Injured baby Eastern Box Turtle

Bridgebob

Active Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2021
Messages
152
Location (City and/or State)
Arlington, Virginia
Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum. I found an injured baby Eastern Box Turtle with a missing front leg and a damaged back leg on the bike trail near my home. Needless to say I will take care of it for the rest of my life.

You aren't supposed to take them out of the wilderness, but with her condition I had too.

She is doing very well and I found she loves eggs and fruit with reptile vitamin. She doesn't eat her greens often.

I'm wondering why are Eastern Box Turtles a turtle instead of a Tortoise? I have to make sure she splashes around in her pond every so often. She won't do it unless I make her.

I think she is 3-4 years old.

I do not let her be lazy all day. One time she sunbathed without moving for three straight days under her UV light. I forgot about her because i had trip and didn't return until the third day. Still in the same place under the UV light!
 

ZenHerper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
2,078
Location (City and/or State)
New Jersey
Welcome!

A hatchling and a 3-year old turtle are very different ages (and sizes) - post some clear photos of your wee friend to get some more exact opinions of her age and current dietary needs.

A turtle on a good, varied diet does not need much, if any, supplementation. Supplement powders can be over-dosed, so only use a merest pinch two days a week. Large nightcrawlers are always appreciated and the hunting/eating routine is good stimulation. Shell can be left on boiled eggs for the calcium.

Turtles are all carnivorous as hatchlings, and, depending on the species, can generalize to eating fruits and some broadleaf weeds as they age.

Eastern Box turtles often swim...yours may hesitate to spend time in water because of the injuries...without all of the webbed feet in working order, s/he is a possible drowning risk. Never leave her unattended in deep soaking water, and keep any water features in the habitat shallow, at least until s/he grows and gets stronger. Going to be a judgement call as time goes on.

Get automatic timers for your light and heat set up...makes that part of things really easy!

Read all the "sticky" threads at the top of the American Box Turtle sub-forum for more info and tips -- let us know how to support you both!
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,904
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
Hello and welcome to the forum ? to answer your question about the differences...a box turtle has a hinged plastron and can shut themselves into it like a turtle. I don't know of any tortoises that have that. I would watch treating a box turtle like the other species of turtles though because they are a land turtle. They can drown. Yet a lot of people consider them to be a land tortoise. I think that's just a scientific debate. There's a lot of people here that can help you with diet, enclosure, etc...God bless you for trying to help that poor little box turtle. They are really a sweet little animal. Best hopes and prayers ?
 

ZenHerper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
2,078
Location (City and/or State)
New Jersey
Intact, healthy Box turtles can swim quite well:



Only the world's various species of Box turtles have hinges...most other turtle species do not, and their shells do not close. Hingeback tortoises have...well, hinges that are a bit similar to BT hinges. =))

"Tortoise" is actually one of 14 "Turtle" Families taxonomically speaking.

Differences have mainly to do with the types of environments either have evolved to live in. A few obvious distinctions:

Tortoises have heavy stomping feet...suitable for walking long distances over and digging into hard, rocky ground.

Turtles have webbed, or at least paddle-like feet...suitable for motoring through water, climbing over logs, and digging through softer soil and/or sand.

Tortoises and turtles are all, generally speaking, omnivores. But turtles are quite carnivorous upon hatching and actively seek out a good bit of meat through all life stages; tortoises consume a great deal of vegetation across their entire lifetimes while ingesting scat, carcasses, invertebrates, birds, or eggs opportunistically.

Turtles that spend most of their lives in water are quite streamlined. Land turtles, like Box turtles and Wood turtles, are more domed.

Current Eastern Box Turtle taxonomy:

Turtle taxonomy is always an ongoing work-in-progress.

All currently recognized "turtle" Families:
 

TeamZissou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
1,048
Location (City and/or State)
Albuquerque, NM
Intact, healthy Box turtles can swim quite well:



Only the world's various species of Box turtles have hinges...most other turtle species do not, and their shells do not close. Hingeback tortoises have...well, hinges that are a bit similar to BT hinges. =))

"Tortoise" is actually one of 14 "Turtle" Families taxonomically speaking.

Differences have mainly to do with the types of environments either have evolved to live in. A few obvious distinctions:

Tortoises have heavy stomping feet...suitable for walking long distances over and digging into hard, rocky ground.

Turtles have webbed, or at least paddle-like feet...suitable for motoring through water, climbing over logs, and digging through softer soil and/or sand.

Tortoises and turtles are all, generally speaking, omnivores. But turtles are quite carnivorous upon hatching and actively seek out a good bit of meat through all life stages; tortoises consume a great deal of vegetation across their entire lifetimes while ingesting scat, carcasses, invertebrates, birds, or eggs opportunistically.

