Box Turtle and Tortoise Discussion :: Found tortois? What to do, help

[raverqueenage]

there is an ad on craigslist of someone who found a tortois and I have no idea what kind it is, neither do they, but we are more then willing to house it till we know where to bring it/release it.

Phildelphia area, found on the side of the high way, here is pics:




Food, habitat, lighting, whatever else we need to know would be great. We are awaiting an email back from them but wanted to see if we can even handle it's care for now. We have a spare 30 gallon tall tank we can use to house him/her and lights we can use if needed.

thanks guy. Oh and if this is the wrong section, please move it, I wasn't sure where to put it.


Cheers!

[imderanged]

It looks like a box turtle to me. Can it close up it's shell? It might be wild...if it's what I think it is, its's indigious to the area. You might be better off releasing it in a state park or something.

[taylor_a]

Looks pretty similar to this guy....


which, according to Wikipedia, is indigenous to the easter United States.

[jenaero]

That's an eastern box turtle. Best thing to do is release it where it was found (obviously not on the highway). Wild boxies often don't fare well in captivity. It is important to release him as close as possible to where he was found, in a safe area. They have a natural sort of homing instinct that will lead them back to their home territory, even if they are released miles from it. It can be a dangerous trek.

[raverqueenage]

Thanks everyone! The person who found it gave it to a guy who runs a herp rescue who is going to release it to the right area. Thank god for that.

After reading up on the care of these guys I think when we have a house and room for a temp controlled outdoor habitat (and indoor stock tank for the winter) we might consider getting one or a pair. They look so interesting and the care seems simple enough.

[SpotsMama]

Pretty turtle. Glad it worked out.

I'm going to move this to the Box Turtle and Tortoise Discussion section where it will be easier to find for future reference by people who need to see it.