Hey all :D Possible Box Turtle :)

[Shelbers91]

Hello my name is Shelby! I am from Pittsburgh Pa. My friend recommended me to come here because she said y'all might know some things about land turtles as well. I am an optician however on the side I am into parrot rescue. I have 5 cockatiels and an English budgie (4 came from a horrible confiscation which is why you can see the one has one eye, and the one has a bald head (the lutino has a crushed leg and nerve damage in his right wing)) I also have 9 hermit crabs. 4 purple pinchers, 2 ecuadorians and 3 strawberries im a 30g tank. Anyways my best friend who is a public parrot rescue got in what I beliebe to be an eastern box turtle. He is 9 years old and apparently follows people but since my friend has over 100 birds he is asking if I can take it so he can have time out of enclosure to walk around with me in the bird room. If the landlord says yes tomorrow then I will take him in. But I don't know much about box turtles other than he will need fruits, veggies, insects and fish (maybe small f/t mice?) a heat lamp for basking and digestion and temperature variation (cooler side of enclosure) little pool to drink or bathe but thats about all I know besides they can potentially carry salmonella. I know it's uncertain if I can have him still but I just wanted to be prepared. Thanks so much for your time!

Ps. I've been trying to get the pictures of Ike, my birds and crabitat to attach for the past 20 or so minutes and its not working so sorry you can't view them..

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Sounds like you got it down pretty good. Others will fill in where you may need some tweaking.

 

[nate.mann]

welcome

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Shelby, and welcome to the Forum!

The little box turtle in the picture is in need of some UVB and calcium to aid in his growing. His soft parts (body) are growing at a faster rate than his shell is growing, and his legs are too long for his shell size. Hopefully, now that the little eastern box turtle is in a better place, you can give him the care/habitat he needs to be healthy.

 

[lisa127]

Hi and welcome! I am east of Cleveland, Ohio so we are kind of neighbors! Not too far anyway. The turtle is a cutie! It sounds like you have the basics. I try to keep my boxie's enclosure between 70 and 85 degrees with a basking spot of about 90 degrees or so. They need some kind of substrate they can burrow into that will hold some moisture. Coco coir, long fibred sphagnum moss, a mix of things like orchid bark, coco coir, cypress mulch, moss, etc. can work as well. I use a lot of new Zealand long fibred sphagnum moss. The boxies love to hide in it. I spray the enclosure mid to late afternoon every day with some warm water to keep things slightly damp/humid.

 

[Shelbers91]

Thanks guys! I was wrong found out he is an ornate box turtle from west. I figured he would need some UV because he looks really dark and I think UV is what makes them so vivid in the wild (I think) I have 2 blocks left of Eco earth substrate and half a bag of flukers green (dont remember the species) moss left over from the hermit crabs set up I can use for substrate. Maybe I should put the moss in some type of container so he doesn't mix it with the substrate (I separated the moss for the crabs in a shower corner caddy cuz they make such a mess digging lol) I have some flukers powdered calcium with vitamin D would that help for a boost of vitamins if I powder the meal worms and fresh water krill?

 

[Shelbers91]

Oh also I think I am picking him up today

 

[Yvonne G]

Sorry, that's not an ornate box turtle, it's an eastern.

 

[lisa127]

He is an eastern box turtle....and a cute one!

 

[Shelbers91]

You sure he's not ornate?

 

[sibi]

That's certainly not an eastern I've ever seen. First pic was too dark and blurry to really identify.

 

[lisa127]

He still looks eastern to me.

 

[Leopard Tortoise Lover 16199]

Definitely an eastern box turtle.

---

It may also be a hybrid between an eastern and a 3 toed, hinted from the white marbled facial markings and caramel-colored shell. Otherwise it looks all eastern.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, i see you're still about.
So a very belated welcome.
I'm just curious.
Did you ever establish what species he was ?

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi Shelby

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Shelby !

 

[MichaelaW]

An eastern for sure.

 

[Eric Phillips]

100% Eastern Box Turtle native Box Turtle species to PA.