Turtles that spend most of their lives in water are quite streamlined. Land turtles, like Box turtles and Wood turtles, are more domed.

Current Eastern Box Turtle taxonomy:

Turtle taxonomy is always an ongoing work-in-progress.

All currently recognized "turtle" Families:

I love the first video. What a great looking specimen.
 

Bridgebob

Active Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2021
Messages
152
Location (City and/or State)
Arlington, Virginia
Welcome!

A hatchling and a 3-year old turtle are very different ages (and sizes) - post some clear photos of your wee friend to get some more exact opinions of her age and current dietary needs.

A turtle on a good, varied diet does not need much, if any, supplementation. Supplement powders can be over-dosed, so only use a merest pinch two days a week. Large nightcrawlers are always appreciated and the hunting/eating routine is good stimulation. Shell can be left on boiled eggs for the calcium.

Turtles are all carnivorous as hatchlings, and, depending on the species, can generalize to eating fruits and some broadleaf weeds as they age.

Eastern Box turtles often swim...yours may hesitate to spend time in water because of the injuries...without all of the webbed feet in working order, s/he is a possible drowning risk. Never leave her unattended in deep soaking water, and keep any water features in the habitat shallow, at least until s/he grows and gets stronger. Going to be a judgement call as time goes on.

Get automatic timers for your light and heat set up...makes that part of things really easy!

Read all the "sticky" threads at the top of the American Box Turtle sub-forum for more info and tips -- let us know how to support you both!
Her pond is only a half an inch deep. So no drowning risks. I find that she washes her face in the pond.

She still won't go into the pond on her own. I throw in there almost everday.

She is growing fast!

Her bedding is shredded coconut and herbs. i think she is getting high on the Oregano and Dill!
 

Attachments

  • DSC01678.JPG
    DSC01678.JPG
    2.4 MB · Views: 43

ZenHerper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
2,078
Location (City and/or State)
New Jersey
... coconut and herbs. ...
That's...weird. Sort of like being locked in a candle shop. The aromatic compounds may be an eye and sinus irritant...turtles avoid eating herbs and don't like the odors. I'd stick with plain coco coir that is kept damp all through.

Not sure if there are perlite bits? Those can be an impaction hazard if s/he mistakes them for egg shell (which they eat in the nest after hatching).

She's young...maybe a yearling.
 

Bridgebob

Active Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2021
Messages
152
Location (City and/or State)
Arlington, Virginia
Eastern Boxes live in a very diverse plant environment. She likes her environment!

It's 95% Coconut and 5% herbs (Oregano, Dill, Marjoram, etc.).

The UV lights are a must! Anyone who owns a turtle must make sure they get UV rays!!!

I put a rock in her house. She doesn't like it. I took it out. It was rough basalt!

No perlite! I agree that's a very bad idea.

She is at least three years old, AND BITCHY at times. I won't let her become too lazy.
 

Eric Phillips

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2014
Messages
1,094
Location (City and/or State)
Ohio
Hello…
Eastern Boxes live in a very diverse plant environment. She likes her environment!

It's 95% Coconut and 5% herbs (Oregano, Dill, Marjoram, etc.).

The UV lights are a must! Anyone who owns a turtle must make sure they get UV rays!!!

I put a rock in her house. She doesn't like it. I took it out. It was rough basalt!

No perlite! I agree that's a very bad idea.

She is at least three years old, AND BITCHY at times. I won't let her become too lazy.

Hello and welcome…your EBT is probably more in the 1-3 year old range since being this little one is wild caught. The growth process can be much slower for wild’s let alone injured wild’s than a captive bred.

I do have a concern with your substrate…little ones and yearlings can dehydrate quickly and unfortunately your substrate is much too dry for my liking. Due to its condition and age, a dry substrate can open the door for too many health issues and complications including upper respiratory issues. I would mix the substrate thoroughly with filtered water to create a more consistent and humid median. As for the dried herbs, while oregano is high in calcium…I just don’t see it ever eating it out of the substrate but to each is own. EBTs are mainly found in or near water(rivers and ponds), woodlands, grasslands or meadows. I would mimic as much of the environment as you can to optimize the health of this physically challenged little one. I would also give it daily soaks in a container for a month or so to make sure it stays hydrated during its transition to its new home then you can scale it back to 3-4 times a week. Best of luck!
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
Box turtles are semi aquatic so the like being in and near water. She can sleep all day if she wants...It's not called "lazy" it's called being a turtle...I'd be afraid of her substrate because of the toxins in that stuff, and in the wild she'd be by or in water and walking in very different substrates She can't get away from the toxins in captivity...
100_7955.JPG
 

jeff kushner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2020
Messages
2,688
Location (City and/or State)
North of Annapolis
Well Bridgebob, you just got the above advice & suggestions from some of the best talent you will find, on any forum.

