r/Boxturtles

I found this on the floor in my son's room and I have no idea what it could be. I found it by his bed but there were no toys around it and it wasn't there yesterday. Very strange.

my 2.5yr old male eastern box turtle really has an appetite this year!

Animals are supposed to be terrified by fireworks, but when I walked in the front room tonight there was Miss Shelly, looking out the window watching the fireworks! She never tucked into her shell, either. She did look at me when I asked her what she was doing, and then turned back to watching her fireworks. Happy 4th of July, Miss Shelly!

This is overgrown, right?

I've seen this beauty passing through my property 3 yrs now! I'm always so happy to see that they're surviving. No worries after the most recent pic - I put her into the edge of my woods, which is the direction she was heading. She took off! ❤️ 🐢 (Magnolia, TX)

Check it out! For my box turtles

It finally happened! A box turtle picked my yard for her babies! I've spent the last 10 years rewilding my backyard, so this is a huge milestone for me, along with the return of the fireflies a few summers ago.

Unfortunately, she picked literally the worst place, directly in the rut of the fence gate. Its the only gate between the front and back yards, and she picked a spot that floods. She was actively laying when I discovered her, so we left her to it, but what can I do to keep the eggs safe once she leaves them? Is moving them feasible? Theyre a VERY long way from the nearest water source, but at least its a straight shot through my backyard. What makes a location suitable for box turtle eggs?

My partner found a box turtle crossing the road about a month ago, and since we are in the pacific northwest, we took her in. She was in a less populated part of town with lots of woods, so she could have been wandering for a while. I never intended on having a turtle but we have both been very charmed by her and have enjoyed learning about her species. I'm not sure if we can keep her long term, as I'm not financially equipped for another pet, but we will probably hang on to her for the summer. Enclosure and diet are sorted, but curious about some details / questions we could use help with:

• We think she is a female ornate box turtle, maybe 10 years old?
• I can't tell if her shell is flaring a bit or if that's normal. She also seems to have a crack in the back of her shell but I'm not sure if it's serious or just surface damage.
• She hides pretty much all day and loves burrowing, so much so that I'm worried that she's not getting any sunlight or drinking enough water. I updated her enclosure today to have better substrate (from the mulch that was already on the ground to coco coir), more pond access and a couple of plants (vancouveria).
• She's never fully closed her shell, when I make sudden moves she ducks her little head and feet in, but when I pick her up she stretches way out, looks around, or flails her arms and legs. Sometimes she hooks my hand with her back legs super tight. I assume she's trying to get away, but if she was terrified, she would close up, right?
• I handle her occasionally (maybe once a week for a few minutes) so she is used to it, so when I have to clean her enclosure or check something, she's acclimated to touch. Is this an ok approach?
• How do I tell if she is miserable or sick? She seems fine but I would hate to miss any non-obvious warning signs.
• Her name is scoots and she is the cutest turtle I have ever seen in my life

Hello, I have a box turtle that we found in a road in Oregon (non native range, probably a released pet), she seems to be about 10 years old and reasonably healthy from what I can tell. She is currently eating berries, mushrooms, egg, veggie scraps, and bugs from the garden in her outdoor enclosure. Would these ingredients be ok for occasional feeding? This is what I feed my dog, and wouldn't be her main food source, more like an occasional treat. I'm very new at being a turtle parent so advice is wanted, thanks! I'm mostly worried about her getting enough calcium.

Main Ingredients: Chicken, barley, potatoes, flaxseed, oats, peas, carrots, tricalcium phosphate, parsley, bananas, celery, minerals*, taurine, vitamins**, dried kelp, salt, fish oil, choline chloride.

Vitamins: **Vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), vitamin D3 supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2).

Minerals: *Potassium chloride, iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, potassium iodide, sodium selenite.

miss henrietta for your timeline

My (indoor only!) cat is called Smokey Twoclaw.

I wonder what I should nickname new turtle buddy?

Much to my 10-year-old daughter's unbounded joy, I am thinking of adopting some rescue turtles! PetSmart had led me to believe it would be an indoor endeavor, but a visit to the Central Texas Tortoise Rescue (CTTR) changed my mind! This would be an outdoor habitat.

Species suggestion:
I am looking to get a smaller tortoise that does not need to be moved indoors for the winter. Any suggestions? CTTR has Russian, Greek, and ornate box turtles. They did not have a herman but said they would be getting one soon. I loved the colorations on the ornate box turtle, but they need protein. I like the Greek too, but it needs an indoor enclosure for the winter (so I was told). I do not have the room or bandwidth to have both an outdoor and indoor enclosure.

Any suggestions on what I should get? How many and what sex? I want them to be as active and interactive as possible.

Enclosure/habitat suggestion:
The pic above is the side of my house that I am thinking of using as the area of the habitat. I understand it is not ideal, but I have a very small yard and this side of the yard is rarely used.

About this area:

1. It is 6 ft wide and 70 ft wide. I can use any part of that area.
2. It has the house on one side and wooden fences on the other 2. The fence is not dug all the way into the ground. Bunnies have come in from under.
3. There is slight slope (about 20 degrees) towards the fence. Water drains away during rain. I do not have rain gutters on the roof so water may fall inside the enclosure area during rain.
4. It gets sunlight, as you see in the pic, but only for about half the day. I can add a UVB lamp if needed, but cannot change the location of the habitat. Yes, I learned about the need for UVB but I am a newbie!

Plan:

1. Decide on the area. Say, I get 2 or 3 box turtles, CTTR says I should not have more than 200 ft.
2. Use cinderblocks on both open ends and no change to the house wall.
3. I need to decide what to do to block under the wooden fence. If I put cinder blocks along the fence, it would cause any rainwater to puddle up.
4. I do not have sprinklers. Will it need a mister on a timer?
5. Predators: I do not know if I have predators. I spot wild bunnies in my backyard almost daily which suggests there may not be any predators. Although I have seen eagles and hawks at a nearby construction site and they may fly over the house.
6. Preventing digging by the pet and predators: Do I put hardware cloth under the boundaries of the enclosure to prevent predators from digging under? Will it hurt the pet's feet?
7. Even if I am using only part of this alley as the enclosure, should I put hardware cloth under the entire length of the fence to keep predators out? Will that be effective? It is a lot of work!
8. Are lights more effective as deterrents for predators?
9. The ground has some grass but it's hard and dry. Do I need a substrate? I intend to plant a few turtle-friendly plants for food and cover.
10. Any further suggestions are more than welcome! I am a complete newbie willing to learn from this awesome community.