How harmful is this.....

[Meg90]

On my other forum, there is a kid who has recently gotten a bearded dragon, and a three toed box turtle. The two animals were being housed TOGETHER when he got them, in a glass aquarium, on calci sand.

Apparently, they were living like that for a year, and the previous owner, as well as the present one, were under the idea that they both LIKED living together. He said that the bearded looked up to the boxie like a parent, and ate mostly greens because of it.

They didn't have UV for an entire year. And the box turtle is not being soaked, nor does it have water enough to swim in. The last i heard, she would only eat blueberries and some freeze dried crickets.

He has had them for a month, and still not separated them, even though he was advised to do so, before he even received them from their previous owner. His boxie also has an over grown beak, and its nails are too long as well. I told him that was probably why she was not eating.

Now he was trying to clip her nails himself, and was asking how to do her beak even though she REALLY resisted having her nails cut. He says he doesn't have money for a vet.

I told him he was torturing those poor animals, but what I really want to know is just how detrimental it is to keep those two species together for such a long period of time.......


any input is appreciated. I would love to copy and paste the link for him to read so he knows that this is REALLY unacceptable, and not just something that bothers me.

boxie keepers help?

 

[egyptiandan]

Box turtles need a very humid enviroment and a water dish to soak in. With the conditions it's being kept in, it will definately lower the box turtles life expectency the way it's being kept.
Than you have the over grown beak and not eating well. The not eating well is definately dependant on the enviroment and the not eating well has affected the beak. All a vicious circle.
If he keeps the box turtle this way it will be dead in a few years.

Danny

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I have a small colony of adult box turtles. They are living inside now because of winter. In their tort table they have a paint roller pan that I use for their water dish. Everyday I put clean water in it. While I am pouring out the old water and putting in clean water I can see eyeballs looking at me, some from under the substrate, some from inside the half log and some from under the driftwood. So I give them clean water and leave. As soon as I am out of sight they start coming out and head straight for the clean water. They all dip their faces in and drink long and slow, then they all get in and have a swim party. The point of this story is they love and need water, just plain waterThey all get out and eat. The point of this story is that they all wait to drink and they all wait to swim. They love playing in the water and from time to time if I peek in at them thru out the day one or another of them is in the water. Sometimes they just get in and sit there.
I am not surprised that the box turtle has lasted as long as he has. They can live a long time in horrid conditions. But now they need to be separated. I forgot to mention that the substrate in the tort table is moist. Not dry. Over grown beak and claws says beginning MBD to me. He needs a cuttle bone and he needs to be set up in a situation that is normal for a box turtle. moist substrate not, I repeat, NOT sand. If he keeps that box turtle on sand he is mistreating it. ABUSING that box turtle. Just because they have lived together this long does not make it right. That set up is good for a bearded dragon, not good for a box turtle. I feel so sorry for animals that will put up with abuse like that and still live and still be good natured about it. I'll give you a link for a care sheet, please print it out for that kid and show him how a box turtle should live. The way the box turtle is being kept is past unacceptable, it is abuse. He is mistreating that boxie if he doesn't set him up in the proper way for a box turtle. I live in Corvallis Oregon, are you close to me? I will travel some distance if I can be of help.

http://aboxturtle.com/

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/Terrapenecare.htm

 

[Meg90]

No...am in central WI. And I have been telling him (as has everyone else on wireptiles) that he needs to separate them NOW. Its soooo aggravating...originally, he only wanted the beardie, but got the box turtle as a sort of bonus as they were being housed together.

Several boxie keeper offered to take the turtle, he said no, but continues to mistreat it by doing nothing to improve her condition.

His parent's should be ashamed. This kid is 13, and IS old enough to know better, or atleast, listen to the advice he is given...but the fact that his parents have not made any effort to improve the lives of those two creatures PISSES me off to no end....Its like letting a rabbit starve to death because little Jill forgot to feed her, and she needs to learn her lesson the hard way.....

 

[Isa]

What a sad story . It seems like the little boy does not care what people are trying to explain to him.
Poor boxie . Did you PM'd him the caresheet and did you tell him what people on this forum said about the 2 little ones situation?

 

[Laura]

Get his info somehow and contact the parents or the local animal control to see if they can check on the animals welfare. makes sure they know the background and what to look for and the importance..