New Box turtle

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Kristina

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I got a new Boxie!!! She is just the most adorable little thing.

It was kind of a spur of the moment thing, we were planning on going to Grand Rapids, MI Monday morning (we live about 2 hours away) to visit some stores in that area. I found this little girl on CL, her owner was rehoming her "because his little brother just wouldn't leave her alone." (?) I ended up having to meet him in the parking lot of his High School, he handed me a turtle and I handed him a $20. LOL.

So here she is, I named her Mika. She is a cute little squirt, a little shy but within an hour or so she was letting me and my husband both touch her head and legs and all over without clamping up. I set her up temporarily in a tub (before anyone else says it, YES I know it is too small, but she will only be in it about a week before her outdoor pen is done. She will survive, I promise ;) )

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She has some funky looking marks on her shell. I read once that Boxies are collected from the wild with big pincher things, and that it sometimes leaves marks. Is this what this is?

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Not sure about the whitish areas, is that old shell rot?

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Overall she feels nice and heavy, and ate well for me. She had some outdoor time and really seemed to enjoy it. I was inspired by Kimber's boxie pen posted the other day, so I am going to make something similar for her. I have a little 35 gallon pond that I am going to put in and plant some bog plants in, as well.
 

Kristina

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Thanks :) The pictures kind of washed her out, she is this beautiful reddish/chocolate color, just really pretty :)
 

dmmj

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the mark could be an old bite mark also, if she is wild caught, nice looking though.
 

Kristina

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Thank you :) She does look pretty darn good, I think.

In the one picture where you can see her whole carapace from above, you can see the marks. There are two of them, perfectly symmetrical on either sides of her shell. It is kind of odd.
 

terryo

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Boxies are my favorite, and she's just beautiful. Post some pictures when you finish her outdoor enclosure.
 

Kristina

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I think so too.

I am pleased though that she is a good weight, nice and heavy, and that her beak and nails aren't in bad shape. She has one nail that was broken off but is starting to grow back. Her beak is a tiny bit long, but no where near needing to go to the vet. Some cuttlebone and slate should do the trick rather quickly.

At any rate, I think she was totally worth the $20 ;) I would have paid three times that, but he didn't need to know that, lol!!!
 

kimber_lee_314

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She is beautiful! :) All those marks look old - several of my three toeds have marks like that - even holes on their keels. I'm told by Tess Cook this seems to occur naturally in the wild - so this could be the case with her. I didn't really see any white marks on her - no shell rot. Anyway, she's just lovely and very lucky to be in your care now.
 

Kristina

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They do look old, definitely healed. She has a tiny notch out of her plastron by one of her back legs, but the edges are worn smooth, so it is an old injury too. I am 99.9% sure that this little girl is a wc, although she does appear to be ltc by her attitude.

Thanks a bunch, I feel very lucky to have her ;)
 

Terry Allan Hall

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Mika looks a great deal like the 3-toeds I used to see in Arkansas...usually I'd find 'em up in the blackberry thickets, foraging for the berries.
 
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Maggie Cummings

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she's cute and her shell is in great shape, smooth and round not bumpy like most rehomed box turtles. A great deal for $20!!!:)
 

mightyclyde

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I just love the way these little guys can close up into a perfect box! She is especially pretty, almost makes me think she's a boy! ;) I'm glad she ended up going to a responsible owner and not just let loose.
 

Candy

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What a special look on her little face. She is very pretty. Congratulations. :D
 

jlyoncc1

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She's a pretty girl! Love her color! Congrats!
 

Kristina

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Thanks guys :) She has really warmed up, or "come out of her shell" lol!

She is very pretty, but definitely female ;) Thinking maybe I would not mind too much finding her a friend, and a big hunka man to share her enclosure with.... :D
 

Tom

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I've never heard the pincer thing. Sounds reasonable though given the location, symmetry and singularity of the marks. I would say dog, but for one fang to have penetrated that deep, right in the middle, the other fang would have to have at least scratched the surface. Plus, usually dogs chew around the edges first as opposed to just sinking a fang right in the middle. Most of the dog damage I've seen has been around the rear quarter of the shell.

Good find. Lucky you. Congrats.
 

Yvonne G

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I used to think that those marks were from being "clamped" during capture too, however, they are perfectly opposite each other, and the box turtles are so quiet, who would need a clamp to pick them up? I've also heard that it was from some sort of mite or tick (in the wild).
 

Kristina

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The site I read said because they grab them underwater... Really, I don't know the credibility of that statement. It is just odd they are so symmetrical.
 
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