My son found a small box turtle.....?????

Question

It is about the size of an adults palm. I have it in a large shoe box right now, but don't know what to do with it. He wants to keep it, but I am clueless as how to take of it. Any help would be appreciated.

Ok, I have an aquarium in storage that I can't get to til tomorrow after work. I can go to the library tomorrow at lunch. What about for the night? Shoebox? Water? Inside or out? I've tried the talk that he needs to go back, but he is very adamant about keeping it.

Mycroft...thx for the website....I know now it is not a box turtle. It has no yellow on it. A chocolate brown top shell, with red markings on it's legs, tail, bottom shell.

I AM the boss, but if it makes him happy, then why argue over something that brings a smile to his face??? How the heck do you think pet stores came about? Someone at sometime had a turtle from the wild and bred them.

I now know it is a painted turtle. I called my uncle, who is a Boy Scout Advisor, who also had many turtles when he was younger, all lived quite a few years. He gave me some good advice and now the turtle is resting comfortably on our enclosed back porch in a large box with a tray of H20, some lettuce and a few rocks, as well as a low watt light bulb to keep him warm.

Thanks for all the good advice!!!

I AM the boss, but if it makes him happy, then why argue over something that brings a smile to his face??? How the heck do you think pet stores came about? Someone at sometime had a turtle from the wild and bred them.

I now know it is a painted turtle. I called my uncle, who is a Boy Scout Advisor, who also had many turtles when he was younger, all lived quite a few years. He gave me some good advice and now the turtle is resting comfortably on our enclosed back porch in a large box with a tray of H20, some lettuce and a few rocks, as well as a low watt light bulb to keep him warm.

Thanks for all the good advice!!!

I AM the boss, but if it makes him happy, then why argue over something that brings a smile to his face??? How the heck do you think pet stores came about? Someone at sometime had a turtle from the wild and bred them.

I now know it is a painted turtle. I called my uncle, who is a Boy Scout Advisor, who also had many turtles when he was younger, all lived quite a few years. He gave me some good advice and now the turtle is resting comfortably on our enclosed back porch in a large box with a tray of H20, some lettuce and a few rocks, as well as a low watt light bulb to keep him warm.

Thanks for all the good advice!!!

DUDE?!?!? WHAT IS THAT ALL ABOUT??? I hit submit once, and it came up more than that.....strange.

Answer 1

Please return the turtle... it is a female painted turtle trying to lay eggs. Painted turtles do not come on land except to lay eggs. It is egg-laying season right now.

If the gravid female does not lay the eggs, she will be in much pain and cause serious problems. Explain and teach your son to respect nature and let the turtle go and do her thing.

If your son really wants a turtle, look for a hatchling or better buy one from the store that is CB (captive bred) and has no parasites.

BTW, painted turtles need to be in water in order to swallow. They cannot eat on land.

Here is a carehseet for painted turtles:
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-midland_painted.htm

Answer 2

Wild caught turtles can often carry parasites or diseases and don't generally do well in captivity. You should definitely try to identify the species because some are even endangered and may not be legally kept as pets.

To help you identify it and for long term reptile care and advice check out the ultimate reptile hobbyist's website:

http://www.kingsnake.com

It has everything and you can connect via message boards to other herp owners if you need more specific advice for care and housing.

good luck. Herps are a lot of fun but to properly keep one is VERY costly! The turtle may be free but the UVA, UVB, substrate, calcium supplements, vet bills and whatever else you may need can add up to quite a lot especially if it is a water turtle! Just keep that in mind.

Answer 3

Be careful about keeping it. Many box turtle species are dwindling in numbers and they live for a very long time. Turtles may be relatively easy to keep but they are very boring animals for most children and therefore you son would probably lose interest if he kept it. Why not take it to a local nature park to release it or perhaps call the state wildlife office to ask them what to do with it.

Answer 4

No, do not keep it! Who is the boss here, you or your son? Wild animals do not belong in peoples' homes! Would you like it if u were a turtle and someone kept u and never returned u back to your home in the wild? U would miss your family and friends. Just let the turtle back in the wild. Wild animals are not suppose to be pets!

Answer 5

A large plastic tote box will do the trick. Tilted so that water pools at one end. They are naturally drawn to water. Some pine straw or leaves at the other end for the to bed or hide in. Crickets flies and other insects for food. Or you can go to a pet store and buy turtle food. We had one a couple years ago and did some research on it.

Answer 6

A 10-gallon aquarium would be a good start. Then, go to any pet store, and they will be able to help you pick out a sunning rock, heat lamp, and other supplies. Turtles eat bugs, crickets, and leafy greens. One good bug is a pill bug, or rolly poly. They are super-high in calcium. Or, visit your local library for books on turtles.

Answer 7

get a big cardboard box....keep it outside....turtle food at a pet store or walmart and then water and it u wanna be great put some rocks and stick and stuff in there. make sure it cant climb out!

Answer 8

some rocks and water, feed it crickets/worms, a heating lamp too (cold blooded)

Answer 9

Here you go:

http://boxturtlesite.org/bxbook.html

Answer 10

Oh, so that's where it went. I been looking for it for weeks.