Please I Need All The Help I Can Get!

[Sonny Martinez]

So a year ago i bought my daughter a tortoise at a farmers market 4th of July weekend! I was told it was a Sulcatta Tortoise. After doing some research on line I was a bit worried that the seller sold me water turtle food to feed my tortoise. So I took it to a local pet store which had been in the area for about 20 yrs or more an are very clean & organized. They too told me that It was a Sulcatta Tortoise. So for the last year I've thought I've been raising a Sulcatta Tortoise but have had a 3 toed Box Turtle! I believe her name was Norma was the woman who let me know about this. In doing research and looking a pictures on line I thought my tortoise looked funny. But he or she has adapted ( or at least to me) to the feeding and caring of a Sulcatta tortoise. With no problems that I could pick up. Norma let me know that he or she is deformed. Please help with all the info you can, Squirtt is what my daughter named him after the turtle from "Finding Nemo" is a part of our family and I want to nurse him back to health. Thank you all for your help in advance

Also because I was so excited to see my Sulcatta Tortoise grow big and old with us, if anybody has one for sale or adoption or even willing to give one away. I give you my word tht my family and I will take good care of he or she. I even built Squirt a bigger tank as he outgrew the previous one.
Here are a couple of pics.


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[lynnedit]

His shell is deformed, but probably was before you got him.
The enclosure looks very adaptable. What I would do is get some safe house plants (Jade plant, palm, Xmas tree cactus, Friendship plant aka Pilea, see link below) and submerge the pots into the soil. Get about 5 small ones. Position a couple along the ramp, then cluster them around.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?thissection=5

Scotch moss is great: Terryo likes to plant the moss around the water dish to help keep it cleaner.

Get some leaves and sprinkle them around and place a pile under the second level for burrowing.
Get a small log or two and put them here and there.
Mist the enclosure once or twice per day.

What kind of lighting does he have? They need UV (so the sun is good, just not baking sun) but also a basking area.

He has a water dish, but perhaps even a bigger one: a large plant pot base.
If you get two, you can nest one inside the first to hold the dirt in place when you remove it to clean. You can put some flat rocks on the bottom.

He should have access to a cuttlebone.

The most important difference is diet: box turtles are omnivorous.
They eat more veggies/fruits than Sulcatas. Some weeds/greens too.
They also need protein: earth worms, snails, boiled chicken, etc.
http://aboxturtle.com/threetoed.htm

Good luck!

 

[Sonny Martinez]

Thank you for all your help! Lol! Today I had him outside. We call Squirt a him. Can you tell if it's Male or Female? Anyways as I have him outside to bask in the sun, he keeps going to the shaded part of the yard to the potted plants. And under the plants were grubs, worms and a few other insects. So thats why he was always going into the shade instead of sitting in the sun!!! Thank u for all your help. I really do appreciate it. Although I bought it for my daughter ( my baby) and it is a family pet, I'm the one that cares for him 99% of the time. If you could also help out with me getting a Sulcatta Tortoise. I would really be a happy camper. Thanks again


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[lynnedit]

I don't own a Sulcata, but they get very, very large. :O

I guess Squirt knew what he/she wanted.

It is easier to sex them if we have a view of the undershell and tail.
How did you find out he/she was not a Sulcata?

 

[T33's Torts]

Hi Sonny! I highly recommend that you take a bit of time to work with your boxie a while before getting a sulcata. Sulcatas are a ton of work, and your box turtle needs some help.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Hello! Poor little Squirt! The best thing you can do for this baby is get him out into an outdoor enclosure. Box turtles do much better living outside. I'm here in So Cal as well and all my box turtles live outside 24/7. If he's living inside, slowly acclimate him to outdoor temps (especially bringing him in at night.) He needs a diet of 50% protein, 30% veggies, 10% greens and 10% fruit. I keep a cuttlebone available all the time and sprinkle calcium on their food once a week. I also put a few drops of cod liver oil on their food once a week. Here is a good website for you to get started in getting him on the road to good health. Good luck! (I don't have any sulcatas for you - but if you are interested in adopting one, the CTTC always has them available. Their website is tortoise.org. Just download an application and mail it to the chapter nearest to you.)

http://www.boxturtlesite.info/

 

[Sonny Martinez]

All- one of the users in this forum informed me. I always thought he looked a lil weird to the pics I would see on line of Sulcatta tortoises. I guess I should have wen with my gut. None the less, I have done extensive reading & research on them.

I know that they get big and live along time. To be honest with you, that's what attracted me to them the most. The fact that we could grow old together (having him or her outlive me of course) and still be with the kids & grand kids. My home now had plenty of space indoors & a nice sized back yard with plenty of space to roam.

See the attached photo of a Sulcatta from a local pet store in my area. East Los Angeles. This guy is huge. I beeline he is 70 yrs old.