My little Matilda is 13 months old, taken from the wild at 1 month(I know guys, I will burn in Hades....but I'm repenting and trying to do better now), I post this only so you can compare size. I would suggest that you weight your little guy....just to give you a baseline......then again, most who love turtles can tell if they are gaining/losing just by picking them up.

Okay, I admit, I'm an extrovert so I almost posted this, but then had to ask.....

Bridgebob;herbs/spices/aromatics in a turtle pen.....never heard of that before.....are you a woman or just a real secure man? SOMEONE had to ask guys, inquiring minds want to know this stuff!

....lol....I'm teasing of course.....and certainly no offense meant to our new member!



If she is afraid, she will remain covered.....remember with box turtle homes, think more "bog", not "desert".....I repeat this alot because the media has done such a great job of misinforming.

Good luck !

jeff
 

Attachments

  • Box o worms.png
    Box o worms.png
    591.9 KB · Views: 19

Bridgebob

Active Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2021
Messages
152
Location (City and/or State)
Arlington, Virginia
Hello…


Hello and welcome…your EBT is probably more in the 1-3 year old range since being this little one is wild caught. The growth process can be much slower for wild’s let alone injured wild’s than a captive bred.

I do have a concern with your substrate…little ones and yearlings can dehydrate quickly and unfortunately your substrate is much too dry for my liking. Due to its condition and age, a dry substrate can open the door for too many health issues and complications including upper respiratory issues. I would mix the substrate thoroughly with filtered water to create a more consistent and humid median. As for the dried herbs, while oregano is high in calcium…I just don’t see it ever eating it out of the substrate but to each is own. EBTs are mainly found in or near water(rivers and ponds), woodlands, grasslands or meadows. I would mimic as much of the environment as you can to optimize the health of this physically challenged little one. I would also give it daily soaks in a container for a month or so to make sure it stays hydrated during its transition to its new home then you can scale it back to 3-4 times a week. Best of luck!
I do put her in her pond daily. I'm trying to build a EBT pond for her with an automatic cleaner. I'm thinking of HDPE for a building material. She doesn't like abrasive surfaces I think because it hurts her amputated front leg.

You are right she becomes dehydrated and will not go into her pond by herself. But once there she drinks a lot of water but unfortunately poops in there also. Sometimes the defecaction is beyond belief!
 

SLB

New Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
11
Location (City and/or State)
New Mexico
Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum. I found an injured baby Eastern Box Turtle with a missing front leg and a damaged back leg on the bike trail near my home. Needless to say I will take care of it for the rest of my life.

You aren't supposed to take them out of the wilderness, but with her condition I had too.

She is doing very well and I found she loves eggs and fruit with reptile vitamin. She doesn't eat her greens often.

I'm wondering why are Eastern Box Turtles a turtle instead of a Tortoise? I have to make sure she splashes around in her pond every so often. She won't do it unless I make her.

I think she is 3-4 years old.

I do not let her be lazy all day. One time she sunbathed without moving for three straight days under her UV light. I forgot about her because i had trip and didn't return until the third day. Still in the same place under the UV light!
I recommend putting kiddos that do not have open lesions in moist sphagnum moss a few inches deep with a bedding temperature range of 77-83F at any given time (you want the full range for thermoregulation) achieved using a small undertank reptile mat connected to a thermostatic control. Provide a SMALL basking area where temps reach 87F. Aracadia IV lighting is best (never use coil lights). Include heavy plant cover (artificial fine) and shallow water dish. Add leaf litter for extra hiding; no hut. My diet is at www.boxturtlefacts.org.
 

Attachments

  • Enclosure for Hatchling and Juvenile Box Turtles_V2.pdf
    1.6 MB · Views: 3

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
I recommend putting kiddos that do not have open lesions in moist sphagnum moss a few inches deep with a bedding temperature range of 77-83F at any given time (you want the full range for thermoregulation) achieved using a small undertank reptile mat connected to a thermostatic control. Provide a SMALL basking area where temps reach 87F. Aracadia IV lighting is best (never use coil lights). Include heavy plant cover (artificial fine) and shallow water dish. Add leaf litter for extra hiding; no hut. My diet is at www.boxturtlefacts.org.
While I do understand your use of a small under tank heat mat. Personally, I think that's not necessarily a great idea. Their heat normally would come from the sun, above not underneath. In young tortoises we not recommend their use as the plastrons of young tortoises get damaged looking and warped. I know box turtles are certainly different, but I wouldn't use them. A 40 to 60 watt incandescent light bulb can imitate the sun...
 

