boxie adoption

[Angi]

Well I have made a difficult decision. I want Trudy (my ThreeToed Box Turtle) to have a home where she is happier than she is with me. She hates me. She wont eat if she knows I am watching. She does not like to soak if she can see me. The only time she seems happy is when she is running from me . Anyway I am willing to give her away but only to a BETTER home. The persn that takes her has to be experienced with boxies, be a member of this forum and have another member as a reference. I can deliver her any where in San Diego county. If I am meeting you somewhere other than your home I want to see a picture of where you would keep her. If I can not find the right person / place for her then I will keep her. She has some healed shell damage, but a very pretty face.

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This was suposed to be a new thread. Modeators~ can you please fix this?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

RE: boxie size

You cannot decide if she doesn't like you or not. I have some box turtles who won't eat when I am watching and I don't think that they don't like me, it's just them, their habits. I have some that beg and will eat from my hand. But I don't think that they do like me, they are just more outgoing then the others. I think that you probably have her set up in a great habitat. I know you feed her good and take good care of her, but you cannot make decisions on how she feels as she doesn't have human feelings, she has turtle feelings and you don't have them. So you need to start thinking that yes, she likes you. She just likes to eat and bathe privately...

 

[vyeates409]

I agree i have two baby Salcata same age one will stop eating if i start to watch her and the other could care less. I'm sure she don't hate you she's just a little shy, she'll get better as time goes on.

 

[dmmj]

angi how long have you had it? I have 3 3 toes, two were from TFO members and one from the riverside shelter in california, and all 3 act differently the male does not like anybody and hides whenever I am out there the 2 females seem to be ok with everyone they don't run and hide, I would not give up yet it may just not view you as anything but a threat right now, simply because you are bigger then it.

 

[Kristina]

All three of my boxies were originally wild caught (except MAYBE my male Three Toed) and they are all very shy. It is just their nature. I leave them alone, they get no interaction from me other than feeding, watering and cleaning.

Some people think it is hard to enjoy an animal that doesn't interact with you. I disagree. They all came from bad situations, and with me they have a nice enclosure, they get fed and watered properly, and get the privacy that they obviously want. They have a good life and that is all the enjoyment I need.

 

[Angi]

Okay. I guess there are a couple of ways I can view this 1. It is her personality, 2. She may be afraid of every big creature. 3. She just hates me. After reading the responses here I think it is either #1 or #2. Tomorrow I am going to re-do her indoor habitat and try to quit putting human or dog feelings on her. I think I got her in the spring, so I thought she would have warmed up to me by now. I don't want her to be miserable or scared all the time. She really seems like she wants to be free, and I know she can't be here because it is too dangerous. She seems like a wild bird in a cage so I was afraid she would die of misery.

 

[Kristina]

Just redo her enclosure, make sure she has plenty of hiding places. I have a huge pile of leaves in mine and they spend most of the time hiding in it, with just their little heads poking out Use some leaf litter piles, and real or fake plants to make as much cover as possible.

Look at it this way. If she is scared with your minimal handling, how do you think she will feel if you give her to someone else and they end up handling her all the time? What if they have kids or other animals that poke at her and make a lot of noise?

If she is that shy, she is going to be just as shy with someone else. Giving her away won't help her.

Of course, she is yours and it is entirely your decision what to do. But I think if you just make sure she has a lot of hiding places and feels more secure she will be fine.

 

[Angi]

Very good points Kristina. It is probably not me personaly. Who knows what happend to her in the past. She may be afraid of all humans. Her well being is my only concern. If she was abused would she remember? Do turtle have long term memory? She has a cracked under shell, is missing toes on one foot and drags the other, so something happend to her.

 

[Kristina]

Tortoises have good enough memories to return to the same burrow day after day after day... So I would assume that yes, they would at least be a bit reticent if something had happened to cause them pain.

It could have been a dog, or a car, you'll never know. She may just naturally be shy. I have 6 Redfoots. One doesn't like to be bothered. Two others will climb right in my lap and beg for worms. They are just all a little different.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

So it obviously takes a long time to get over that abuse. teach her you won't hurt her, that takes a long time...
I was sent a female Eastern from the Mass adoptions. She was afraid of other box turtles and totally freaked out when she saw them. He nictatating membrane in her eye would swell up and totally cover her eye. She did the same thing when she saw people. So I fed her and soaked her and left her alone. Now it's 2 years later and she's still scared to death, but she will take super worms off tweezers from me. 2 years. Her eyes don't swell up anymore. It's obvious she's still afraid but every evening she pokes her head out of her favorite hide and I hold a worm down and she snaps it off quick like a lizard. So she gets 3 or 4 worms as a treat in the evening and then she buries everything but her head and she watches what goes on all day. But it took 2 years to get her. I can also hold her, but she's not to sure about that. She stiffens up but she's getting better about it. That's all part of rehabbing an abused animal...It's long hard work