Found tortoise!

[mel0817]

Found this tortoise sitting on my doorstep. We put up fliers and posted on FB already, and are going to take care of it until someone claims it.
-what species is this?
-any tips for taking care of a tortoise? neither me nor anyone in my family has ever had one before.

 

[TMartin510]

Looks like a box turtle to me, but idk. The orange is crazy though

 

[leigti]

I think that is a three toed box turtle. Check out the species specific section for general information. I don't know if they are native to your area, if they are not then it is an escaped pet probably. They eat insects like worms and crickets and vegetables and fruit. They like a damp environment, lots of plants for cover and a nice place to burrow.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, it's a very colorful, probably male, Terrapene carolina triunguis, or 3 toe box turtle.

 

[TMartin510]

It's possible he's native, looks like he could have done some protecting from predators in his time, a true survivor! Box turtles are pretty cool imo. I had one for 17 years.

 

[leigti]

Where are you? Hey might be native to your area. If so leave him alone. Maybe he lives around your yard and you didn't even know it.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
if this species is local to your area then please release the truly beautiful creature back in to the wild.
if it's a pet, it probably has devastated owners so please also contact local vets and animal shelters to try and trace the owners.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/box-turtle-care-sheet.93937/
should give you information on care in the mean time.

 

[mel0817]

Where are you? Hey might be native to your area. If so leave him alone. Maybe he lives around your yard and you didn't even know it.

I'm in Las Vegas, NV so I don't think it's wild

 

[Angel Carrion]

3 toed box turtles aren't native to your part of the world, I believe, so he is most likely someone's pet that got loose, or someone decided they were tired of him and dropped him off somewhere and he made his way to you.
Side note: that is the most colorful 3toed I've ever seen. Wow.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Wait, it looks like he has some sort of pattern on his shell. Usually 3toeds have a plain or almost plain shell of mostly one uniform coloration. But sometimes they have a faint pattern. Would you be able to take another photo from above, focusing on his shell?
It doesn't really matter, he's 100% a box turtle and I'm pretty darn positive he's a 3toed, I'm just curious by nature and like to look.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Oh, sorry! Care!

An indoor enclosure at least 12 inches deep with at least 12-13 square feet of floor space is best. Outdoor is even better.
Sphagnum moss and milled coconut husk fiber (coco fiber/coir) or peat moss mixed together is a good moisture retaining substrate. It needs to be about 5-6 inches deep throughout the enclosure. Humidity needs to be between 70-90% in the enclosure. Using an accurate hydrometer is the best way to measure the levels. Having a water dish under the heat lamp is a way to keep humidity up, just make sure the water doesn't get too hot for the turtle. The moistened substrate will also keep humidity up. The water dish needs to be big enough that the turtle can soak on his own, but shallow enough that he doesn't accidentally flip over while trying to climb in or out. Misting the enclosure is another good way to keep humidity up.
Temp ranges; 80ish F on warm side, 70-75 F on cool side, 85-90 F for the basking spot. Nighttime temps should not go below 65 F.
Heat lamp UVA and a UVB bulb will be needed, or you can get a mercury vapor bulb which produces heat and UVB. If you get a heat lamp and UVB bulb separate of each other, make sure to not get a coil bulb. Those can damage turtle eyes and cause blindness. A UVB bulb should be replaced every 6 months, but a mercury vapor bulb can be replaced every 12-18 months. The lamps need to be 16-18 inches above turtle so as to avoid burning them.
Using a digital temp gun is most useful in reading the temps accurately. I got mine off amazon for 12-14 bucks.
Meal plan coming up.

 

[Yvonne G]

Wait, it looks like he has some sort of pattern on his shell. Usually 3toeds have a plain or almost plain shell of mostly one uniform coloration. But sometimes they have a faint pattern. Would you be able to take another photo from above, focusing on his shell?
It doesn't really matter, he's 100% a box turtle and I'm pretty darn positive he's a 3toed, I'm just curious by nature and like to look.

Some of them are very colorful. I have several males here with patterns on their carapaces and those are also the ones with highly colorful necks and legs.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Some of them are very colorful. I have several males here with patterns on their carapaces and those are also the ones with highly colorful necks and legs.

