EMERGENCY

[smoke_kush]

I just found this turtle in my back yard and I have no Idea how to care for it. It seems to be only a few weeks old and severely disformed and malnuritied. What do I feed it and what kind of a tank set up do you recomend? Please help, I want this little guy to survive He weighs 8.7 grams

 

[Yvonne G]

He's just a baby...probably newly hatched. He's not deformed at all. My guess would be a box turtle. If he is a box turtle, then there are probably 3 more of them in your backyard!

Yvonne

 

[Laura]

It looks very wet. i hope you dont have it in water. it is NOT a water turtle. Have you lived in this house very long? Looks like someone may have had some in the yard before you got there.. or its possible a bird dropped it in your yard..
look up box turtle care. They eat bugs and worms.

 

[egyptiandan]

Seeing as your in New Jersey You have found a hatchling Eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina. Very much native to your area.
Here's a great site http://www.boxturtlesite.info/

Danny

 

[smoke_kush]

It is definantly a turtle. What do I feed him? He is soo young!

 

[Meg90]

I think the best thing to do would be to let him go. Danny said he is a native. I know he may look little and fragile and like he needs your help, but he doesn't. Like Yvonne said, there are probably more where he came from since Boxies lay clutches of eggs. You should put him in a quiet spot and call it good. Also, you don't want to keep him in your possession because that would be illegal.

He will get all his needs met in the outside world. Why keep him? It won't be "helping" him at all.....please just put him back near where you found him in the first place.

 

[Crazy1]

It is definantly a turtle. What do I feed him? He is soo young!

Smoke_kush,
I do not know were you live in relation to a large city, countryside etc. If releasing hims is not an option, (and please do look for more in your yard). Hatchling Box turtles I believe eat pretty much the same as big box turtles only in smaller quatinties. http://www.anapsid.org/box.html
Here is a quick excerp from her page;

Offer food daily to youngsters, every other day to adults. Since turtles are motivated by sight and smell, offer a varied, colorful diet. At each feeding, there must be both plant matter and animal products. Add vitamin supplement (such as Reptivite) twice a week.

Plant Matter;
A variety of vegetables, greens and fruits must be offered. A grated/shredded salad of carrots or orange squash, and fruit (such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, plums (No Pits) ) should be all mixed together. Serve with some cantaloupe (with the rind), mustard, dandelion and collard greens. For treats, add flowers (hibiscus, rose petals, geraniums, and nasturtiums). Occasionally, offer chard, sweet peppers,

Meat/Live Foods;
Many diets recommend high quality (low fat) finely chopped cooked chicken or raw beef heart. Most turtle people, however, prefer to supplement protein by feeding several freshly molted king mealworms Zoophoba king worms or Tenebrio mealworms (the tough brown exoskeletons are not digestible); earthworms and nightcrawlers (avoid bait shop worms - these are usually raised under rabbit hutches and are filthy with bacteria and protozoa); small pinky mice; slugs and snails (if caught in your garden, feed the snails and slugs for 4 days on dark leafy green vegetables - any that have been exposed to poisons will die in that time) and crickets (which have been fed on tropical fish flakes and fresh fruit for at least 24 hours). Remember that young turtles eat more animal matter than do adults, so the amount of protein offered should decrease over time until it is no more than 10% of total food volume.

For new hatchlings like this one you may need to mash or cut up the worms or use small worms.

Number one rule- Don't panic.
Why did you think he was deformed?

 

[jlyoncc1]

smoke kush, I don't know where in NJ you are but I am also in NJ. If you are not that far, I would be happy for you to come over and see my enclosures and I could give you instruction on care if you are unable to let it go.