My dad found a baby box turtle in his yard in Texas.?

Question

He brought it to SC. At this point, the turtle is in a very closed-in area. I don't know where to keep him. I've got food that i don't know if he's eating, but its box turtle food. I want to also give him other foods. He has a water...container, that he sorta rests in and i really feel like he thinks hes very trapped. We take him out from time to time, but all he wants to do is wander... TIPS PLEASE AND AS MUCH AS U CAN GIVE...i don't want to kill the little thing!!!

Answer 1

let it go and get a store bought one

Answer 2

You are killing him by keeping him confined, he belongs outside in a natural environment - near a pond or lake (fresh water), thus the wandering. If it is a baby he may also be looking for his mother and father, they actually do keep close all throughout life.

The ones here also like melons - canteloupe, honey dew, watermelon slices besides dark leafy veggies.

Answer 3

a box turtle spends its entire life wandering around an area the size of a football field.  the turtle needs to be returned to the area in which it was kidnapped.  what a rotten thing your dad did.

Answer 4

Hi, your turtle needs as big an enclosure as possible because these guys like to roam around a lot. Because he was wild caught he probably won't eat the box turtle food, try feeding dark green leafy veggies like kale or spinach, also tomato slices.  Occasionally they will eat earthworms or other insects.  Make sure his water dish is big enough for him to get into and soak.  Also be aware that these guys hibernate  during the winter so a soil area of the terrarium is a good idea as well.  There is lots of good info online about these guys!  Research box turtle humidity and temp requirements also because these are very important. hope that helps and good luck.  (also do not release the turtle back into the wild in S.C. because there are different subspecies in the U.S. and you could contribute to destroying the natural ecosystems in your area)

Answer 5

When I had a box turtle, I gave him a quarter slice of a tomato every day. He ate it, and he lived happily until he ran away (no, he didn't die, he actually got out of the pen in our backyard we had for him, crawled to the otherside of our house, slid under the fence gate, and just kept on going).

Make sure it has water. You can give it grubs and lettuce too.

Answer 6

We had several box turtles for years before we released them.  We kept them in an enclosed/fenced area in the yard under a tree and put a small plastic wading pull into the ground so they could walk right in. If it is very small an aquarium [minus the water] would be fine for a bit. You could put about an inch of water in the bottom with a few large rocks that he can climb onto so that it can drink or swim whenever it wants I checked with a local habitat facility and they told me that you can feed them canned dog food...they will eat hamburger but the canned dogfood has more nutrients than the hamburger,,,also berries are enjoyed by them.  If that sounds like too much trouble then my suggestion is to release it.

Answer 7

If its a texas tortoise your dad broke the law...they are a protected species and you are not allowed to keep them as pets unless you have a lisence...which im assuming you dont have!

Tell your dad to take it back home and release him...its the right thing to do.

Answer 8

Do you have a yard with a protected area (i.e. shade) as well as sun?  If so, why not make him a little "turtle paradise" outside with access to fresh water and a little bit of food every day.  Don't keep him in a cage outside, just try to make the area inviting for a turtle - find out what your dad had in his yard that might have been attractive to him too.  If you don't let anyone tease him by picking him up a lot (just enjoy watching him) he may stick around.  We did this many years ago and we used to see "our" turtle many times a month.  Since he was free and still wild, we also didn't have to worry about cleaning out cages or what to do with him on vacations, etc.  It is quite possible that he doesn't even know the turtle food is turtle food since he wasn't bred in captivity, but find out what they eat in the wild and make sure it is available.  Either way, don't keep him inside in an aquarium or he will likely die.  Once you put him outside, make sure to clean out whatever he was in very very well with a bleach/water solution and then rinse completely.  He is likely carrying something that would kill anything that was bred in captivity just as he would be easily killed by something he is not used to being around.

Answer 9

A 10 gallon tank should be fine for the little guy right now if you have space issues and they are fairly cheap to buy. They enjoy lying in water bowls but make sure its not to deep and easy to get in and out of. They love to eat crickets too so try that also.