the vitamin d that people take be given to her ?we have coral calcium and are adding it to her diet. I am looking for bed the beast as a covering for her cage. thankyou for all your help. carol

 

[veeja]

We can definately help you get things set up for him/her. What is its name? I have 2 box turtles, they have great personalities Can you tell us what kind and size of set up you have? I couldn't get the cypress mulch at the store here so I went with abnout 70% organic soil with 30% playsand mixed in and also some peat moss mixed in. I like it but they do drag it into the water dish daily... even with tile around the part of the enclosure. You'll need to grad a good thermometer too. Normally heat pads aren't recomended for turtles and torts, so you can use a standard household bulb along qith the uvb/uva light or a combo UVB/heat light for warmth.
Along with the care link posted above I like these ones too:
www.aboxturtle.com
www.boxturtlesite.info
http://turtlerescues.com/common_health_problems.htm
Hi, no name yet although serendipity seems to fit her and we call her dippy for short. she is in a 20 gal reptile tank, long instead of high, small heat pad under tank where her hut is, no light yet, looking for one but not sure which is the best one to buy, need help with this. got her 5 crickets today she hunted each one down and ate them all, gave her a nasturtium with calcium sprinkled on it but she was full from the crickets. found she likes the back of her neck rubbed. gonna have me a happy healthy turtle, you all don't care that she's not a tortise ? thankyou for all the help. hugs carol

 

[Maggie Cummings]

But don't spend your money in a pet store where it will cost you an arm and 2 legs. Decide what type of UVB light you want, long tube or clamp light. Maybe your husband has a light fixture out in the garage you can use and save the cost of buying one, then we can tell you what type of bulb to get. Box turtles love fruit, berries and cantaloupe as well as live worms, night crawlers, super worms and crickets.
The rainy season is starting now so he won't be having outside sun, and window glass stops the UV rays so light from a window does nothing.
I would get cypress mulch from the same pet store I just told you to stay
away from Well, 2 bags of cypress bedding is about the only thing you should get there. And that's what I use and recommend to others. In Petco it's called forest floor.
Welcome to the forum, I won't offer you any more advice as I see you have been given enough. Dippy will be better off with you and you will be able to stop the MBD from getting worse. I am hoping you wouldn't mind trimming his toenails just a little, make sure you don't cut them too close and make them bleed. Just a little and every month trim a little more. Please feed him daily and after you've read all the information ask any questions you have and we will be glad to help you.

 

[veeja]

We love turtles and torts alike so no worries there! You need a good UVB light they make all kinds some are tubes and some are bulbs that fit into a clamp light socket. Some also produce heat as well and they seem to be the best for your money - that way you don't have to buy two lights, but its your choice really. Heres a link about some bulbs that might help you. When you get a heat light you won't need to use the heat pad. They take in more heat from above and it will reduce the chance of it getting burned by the pad.
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm
When you get a chance read through some of those other sites, they are full of good info on care and feeding. Maybe later you can move dippy into a large rubbermaid tote like 50-55 gal or build a tort table. Glass tanks aren't the best for them but some people do use the larger 40-50 gal breeder tanks and just cover the bottom six inches so the turtle can't see out, Helps keep them from getting stressed.
Hope dippy is doing well and I'm sure you will have a happy turtle

Thankyou for your input, we bought a nice uvb light and put it on a timer. how can I tell if she is getting better ? daughter says she took her to a vet a year ago who said after a 100.00 fee that she was in good shape. so feel better relying on info from you people. thankyou carol

 

[veeja]

Thankyou again, we have noticed that she seems a lot happier and more alert, so we have renamed her zippy. every afternoon she seems to wait for her bug that I go out to catch for her. I will keep you updated on her progress. its wonderful to watch her improve. thankyou all. hugs carol

 

[terracolson]

How are you doing now?

I suggest a rubbermaid tub full or a natural dirt and grass environment. I just went in the back yard and used a shovel.. I then put 50 redworms in the dirt and let him stay outside in the summer.

Lighting, well, i have the lamp that clamps on to the side and switch out the bulbs as needed..

Your guy for sure needs special care..eastern box, i think, google it

 

[veeja]

How are you doing now?

I suggest a rubbermaid tub full or a natural dirt and grass environment. I just went in the back yard and used a shovel.. I then put 50 redworms in the dirt and let him stay outside in the summer.

Lighting, well, i have the lamp that clamps on to the side and switch out the bulbs as needed..

Your guy for sure needs special care..eastern box, i think, google it

Hi, thankyou for the info. for right nowwe are leaving her in the terranium, mostly because we have it next to a window where she gets natural sunlight part of the day, which we feel is of more benifit than the rubbermaid tub. I am working on building her a nice big habitat tho. we are currently feeding her a worm a day dipped in coral calcium powder and bought a nice uvb light. it is fun to watch how excited she gets at worm time. I relly appreciate everyone's help so does zippy. hugs from us both. carol and zippy

 

[Yvonne G]

Just so you know: the glass from the window makes the beneficial UV rays bounce right off it. They don't penetrate into the house. The only benefit the turtle receives from being by the window is the warmth from the sun.

Yvonne

 

[Sudhira]

Is one earthworm enough? Just curious. We kept box turtles, grew them from babies. I remember offering them a lot of food. They especially liked to soak and eat. We gave them fresh fish, snails, slugs, garden bugs. They grew very nicely! Glad Zippy is zipping around!