That's really neat, then! I guess when the only three toeds I see are ones that never got a UVB bulb or sunlight and are pale and colorless, my mind starts to tell me super colorful ones are impossible.
I should stop listening to my mind.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Food items and how much
Animal matter: 50% of meal -- crickets, earthworms, feeder fish (not goldfish - may make them sick, like upset stomach or something), mealworms (as a treat), grasshoppers, sow bugs, katydids, isopods, june bugs, slugs (but not banana slugs), terrestrial snails, waxworms, various grubs, superworms (zoophobas), blood worms, carrion, beefheart, gastropods, spiders, cicadas, silkworms, millipedes, pill bugs, butterfly larvae, preying mantids (remove spiked forelegs first), boiled skinless chicken, boiled eggs with shell, cooked lean ground beef, nightcrawlers. Can feed a pinkie or fuzzy once a month. Freeze in freezer bag for 72 hours at least to kill any parasites. Thaw in tepid water before serving. Never use microwave to defrost! NEVER FEED EASTERN TENT CATERPILLARS
Vegetables: 20% of meal -- pretty much all squashes, bell peppers (not often), carrots, corn on the cob (boiled, not often), green beans, okra, opuntia cactus pad & fruit, peas in the pod, various pumpkins, sweet potatoes, zucchini.
Greens: 10% of meal -- bibb, various kinds of clover, collard greens, dandelion greens & weeds, escarole, kale (not often), mustard greens, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, turnip greens, watercress, pesticide-free field-collected weeds & leaves (I suggest only picking those you can identify).
Fruits: 10% of meal -- apples, apricot, figs, banana (mainly as a treat), all berries, grapes, kiwi, all melons, peach, plum, tomatoes (never feed any other part of the tomato plant- not safe)
Fungi/mushrooms: 10% of meal -- chanterelle, fried-chicken mushrooms (yeah, that's a thing), meadow, morel, oyster, puffball, russulas, shaggy inkcap. (Yes those are all different mushrooms). Do not offer Portabello mushrooms. Can't remember why.
Once a week, lightly dust meal with a calcium supplement with Vitamin D3 and a vitamin supplement. I use Rep-Cal Phosphorus-free Calcium with Vitamin D3 (the phosphorus-free info is important) and ZooMed's Reptivite. Leaving a cuttlebone in the enclosure will give the turtle the opportunity to free-serve calcium as they need
Do not offer cat food as most commercial cat foods produce acidic urine, which will increase the excretion of calcium in the urine.This can and most likely will cause a calcium deficiency in reptiles and can lead to metabolic bone disease, shell deformities, and soft tissue calcification. Using a low-fat wet dog food can be done if the turtle will not eat anything you offer to entice them to start eating.
Dealing with a reluctant eater: Box turtles are most active in the mornings, evenings, and after it rains. Try misting the enclosure before feeding & offer meals in the morning after the turtle has had time to warm up but before the day becomes too hot. If the turtle continues to not eat, try overripe bright;y colored fruits like strawberries and cantaloupe (those are my guys favorites) and bananas. Also, turtles are naturally attracted to moving food. If your turtle will only eat live foods, try cutting up a nightcrawler or two and mixing it with some veggies and fruits so that the wiggling in and on the meal will attract them. As they try to eat the nightcrawler, they will likely accidentally grab the greens and such. After doing this for a while, reduce the amount of nightcrawlers until the box turtle consistently eats the veggies and greens.
How to get shy turtles out to eat: feed underneath foliage and keep activity in the area to a minimum as much as possible while eating.
Be sure to offer a wide variety and change things up. Turtles become bored being offered the same foods every meal.
Feeding frequency:
Hatchling to 1 year old, or underweight turtle - one to two days
one to three years old, or recovering from illness - two to three days
three years and older - three to four days
overweight - four days
Feed on a flat plate, plastic lid, flat rock, or paper plate. Be warned: turtles may try to eat the paper plates. Flat rocks are best generally because the rock will help file the beak and keep the nails trim.
Gut-loading insects: Crickets and mealworms (and others) can be gut-loaded two days before use. Feed them a high-calcium invertebrate food - sweet potato, high quality tropical fish flake, or low fat dry dog food. To provide the insects with moisture and added nutrients that will be passed on to the turtle, offer the feeders leafy greens like turnip greens or dandelion greens.
All invertebrate food items (except earthworms) should be lightly dusted with the calcium supplement just before serving. You can do this by putting some of the supplement powder in a sandwich bag then put that meal's insects in, close the bag, and gently shake to coat them in the supplement. Place in front of the turtle. If the feeders are moving around too much, the dust will fall off. It is best to offer them using forceps or by incapacitating them while still being able to move enough to draw the turtle's attention.
Make sure to mist the enclosure at least once a day.
I think that's it right now unless you want me to go into medical stuff.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum.

Please read the 'beginners' thread' which will help you deal with your cute tort.