Big turtle care questions?

Question

ok so i found this turtle on my street and toke it in as my pet

i have had it for about a month and i have some questions

1)how do i know if its a boy or a girl?

2)how do i tell if its an adult ?

3) what a recommended food i give it?

4)should i keep it in deep or shallow water?

5)will my turtle have to hibernate?

6) and are turtles supposed to sleep?

Answer 1

You found it, you SHOULD RELEASE IT- take it to a wooded area near where you found it (it is coming to your yard because that is where it knows.) Understand- it is usually illegal to keep wild box turtles, and wild box turtles rarely do well in captivity- especially with a beginner keeper.

I'm going to answer your other questions as well, but PLEASE RELEASE IT.

1. When it is sexually mature, the male will have in in-curved belly (plastron). Males often have bright red eyes, but that is not a guarantee of anything,

2. It will be an adult when it is fully grown. For an Eastern Box Turtle, that is about 5" long

3. You can learn the right diet at http://www.boxturtlesite.info

4. It is a land turtle. See the site above for housing ideas.

5. Hibernation is healthy, but hard for beginner keepers to do safely. See the above site.

6. Yes, turtles sleep. in fact, they sleep a lot in the wild.

Answer 2

Reccomend that you release it , it's wild and won't adapt to want you are planning to do with it.

Answer 3

1. the bottom of the shell is a good way to tell, flat if it's a girl, curved in if it's a boy.

2. How big is it? That will tell you.

3.You can go to any pet shop and buy box turtle food.

4.Box turtles are not aquatic.

5. Most do.

6. Yes they sleep.

That all being said, my turn for questions, you have had it for a month... what have you been feeding it? where do you keep it? Do you provide the proper lighting and heat? Are you qualified to take care of a turtle, when you don't know the basic husbandry? Have you considered taking it back where you found it and letting it go?

Wild animals should only be taken in if you can A. give it a better home then what it has.

B. Know everything you are getting into and be prepared before hand.

C. Medical reasons.

You may want to consider letting it go. Or use your computer and do some research.

** Take him to a wooded area away from homes and roads and let him go there. You probably have something he like to eat in your yard. What about the other questions?

*** Also, there are many types of box turtles in the wild. and they can be found in most US states. Provided that it is actually a box turtle.

Answer 4

Congratulations to your box turtle for surviving your care for a month.

Male box turtles generally have dark brown or red eyes, dusky jaws, and concave lower shells. Females usually have orange or brown eyes, pale yellow jaws, and flat plastrons.

If the shell is a couple of inches long, you have a juvenile; if it is 5" long, you have an adult.

Box turtles are easy to feed; they eat almost anything. Dog food (canned) makes a good staple food (unless it contains gluten from Chinese wheat). Dark green leafy vegetables ar good.  Live earthworms will have a box turtle l*****g its lips, so to speak. Fruit should be reserved as a treat.

The only water a box turtle should have is a shallow dish in one corner of its cage. They drink it, soak in it, and use it for a toilet, so it has to be cleaned and refilled fairly often.

It will hibernate if you keep it in your yard. Provide it with a big pile of leaves. If you have it indoors, at temperatures you find comfortable, it will probably not hibernate.

Turtles sleep when they get tired. Don't you?

There are books and care sheets available on the care of box turtles. Read them.

Answer 5

You've had it for a month and you still don't know what it eats?! You're asking if a box turtle should live in deep water?! Please release it before it dies. Wild turtles should not be caught and kept as pets, especially if you know nothing about them.

Answer 6

Do not release it!  Most box turtles found wandering in town(does your area have native box turtles?) are not wild, but unwanted pets.  Take it to a vet to get a clean bill of health.  They can identify the breed, answer your questions and recommend other resources.  You can also look to a local herp. society where they have members that are willing to help educate reptile owners.

Answer 7

well first off you should find out exactly what kind of "BOX" turtle it is..in my state it is illegal to keep a texas tortoise....endangered species......

On the other hand it could be someones pet..you should put up found posters....

If no one claims then depending on what kind of turtle it is and what kind of habitat its kept in will depend if it will hibernate or not...

as for diet again depending on the turtle it could need greens or it could need crickewts and worms if i knew more i could help more.

Answer 8

it is a wild creature so just let it go or give it to a reserve NOT A ZOO!  People will throw stuff at him.  besides the best thing for it is for it to go home.  you don't know if it is a parent or child.