Same thing happened to me....found a box tortoise wondering down the center of a black top street in the city. Had it for almost 8 months...did great! Thought I should take it to the wildlfe rehab ctr so he could be released in the woods out of harms way. To my surprise it is against the law to have them in the state of PA and I was told they could not release him as he has natural instinct to find home and would likely die if they released him in unfamiliar territory. Explained to them that he was doing great in his outside enclosure in my yard and transitioned nicely to the house in winter. They told me it is very difficult to get permits to keep them in PA , they only had 2 permits and 5 turtles and would have to find him a home as an education animal. Really upset me. Did not want him spending the rest of his life in a cage or aquarium. They would not let me take him with me. So just a warning, check your states laws on having certain species and be careful when trying to do the RIGHT thing for the tort.This guy showed up at my garage, he is pretty cool
I'm not sure she meant that she kept him......Same thing happened to me....found a box tortoise wondering down the center of a black top street in the city. Had it for almost 8 months...did great! Thought I should take it to the wildlfe rehab ctr so he could be released in the woods out of harms way. To my surprise it is against the law to have them in the state of PA and I was told they could not release him as he has natural instinct to find home and would likely die if they released him in unfamiliar territory. Explained to them that he was doing great in his outside enclosure in my yard and transitioned nicely to the house in winter. They told me it is very difficult to get permits to keep them in PA , they only had 2 permits and 5 turtles and would have to find him a home as an education animal. Really upset me. Did not want him spending the rest of his life in a cage or aquarium. They would not let me take him with me. So just a warning, check your states laws on having certain species and be careful when trying to do the RIGHT thing for the tort.
No, I was not allowed to take him with me once I went to rehab ctr with him. Upset me to think of him locked in a cage/aquarium being taken out to do some education show then back in lock up. They said he COULD not be released back to the wild as he would die trying to get back to his own original turf. Is that true? does anyone know? I am sure some idiot took him from the wild for a pet then he got out and almost got run over as he was in the middle of a street when I saw him and stopped to get him out of harms way. Ended up taking him home when I saw what it was.I'm not sure she meant that she kept him......
Here in our state it is the same, you need a permit for an eastern boxie. That's why I don't keep the easterns.