New Box Turtles( torts?)

[ColleenT]

SO, i found a guy on Craigslist who wants to trade a quartet of box turtles for some snakes and i have a few snakes i am ready to part with. we are meeting on Thursday to trade. He had a photo on CL but he took it down. There are 2 three-toeds, a male and a female, and one Ornate and One Gulf coast. The 3-toeds are smaller than the other 2, and he has all 4 in the same container. i imagine this is stressful on them. I have a 40 gallon breeder tank that i plan to put the 3-toeds into. i will block the lower half so they don't stress. The other 2 will be evaluated and i will probably find homes for them. The guy said he has not had them long. He does not know much about them. i am not sure why he got them, but whatever. You can't really trust people on CL. They have already been living in the same enclosure, so i am guessing if one is sick, they are all sick. We do have a decent Vet close by, but they are expensive for reptiles. So i will be asking for advice if the turtles need anything. i'm not cheap, but if i can save some money, that would be preferable to spending a few hundred $$.

Is there a product at the pet shop that is suitable substrate for temporary until i get the right soil mix? I saw some pelleted stuff you can get in bags. I will look for a mercury Vapor bulb and some tortoise dits for mix for them, and they will also get some greens. maybe some apple? i will get cuttlebones. TIA for any help and advice you can give.

 

[lisa127]

What part of pa are you in? Let me know if you want to rehome the gulf coast. I'm close by in ohio.

In the meantime, get a bale of peat moss from the garden store for substrate and keep it damp.

A after looking at a map, i see you are not in the western part of the state!

 

[dmmj]

just because 1 is sick that does not mean they will all be sick they could be the could not be. it is always a good idea to get your supplies from the hardware store whenever possible, nothing wrong with saving some money. I personally don't like to keep different box turtle species together.

 

[ColleenT]

What part of pa are you in? Let me know if you want to rehome the gulf coast. I'm close by in ohio.

In the meantime, get a bale of peat moss from the garden store for substrate and keep it damp.

A after looking at a map, i see you are not in the western part of the state!

I am on the east coast of PA, near Allentown. I am not sure what kind of health they have, they might all look fantasic, or they might not. I also doubt this guy knows the ages. it's kind of a rescue situation.

 

[lisa127]

I am on the east coast of PA, near Allentown. I am not sure what kind of health they have, they might all look fantasic, or they might not. I also doubt this guy knows the ages. it's kind of a rescue situation.

Yeah, i realize that. All 4 of my chelonians are rescues too. Have you cared for boxies before?

 

[ColleenT]

Yeah, i realize that. All 4 of my chelonians are rescues too. Have you cared for boxies before?

No, i have not. i was starting to do research and just yesterday i went on our local CL and saw his ad. I have had Snakes before and i have a dart frog and 2 tree frogs, so i am guessing i can do a pretty good job.

 

[lisa127]

The main thing is they like warm humidity. Temps ranging from 70 to 90 and damp substrate. They do not like overly bright light. Their favorite weather tends to be warm overcast conditions.

 

[ColleenT]

Thanks!

 

[ColleenT]

i picked up my Boxies today. The 2 three-toed are a mess. their shells really need help. i am hoping with proper UVB light and good nutrition they will heal. the Coastal and the Ornate seem ok, probably need good lighting and nutrition as well. I First set up their areas, then i held each one in a bath, while i used a toothbrush to scrub them off a bit. They are now all resting in their enclosures and i am going to read up and find out what elese i need. i am going to rehome the ORnate and the Coastal. i have no clue what sex they are. i will post pics and maybe one of you can tell me. I have no idea of age, either. The guy who gave them to me said that someone gave them to him. So I will do my best. Oh- yes i know the substrate the larger ones is in is not good, but i have to run out and get more soil and stuff. I just didn't get it yet.

 

[lisa127]

Ok, I don't think you have what you think you have. That very first picture is not a box turtle.....it is an ornate WOOD turtle. Or central American wood turtle. I'm not sure that othere one is a gulf coast either.. I need more pictures.

 

[ColleenT]

OK, thanks. i was just looking at a box turtle book and thinking, that is NOT an ornate box turtle. Oy. They are both larger than i had hoped. i guess i better try and figure out what i have.

 

[lisa127]

The other two are three toed. That gulf coast I'm not sure about.. Doesn't look exactly gulf coast.. the wood turtle can be cared for like a box turtle.

 

[ColleenT]

ok, thanks. yes it is an ornate wood turtle. And the other one is a mystery. the shell is probably not in perfect condition and that might make it difficult to properly identify that guy. i will look uonline and see what i can find.

 

[dmmj]

good luck with the wood turtle they can be very tricky to care for

 

[ColleenT]

good luck with the wood turtle they can be very tricky to care for

Thank you. i am going to try to find him a good home as soon as possible.

 

[dmmj]

like said above their care is very similar to box turtles but they probably require a little bit higher humidity more cover to hide they're a little more secretive than box turtles

 

[lisa127]

I'd take him if I were closer.

 

[dmmj]

ditto

 

[ColleenT]

If anyone is able to care for him properly, you can have him for free. I don't have the room needed to give him a good home. But i don't feel confident to ship, so the person would have to drive here to get him. I would be willing to go as far as Allentown PA to meet someone.