Turtle . . . Please help!!

[Tinkermommy]

Our wonderful neighbor (who is Korean and speaks very little English) came over today and gave my daughter a turtle!! She was very insistent we take it and told us it was a "special" turtle. So we are now the proud parents of a turtle.

Here is the photo

It's shell is only about 5" long right now. We think based on internet search it may be a type of eastern box turtle. Any help with identifying the type of turtle it is and it's care would be really appreciated! Also, how do you tell if it is a boy or girl?

 

[Mermaid02]

Our wonderful neighbor (who is Korean and speaks very little English) came over today and gave my daughter a turtle!! She was very insistent we take it and told us it was a "special" turtle. So we are now the proud parents of a turtle.

Here is the photo

It's shell is only about 5" long right now. We think based on internet search it may be a type of eastern box turtle. Any help with identifying the type of turtle it is and it's care would be really appreciated! Also, how do you tell if it is a boy or girl?

I can't see your picture but we have a red eared slider. He's lots of fun to watch. Turtles can be pretty high maintenance- he'll need a tank at least 20g (long and low) plus a basking light- a float and a good filter system. You need to do partial water changes daily or every other day. Turtles are pretty dirty- and be sure to wash hands thoroughly after handling him- they can carry salmonella. As far as sexing him/her... just pick one and stick with it! LOL

 

[JessicaR]

Your photo didnt show for me either. Just trying to re-post the picture for you.

 

[Ms Marigny]

Your box turtle looks just like my box turtle Tortimer! It is either a Gulf Coast or an eastern box turtle- they are very similar. This is a land turtle, not an aquatic one, so don't put it in the water (they don't swim that well and can drown). Honestly, it is best to keep this type of turtle in an outside turtle enclosure. We did keep him inside in a tank with soil and mulch mixed at the bottom and a large water dish for soaking for a few years, but he wasn't really happy with that. He just wasn't thriving. So we built him a nice pen in our backyard with lots of foliage and he's very happy out there.

This type of turtle is omnivorous- he eats fruits/veggies and meat. Our turtle's favorites are apple, romaine lettuce, pears and corn on the cob. We feed him mealworms, slugs, snails, and worms that we find in the backyard for protein (gross, but that's what they like to eat).

There is a way to tell if male or female, but you have to inspect, uh, down below, and I don't want to be familiar enough with our turtle to do that, so we just said he's a boy and stuck with that.

Google eastern box turtle and you will get all kinds of info on diet, housing, etc.

I'll have to post a pic of mine if I can find one...

 

[Ms Marigny]

Here he is in his turtle pen:

And a closeup after digging himself out of the ground after a nap (they bury themselves to sleep and hibernate every winter):

 

[Tinkermommy]

Thanks everyone for all your help and info (even reposting the picture!).

Our little turtle doesn't seem very happy in is tub right now, so I think we will have to find a place for him outdoors.

Tortimer sure looks like he likes his outdoor digs!

Thanks again!

 

[james'mommy]

Female turtles have longer nails then males (for digging nests). We thought our turtle, Henry, was a boy until he laid eggs.

 

[kateydid]

you've definitely got some kind of box turtle, looks like an eastern to me but care is basically the same for all of them. here's a link to a good care sheet http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-easternboxie.htm. determining the gender can be a little tricky but if you post more pictures of the tail i may be able to help you out. before you get too involved with him check your local laws, it is illegal to keep box turtles as pets in some states and others require special permits. if you have more questions there's a lovely turtle forum out there ("turtle forum"-google it, should be the first result). the people there would be more than happy to answer any questions you have about enclosures, diet, etc.

 

[4Seasons]

OMG I love turtles!
We have several box turtles that live in and around our yard, but they are all wild. One year I kept one in an outside pen for about 3 months because we were building our garage and I was afraid she'd get killed by the construction. She had an eye infection too so I had to get some creme from the vet to clear it up. I did alot of research on them while I had her, they are very territorial and live in about a 100 square yard area their entire life in the wild, and can live up to 100 years. All the ones we have here we've named and can easily identify them. They love earthworms and lots of different fruits and veggies.
Usually the way you can tell the difference between male and female is the eyes on a male are *usually* bright red and the females are more brown/orange colored (although this female had red eyes but I knew it was a female because we saw her lay eggs on year, she had a very distinctive crack on her shell and was actually kinda social so that's how we knew it was the same one). The plastron (bottom of the shell) on a male is slightly concave, while the plastron on the female is flat.
Did the neighbor tell you why the turtle is so special? Where did she get it from?