SLB

New Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
11
Location (City and/or State)
New Mexico
While I do understand your use of a small under tank heat mat. Personally, I think that's not necessarily a great idea. Their heat normally would come from the sun, above not underneath. In young tortoises we not recommend their use as the plastrons of young tortoises get damaged looking and warped. I know box turtles are certainly different, but I wouldn't use them. A 40 to 60 watt incandescent light bulb can imitate the sun...
In the wild, young Easterns rarely sit at the surface; they spend most of their time in the leaf litter column during the active season. (I spent years studying them in the field). In captivity, if moss is heated from beneath or from the side with a pad, young Easterns generally prefer to seek warmth buried in the moss. This keeps the animal in a humid, moist world that benefits normal shell health and overall appearance. The turtle is not forced to sit out under a basking light which can cause keratin to dry out and the shell to malform. I have used controlled 7 watt heating pads for box turtle babies and young juvies for many years without incident. The moss must be VERY moist.
 

SLB

New Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
11
Location (City and/or State)
New Mexico
In the wild, young Easterns rarely sit at the surface; they spend most of their time in the leaf litter column during the active season. (I spent years studying them in the field). In captivity, if moss is heated from beneath or from the side with a pad, young Easterns generally prefer to seek warmth buried in the moss. This keeps the animal in a humid, moist world that benefits normal shell health and overall appearance. The turtle is not forced to sit out under a basking light which can cause keratin to dry out and the shell to malform. I have used controlled 7 watt heating pads for box turtle babies and young juvies for many years without incident. The moss must be VERY moist.
I have worked with a small number of tortoises (Russians, Hermann's, Egyptians, and Yellow-footed) and would never give them warming pads. I have only used light bulbs to provide warmth in addition to that provided by ambient heat in the room. With very young box turtles, my goal is to keep them wanting to stay buried most of the time, just as they would in nature. A properly placed and controlled small heating pad does this.
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,904
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
Intact, healthy Box turtles can swim quite well:



Only the world's various species of Box turtles have hinges...most other turtle species do not, and their shells do not close. Hingeback tortoises have...well, hinges that are a bit similar to BT hinges. =))

"Tortoise" is actually one of 14 "Turtle" Families taxonomically speaking.

Differences have mainly to do with the types of environments either have evolved to live in. A few obvious distinctions:

Tortoises have heavy stomping feet...suitable for walking long distances over and digging into hard, rocky ground.

Turtles have webbed, or at least paddle-like feet...suitable for motoring through water, climbing over logs, and digging through softer soil and/or sand.

Tortoises and turtles are all, generally speaking, omnivores. But turtles are quite carnivorous upon hatching and actively seek out a good bit of meat through all life stages; tortoises consume a great deal of vegetation across their entire lifetimes while ingesting scat, carcasses, invertebrates, birds, or eggs opportunistically.

Turtles that spend most of their lives in water are quite streamlined. Land turtles, like Box turtles and Wood turtles, are more domed.

Current Eastern Box Turtle taxonomy:

Turtle taxonomy is always an ongoing work-in-progress.

All currently recognized "turtle" Families:
Amazing videos ? I really didn't know that boxies can swim. I did have a rescue until I could get her re-homed in a home that actually wanted a box turtle. I wish I had known.?
 

SLB

New Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
11
Location (City and/or State)
New Mexico
Amazing videos ? I really didn't know that boxies can swim. I did have a rescue until I could get her re-homed in a home that actually wanted a box turtle. I wish I had known.?
Box turtles are good swimmers but they can drown if they cannot find footing to walk out wherever they chose from a stream or pond. Do not depend on them to use a ramp like a true semi-aquatic, no matter how large and obvious it seems to you, or to pull themselves out of water using only the strength of their forelegs while their hind legs dangle freely in the water.
 

Bridgebob

Active Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2021
Messages
152
Location (City and/or State)
Arlington, Virginia
I recommend putting kiddos that do not have open lesions in moist sphagnum moss a few inches deep with a bedding temperature range of 77-83F at any given time (you want the full range for thermoregulation) achieved using a small undertank reptile mat connected to a thermostatic control. Provide a SMALL basking area where temps reach 87F. Aracadia IV lighting is best (never use coil lights). Include heavy plant cover (artificial fine) and shallow water dish. Add leaf litter for extra hiding; no hut. My diet is at www.boxturtlefacts.org.
Her house is right now coconut scraps and a lot of herbs.

I have a leaf shredder and have a lot of indigenous leaves, mushrooms etc. for her next bedding.

I think she is doing very well because she is getting very 'bitchy'. And puffs and hisses at me. She is practicing her retreat into her shell!
 
Top