Identification...Please help!

[Gleny]

Hi. I have recently acquired a Tortoise. His/her name is Sprout. Is there anybody out there who knows what species he is? After many hours on the internet I have not managed to I.D. him, and thought that somebody might be able to help me? I have attached two photos.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Jhwells46]

Did you find it or purchase it? If you found it, where do you live?

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm pretty sure I identified this turtle for you before. It's a very old ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata ornata).

 

[dharroald]

Looks to be a male by the way

 

[lutinorob]

Terrapene ornata ornata, male

 

[Gleny]

Thank you all for your help. I'm new here and to have people help so quickly is very nice. I have now completely changed his enclosure accordingly. I am very new to keeping this type of creature but will stop at nothing to make sure he is happy, well fed/watered and cared for. When you say "a very old ornate box turtle" do you mean the age of the species, or the individual? Also, I found him. I live in the UK (south), could he have been living wild? Now I'm a Turtle owner rather than a Tortoise owner, am I still welcome here on this forum? Thanks.

 

[Jhwells46]

The cool thing about it is that all tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises.You are absolutely welcome here! There are species specific categories for most species on here. We love all things shelled and most everything else on this forum. Congrats on your new family member and good luck!

 

[dmmj]

Old refers to the turtle's age. Since they are not native to the UK, he could have been lose for awhile, and was more than likely a pet, maybe a stowaway but not as likely.

 

[Yvonne G]

This old turtle is old in years, not especially old in species. He is someone's escaped pet. You said, "I have recently acquired..." so I thought you must have bought the turtle. You found it? It would be a good idea to put up fliers on utility poles around the area where you found the turtle and try to find its owner. They must be very sad to have lost him.

 

[Gleny]

I have been making all efforts to find his owners but wanted to make sure he was cared for correctly in the mean time. I know local people who keep tortoises and have also approached them to no avail. That is why I wondered if he could have been living in the wild for some time as nobody has put up posters. I know how I would feel if I lost a beloved pet (I have many other animals).