(Suffolk, Virginia) Sorry, this is going to be a bit long.
I did a bad thing.
I brought home a box turtle that I rescued from the road and didn't realize how bad my mistake was.
I've been reading up on them and from the ridges and the eyes, I am fairly certain it's a teen male. However, most of the information I've found is for turtles kept inside or in small enclosed areas, which doesn't really help me much.
He is currently living in my quarter-acre back yard that is completely secured by a vinyl fence. The yard is completely a grassy field except for a very low to the ground tree near the center of the rear of the yard, which he seems to love sleeping in at night; a raised shed on the far left that has plenty of shallow rain water underneath for soaking; a six by three area of rocks in the front of the yard; and right next to that is a small area behind the garbage bins that has an old board that he likes to hide behind during the afternoons. The sprinkler system comes on each day when it doesn't rain (which is seldom lately due to all the rain we've been getting; the yard isn't flooding, but there are now plenty of very shallow pools for him to wade in.)
My questions are...
I really wasn't wanting to build a small enclosure, as I'd rather it have room to roam all over the large area, but do I NEED to build a smaller and more controlled area for it?? Is the shed, the tree and the rock area possibly too far of a distance apart for him to properly take advantage of them?
How do I know if he is getting enough to eat and drink? There is plenty of grass and insects, but how do I know if he's getting enough? Do I need to throw some worms out for him, set out some dog food or fruits, or something else? Is the water under the shed enough for him, or do I need to put out a pan of water for him to soak in, or something else? Is the water from the sprinkler enough to keep him hydrated?
What about when it's time to hibernate. What I've been reading is confusing me... it makes it sound like we are literally supposed to bury the little guy!
How does it breathe?? How does it get water?? What am I missing about this hibernation thing?? So confused. lol We live in Suffolk, Virginia and it stays cold from about October thru sometimes March. We have a small dog house that we don't use that has an optional heating pad in it... I'm curious if we could possibly modify this to use for the hibernation period??
Btw, we have a small jack russell, but so far he hasn't been aggressive toward it at all... he's trained and is very obedient. He has quickly understood that he's not to mess with the turtle. In fact, the yard is so big that we can't always find the turtle right away so, when we ask him to "go find turtle", he does so and just "points" to it for us. lol so cute. This will especially come in handy when I go to mow the yard. When he's out playing with his soccer ball he simply ignores the roaming turtle and jumps right over it.
So, what all do I need to do to help this little guy thrive?
I am going to try to insert pictures of the turtle and our backyard soon.
Thanks in advance!!
Ashley
I did a bad thing.
I've been reading up on them and from the ridges and the eyes, I am fairly certain it's a teen male. However, most of the information I've found is for turtles kept inside or in small enclosed areas, which doesn't really help me much.
He is currently living in my quarter-acre back yard that is completely secured by a vinyl fence. The yard is completely a grassy field except for a very low to the ground tree near the center of the rear of the yard, which he seems to love sleeping in at night; a raised shed on the far left that has plenty of shallow rain water underneath for soaking; a six by three area of rocks in the front of the yard; and right next to that is a small area behind the garbage bins that has an old board that he likes to hide behind during the afternoons. The sprinkler system comes on each day when it doesn't rain (which is seldom lately due to all the rain we've been getting; the yard isn't flooding, but there are now plenty of very shallow pools for him to wade in.)
My questions are...
I really wasn't wanting to build a small enclosure, as I'd rather it have room to roam all over the large area, but do I NEED to build a smaller and more controlled area for it?? Is the shed, the tree and the rock area possibly too far of a distance apart for him to properly take advantage of them?
How do I know if he is getting enough to eat and drink? There is plenty of grass and insects, but how do I know if he's getting enough? Do I need to throw some worms out for him, set out some dog food or fruits, or something else? Is the water under the shed enough for him, or do I need to put out a pan of water for him to soak in, or something else? Is the water from the sprinkler enough to keep him hydrated?
What about when it's time to hibernate. What I've been reading is confusing me... it makes it sound like we are literally supposed to bury the little guy!
Btw, we have a small jack russell, but so far he hasn't been aggressive toward it at all... he's trained and is very obedient. He has quickly understood that he's not to mess with the turtle. In fact, the yard is so big that we can't always find the turtle right away so, when we ask him to "go find turtle", he does so and just "points" to it for us. lol so cute. This will especially come in handy when I go to mow the yard. When he's out playing with his soccer ball he simply ignores the roaming turtle and jumps right over it.
So, what all do I need to do to help this little guy thrive?
I am going to try to insert pictures of the turtle and our backyard soon.
Thanks in advance!!
Ashley