Hi =)

[BlackCap]

Hi everyone =)

Last evening, while helping in demolishing an abandoned house, specifically while removing the soil from its small garden, I happened to uncover a tortoise from beneath the soil. Since the house is being destroyed I decided to keep the tortoise myself yet I am not really sure how to take care of it properly.

I have done some quick research from the internet and it seems like it is time when tortoises should hibernate and that I should provide a variety of vegs and leafs for the tortoise to eat, however I don't know if that's just it. Should I provide water as well? - or do tortoise keep hydrated from the leafs and vegs?

For now I have just put the tortoise in my own "garden" which is an open space with flower and plant pots around. I put a piece of tomato and some basil leaves near the tortoise. The basil leaves are gone assuming eaten, but the tomato is still there. Also, one thing which is worrying me is that the tortoise always keeps her eyes half closed

Having unearthed it I am also assuming I have to provide a container with soil. Is there a specific depth of soil I should provide? I would also like very much to know what kind of tortoise is the one I found -if you kind tortoise lovers could help please . I will attach some pics. Whatever kind of info you can derive from the pics please share =)

Thank you all!

 

[coreyc]

Hello welcome to the forum. can I ask where are you located?

 

[egyptiandan]

Welcome to the forum

You have found yourself a Red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans. It's a water turtle and not a tortoise. Here is a good caresheet http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/trachemyscare.htm

Danny

 

[Becki]

Welcome! I now nothing about water turtles but I would not feed it tomato leaves. They're poisonous. Good luck with your new friend!

 

[Torty Mom]

Welcome to TFO! I hope you enjoy your new water turtle. I don't keep them either, but the care sheet Danny gave you should get you on the right track! So very nice of you to save the poor guy!!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Black Cap:

Welcome to the forum!!

Your water turtle was starting to hibernate. They don't eat while hibernating. Also, they can't swallow food while out of water, so she didn't eat those leaves.

If you don't have a pond, it would be a good idea to find her a home with someone who DOES have a pond. Some of them hibernate in dirt, leaves, etc. and some of them hibernate at the bottom of the pond in the mud. Since you found this one in dirt, I wouldn't put her in water at this time. She's too cold and might drown. Box her up in some moist leaf litter and let her hibernate.

 

[Isa]

Welcome to the forum

 

[BlackCap]

Thanks all for your information =) Actually at about 5pm yest. Axl (we chose a name for the new turtle buddy) has squeezed himself into one corner of the garden and slept since then right now being 11:24am. Maybe his hibernation started? - how can I be sure he's not staying tight inside the shell because he's ill or something? Bdw could you please tell how to recognize a male from a female turtle? and is it recognizable from the pics i posted?

I live in Malta where the winter's not too harsh yet is it ok to have turtles hibernate at 14°c ? - which will go lower till about feb when in rare cases it reaches a minimum of 6°c or maybe 4°c? Also the air is very humid around here, Malta being an island and all. Currently humidity is reported at 82%. Assuming a turtle spends a lot of time in water I think humidity's not a prob, but now - given all the events that happened in the past two days - I found the thought of having a tortoise (one that eat grass and stays on land) really intriguing. What would be the ideal kind of tortoise to adapt to these conditions?