Anyone know what kind of tortoise this is?

[chrismaldo]

Hello,

I need to know what kind of tortoise this is. He is really small, about 1/2 the size of my palm. I'll try to get a better picture up is anyone needs it.

Any help would be awesome!!

Thanks,
Christian

 

[egyptiandan]

Hi Christian,
It looks like you have a Box turtle, Terrapene carolina ssp. We'd need better pictures to tell subspecies.

Danny

 

[chrismaldo]

Here's another picture. It's so hard to take a good one, he's so small. I'm concerned because of it.

Hi Christian,
It looks like you have a Box turtle, Terrapene carolina ssp. We'd need better pictures to tell subspecies.

Danny

 

[egyptiandan]

With the better pictures What you have is a mud turtle, Kinosternon sp. It's an aquatic turtle, so it needs to be in the water (2 or 3 inches is fine for now). Where are you located? That will help us tell what species it is.

Danny

 

[chrismaldo]

I'm actually in Mexico. I'm part of an exchange program here, I'm from California tho. I'm at my grandparents house in Leon, Guanajuato. It's about a five hour drive from Mexico City- pretty inland.

With the better pictures What you have is a mud turtle, Kinosternon sp. It's an aquatic turtle, so it needs to be in the water (2 or 3 inches is fine for now). Where are you located? That will help us tell what species it is.

Danny

 

[egyptiandan]

It's most likely Kinosternon hirtipes murrayi, Mexican plateau mud turtle.

Danny

 

[chrismaldo]

That's great! Thank you! He showed up at the kitchen door one morning (the house has a very open floor plan) and I thought it was a rock at first from the size. It looks like a dog or something got to him though, his shell is damaged. I got him some rep-cal and a vitamin supplement. His plastron is a little bit soft too.

It's most likely Kinosternon hirtipes murrayi, Mexican plateau mud turtle.

Danny

 

[Yvonne G]

He IS a brand-new baby, Chrismaldo: There are probably three more somewhere in your yard. And they are a little soft for the first couple months of life. Try to keep him quiet so he can get over the stress of being mauled. Is the injury superficial?

Yvonne

 

[chrismaldo]

Yeah, there's no sign of blood or anything. I don't know much about mud turtles (didn't even know he was a mud turtle until yesterday , thanks Danny.) I tried to give him a shallow pool to swim in (about two inches) as well as half the tank devoted to land. Don't think wood chips were the best choice anymore and he might need a little bit more of an aquatic habitat now that I know he's a mud. Here's a picture of what he's got right now,

I got a glass aquarium for him (or her?...), I bring the aquarium outside for two hours a day so he can get some real sun, in addition to the UVB light once I bring him in. It's been pretty nice weather for him outside, it usually rains here this time of year but he's been able to get some rays. He likes burrow into the woodchips and will hang out there, then switch to the small pool of water about once a day. Sits right under the falling water. It would be awesome if its possible keep him (healthy and otherwise)!

He IS a brand-new baby, Chrismaldo: There are probably three more somewhere in your yard. And they are a little soft for the first couple months of life. Try to keep him quiet so he can get over the stress of being mauled. Is the injury superficial?

Yvonne

 

[Yvonne G]

Mud turtles CAN swim, but in an aquarium they do best if they can just walk up the sloping gravel to reach the top of the water to breathe. Its not that they're lazy, they are just not built for too much swimming. Also, be careful of the glass outside in the sun...it acts as a magnifier and might make the water too hot.

Baby turtles are prey, and will stay hidden all the time if they don't feel safe.

Yvonne

 

[chrismaldo]

Thanks for the advice! I might just leave his aquarium the way it is then.

Mud turtles CAN swim, but in an aquarium they do best if they can just walk up the sloping gravel to reach the top of the water to breathe. Its not that they're lazy, they are just not built for too much swimming. Also, be careful of the glass outside in the sun...it acts as a magnifier and might make the water too hot.

Baby turtles are prey, and will stay hidden all the time if they don't feel safe.

Yvonne