ID Help

[knm]

Just got this little guy from my sister who rescued him/her from someone she knew. We only know it's a few years old had very bad care prior to this. The woman she got it from has no idea what type of tortoise this is just that it was purchased at a pet store in tx and had a salmonella shot?? As you can see he/she is very small and I would like to make sure it's in the proper set up with proper diet. Currently being housed on eco earth with water bowl and being fed romaine lettuce organic carrots and small amounts of strawberries and raspberries. Any help identifying this little one would be great.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

It's not a tortoise at all lol. It's a box turtle i don't know what species of box turtle. Hopefully some one who owns box turtles can help you out.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

A three toed box turtle, I think.

It's an omnivore, so it also needs worms & slugs & other such goodies, will eat cooked chicken & fish as well as any fruit and vegetable you can think of. Think overripe windfalls and great variety. Those veggies in your fridge that don't look appealing anymore but aren't compost yet are often eagerly accepted.

Ecco earth is good. UVB light, soaking dish, cuttlebone bone.

A salmonella shot? That's hilarious. Good you rescued it & are asking questions.

 

[knm]

That explains a lot lol thanks for the info this will help a great deal.. I had never heard of a salmonella shot and thought it was kinda off because of the regulations for buying turtles and tortoises

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Your new little box turtle is small because it is still very young. You can tell by the way the toe nails are growing that it is starting to show a slight calcium deficiency. You need to nip this in the bud. Buy some worms at the pet store, pick one up in the tweezers and dip it in calcium powder. Then gently tap most of the powder off (it doesn't taste good). The other foods you are feeding are ok for box turtles, but, like Johnsonnboswell said, he also needs animal protein.

Box turtles love to dig in the dirt, so make sure your substrate is deep enough. They also love to sit in their waterer, so provide a big enough dish for them to be able to get in. Keep the substrate fairly moist, and provide a good UVB light, but add some plants or fake plants so there is a lot of shade from the light.

 

[leigti]

I have an adult three toed Boxturtle and she is great, she has tons of personality. Check out the box turtle section on this forum and you will find a lot of great information.

 

[knm]

Thanks for all the info! Do box turtles need the calcium dust with or without D3? I'm moving him to a 20g long with lots of eco earth and a good sized shallow water dish so he should be really happy tonight

 

[leigti]

Thanks for all the info! Do box turtles need the calcium dust with or without D3? I'm moving him to a 20g long with lots of eco earth and a good sized shallow water dish so he should be really happy tonight

Yes box turtles do need calcium. If they are kept inside they need the kind with D3. You can dust worms or crickets with it. They also need a UVB bulb and heat.