What kind of Tortoise is my baby?

pennimo

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Jul 29, 2020
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7
Location (City and/or State)
San Diego
My daughter's in-laws found this little one in their backyard. Didn't find the owner and I took her in. She didn't want to eat for a while because I think the grandkids and my daughter's new puppy scared her a bit, so I took her in. She's eating a lot better and seems very happy and content. I'm guessing she is a yellow footed tortoise. Any thoughts? She's not too big either so not sure on her age or how big she will get. I call her Lucy, so I'm assuming she is a she. Any help would be great. Also I want to feed her foods she will like. She seems to be finicky.

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Yvonne G

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Three toe box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis). Get rid of the hay and wet the substrate well. Give the turtle a large enough plant saucer of water so it can sit in the water. Offer fresh fruit, greens and live worms/crickets/etc.
 

pennimo

New Member
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Jul 29, 2020
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Location (City and/or State)
San Diego
Ok - I was treating her like a tortoise. So they don't eat timothy or alfalfa hay? What do they eat?
 

saleena.lewis

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Massachusetts
100% box turtle... that substrate is just not going to cut it. I would recommend using eco earth and having it super moist. Make sure you get a large enough water bowl so that he/she can submerge in it. Could we see more pictures possibly? If we can see the tail we can possibly identify the gender. Post a picture of her belly/tail.
 

Tjsalyers

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Location (City and/or State)
Indiana
My daughter's in-laws found this little one in their backyard. Didn't find the owner and I took her in. She didn't want to eat for a while because I think the grandkids and my daughter's new puppy scared her a bit, so I took her in. She's eating a lot better and seems very happy and content. I'm guessing she is a yellow footed tortoise. Any thoughts? She's not too big either so not sure on her age or how big she will get. I call her Lucy, so I'm assuming she is a she. Any help would be great. Also I want to feed her foods she will like. She seems to be finicky.

View attachment 301523View attachment 301524
He's a box turtle
 

pennimo

New Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2020
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
San Diego
My daughter's in-laws found this little one in their backyard. Didn't find the owner and I took her in. She didn't want to eat for a while because I think the grandkids and my daughter's new puppy scared her a bit, so I took her in. She's eating a lot better and seems very happy and content. I'm guessing she is a yellow footed tortoise. Any thoughts? She's not too big either so not sure on her age or how big she will get. I call her Lucy, so I'm assuming she is a she. Any help would be great. Also I want to feed her foods she will like. She seems to be finicky.

View attachment 301523View attachment 301524
 

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Tom

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Nobody is going to suggest it should be returned to the wild?
No because there are no native box turtles in the area where this one came from. Are you suggesting they turn a non native species loose in a foreign area? That is NEVER a good idea.

Or are you suggesting that they put this turtle in their car and drive it back the the southeastern US and then release it somewhere that seems good? Animals that have spent time in captivity should NEVER be returned to the wild. This is how you introduce diseases and wipe out entire populations.

Welcome to the forum. This was not a great first post for you. I hope the next one is better and also in the introduction section. Start a thread there and tell us who you are and what turtles or tortoises you've got so we can give you a proper welcome.
 

zovick

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Nobody is going to suggest it should be returned to the wild?
It looks like a Three-toed Box Turtle and is most likely an escaped pet since it was apparently found in San Diego. There are no Box Turtles native to CA. The nearest natural range of any Box Turtles is in extreme southeastern AZ to the best of my knowledge, and that is the desert subspecies of the Ornate Box Turtle.

In other words, releasing this Box Turtle anywhere in CA would be rather ill-advised.
 

zovick

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@pennimo Unless I missed it, you did not indicate where your daughter's in laws found the turtle other than in their yard. Most people (including me) assumed their yard was in CA, so to clarify a point, could you tell us whether this Box Turtle was found in CA or in another state?

Thank you very much.
 

Batagur

New Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2020
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Michigan
No because there are no native box turtles in the area where this one came from. Are you suggesting they turn a non native species loose in a foreign area? That is NEVER a good idea.

Or are you suggesting that they put this turtle in their car and drive it back the the southeastern US and then release it somewhere that seems good? Animals that have spent time in captivity should NEVER be returned to the wild. This is how you introduce diseases and wipe out entire populations.

Welcome to the forum. This was not a great first post for you. I hope the next one is better and also in the introduction section. Start a thread there and tell us who you are and what turtles or tortoises you've got so we can give you a proper welcome.
I am not suggesting anything.. only curious as to why everyone is offering up captive care instructions for what clearly looks like a wild box turtle. I am well aware of the ill-effects of introducing non-native species, or introducing diseases into a current wild population.

As far as being a new user... you made quite the first impression to someone asking a simple question...

FYI, user location is not displayed when viewing from a mobile phone.
 

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