Am I even doing this right?

[Cheney Jones]

I have 2 tortoise. Both found outside at 2 seperate times. I have no idea what kind they are. I know 1 male, 1 female. I feed them lettuce, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries.

Can anyone tell me what they are? Am I missing something for their diet? Is their habitat ok?

 

[Tom]

What you have there are box turtles. They are native to your area, so you ought to check in with the local wildlife authorities to find out about the legalities of keeping them.

They are omnivores so they will need more than fruit and lettuce to stay healthy. Insects, earthworms and more variety in general would be good.

Habitat looks okay, but you might need more shade, and I can't tell what sort of pool that is, but be careful. They like and need water, but they can drown in a pool of deep water with slick sides.

Also, they should not be housed as a pair. Males can be very aggressive/assertive, and the long term stress is enough to kill your female. She needs her own habitat, free from his constant attention.

 

[Cheney Jones]

Thank you so much for the quick reply! The habitat is outside, every time I pull out weeds, i see tons of insects and worms. Should I purchase insects and worms to put in there as well?
The small pool does have slick sides so I do not fill it up all the way. That has been a concern of mine but have not yet figured out an alternative to give him.
As for another enclosed for her, she's the smaller more colorful one, how much space will she need? His enclosure was a raised garden we weren't using, so we just fenced it in and put in some plants.
And once I seperate them, should I set time aside for them to socialize? Are they even social animals?
Sorry for all the questions, the Internet really sucks for all this.
TIA!!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

You can buy a clay plant saucer for a waterer. Buy one big enough that there is lots of room for the turtle plus some. Sink it down even with the ground and fill it up all the way. They need to put their whole face in the water to drink.

I think the little turtle on the carpet has had its top layer of keratin scraped off, like from dog teeth?????

You might try posting some fliers on the utility poles around your neighborhood to see if anyone is missing their turtles.

 

[Lyn W]

Thank you so much for the quick reply! The habitat is outside, every time I pull out weeds, i see tons of insects and worms. Should I purchase insects and worms to put in there as well?
The small pool does have slick sides so I do not fill it up all the way. That has been a concern of mine but have not yet figured out an alternative to give him.
As for another enclosed for her, she's the smaller more colorful one, how much space will she need? His enclosure was a raised garden we weren't using, so we just fenced it in and put in some plants.
And once I seperate them, should I set time aside for them to socialize? Are they even social animals?
Sorry for all the questions, the Internet really sucks for all this.
TIA!!

Hi and welcome.
Look no further! You have found the best place for up to date information and great advice from many experienced keepers of all sorts of torts and turtles. All your questions will be answered here. If you search the Species Specific section there may be a caresheet for box turtles which will point you in the right direction.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. You might be able to add a flat rock to the water dish you have, close to the side so they can use that to get out.