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Thank you all for your advice and help. It's greatly appreciated. I gave him some worms for the 1st time and he loved them. Cuttlebone is in his enclosure and i provide him with calcium 2 times a week, but I will be sure to get some cod liver oil.


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[mikeh]

I would not force the box turtle to be in direct sun. It may overheat. They prefer to be in shade and cover of plants with only partial sun. Give it options, it will sun bath in its own if it needs to. It will still get enough UVB in partially shaded area. Just FYI, UVB does not penetrate thru glass windows. If the boxie is indoors for most of the time it needs UVB light, long tube type or MVB not compact fluorescent.
This boxie shows some abnormal growth either from inappropriate diet, lack of UVB or combination of both.

 

[lynnedit]

Box turtles can live a long time too, so make sure you create a spot outside for Squirt as well. Morning sun, lots of plants, then dappled shade in the afternoon.
It's OK to get your inside set up right, but ultimately, you really do want to put any tortoise or box turtle outside as much as possible.

 

[CharlieScene18]

I can't help much with Squirt other than to provide good UVA/UVB lighting to help it maintain a healthy shell and overall have good health, feeding it a calcium and vitamin rich diet, providing a cuttlebone in it's enclosure, and to give it natural sunlight as well. But as for Sulcatas, haha don't get one unless you are willing to own a tortoise that will most certainly outlive you and grow BIG. I currently own 2 baby Sulcatas and trust me , they are ADORABLE[SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES][TURTLE] However they grow fast and once they are big, it's like owning a pony! That's how much they eat and do their business! Also Sulcatas are fairly easy to raise with the proper equipment and proper care. Sulcatas need a good UVA/UVB lighting as well as a basking spot. They require a diet low in protein and high in fiber and also rich in calcium. I use the Powersun as the UV and heat source and I sprinkle calcium and vitamins in my babies greens. Sulcatas are very cute and if you are up to the challenge then I say get a Sulcata![SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES] I only own 2 but I am going to get another one! Good luck with Squirt and your Sulcata![SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

 

[Sonny Martinez]

All- thank you for your input. It's greatly appreciated. You all have been a big help. I switched up his home made tank and added some more hay for him to hide under. I also fed him some worms. Which he loved! I have cuttlebone in there but I broke it up into smaller pieces. Should i just put 1 big piece in there? Also does anybody have any pics of outside homes for my box turtle that I could get ideas from?

Once again thank you for all your help!


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[lynnedit]

Also buy a bag of sphagnum moss. Rinse it under the tap and squeeze the water out. Push it under the ramps or into a corner. And if your soilis dry, sprinkle it with a small watering can. Definitely keep a mister near the enclosure to use daily.
For UV, they do better with less intense UV; a reptile hood with a tube light like the REptisun 5.0.
However, in your area, I think you should focus more on the outdoor enclosure for Squirt.

If you google box turtle outdoor enclosures, you get quite a few good pics.
You can also enter that in the search window of TFO.

A few links:
http://www.boxturtlesite.info/hou.html
http://www.tortoise.org/general/boxcare.html
http://turtlepuddle.org/american/boxcare.html

 

[Sonny Martinez]

Thank you!


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[mikeh]

Re: RE: Please I Need All The Help I Can Get!

All- thank you for your input. It's greatly appreciated. You all have been a big help. I switched up his home made tank and added some more hay for him to hide under. I also fed him some worms. Which he loved! I have cuttlebone in there but I broke it up into smaller pieces. Should i just put 1 big piece in there? Also does anybody have any pics of outside homes for my box turtle that I could get ideas from?

Once again thank you for all your help!


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Sonny

Box turtle 6x3 outdoor mobile pen.

 

[terryo]

Most box turtles come from heavily wooded area's with sun filtered through the trees. They really should have a large well planted outdoor enclosure with a large water source where they can soak and drink from. Plenty of plants to sit under on a hot sunny day. They should have a few pieces of slate where they can eat from to keep their beaks and nails short. Maybe a cave filled with leaf litter for them to go when the weather is bad. I have a turtle garden and I always throw some worms in for them to find. Here are a few pictures of my turtle garden with a small pond.

slate for them to eat on

small pond for soaking and drinking

little places to get out of the sun and hide
This is a flower pot turned over. I put an opening for them to get in

This is a smaller water dish for the younger turtles to sit in. It is on the other side of the garden, near the hibernation cave.

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There are some people on this forum that have really great looking gardens for the boxies.

 

[lynnedit]

I never, never get tired of seeing pictures of your enclosures, Terry! Just fabulous.

 

[littleginsu]

I never, never get tired of seeing pictures of your enclosures, Terry! Just fabulous.

I know. Terry can I fly you out to make my enclosures?!

I recently finished a pseudo permanent enclosure for my three toed, not as lush and lovely as Terry's (yet), but maybe you can get some ideas for your little Squirt:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-87486.html

Wishing you the best of luck!

Btw, Squirt is an adorable name!