Cactus fruit seeds

[Anyfoot]

Hello Craig. It is a box turtle in very poor condition making specific identification near impossible but it seems to have three toes on the hind foot.
So Terrapene carolina triunguis, the Three-Toed Box Turtle probably.

Hi Dan. Can you help Britney with some husbandry advice. I feel she has been dropped in it. I haven't got a clue about this species.

 

[domalle]

I don't plan on doing the injections since the vet didn't seem knowledgeable enough about her. Her shell was soaked in water daily since she was being treated like a aquatic turtle so I believe she has shell rot. I'm hoping it gets better with the proper nutrition and lighting now that she's set up correctly

I have never treated a turtle with such an advanced case of shell disintegration, bacterial or fungal. Generally all the loose flaky material
must be debrided and topically, sometimes parenterally, treated, but given her poor, possibly fragile condition, I think I would just get her outside in a protected enclosure with quiet attention, food and drinking water and let her start to heal naturally. If she survives this it will because of your sacrifice and loving care on her behalf. You should be commended. It's a testament to turtle design evolutionarily. They can survive almost anything thrown at them
and any obstacles to success and survival placed in their path.

 

[Yvonne G]

So it's not a yellow or red footed tortoise? I've been trying to figure out what she is. I told the vet what I was thinking and he said let me go look her up on the computer and basically agreed saying it's a red footed tortoise

It's a box turtle that has had its shell horribly burned or chewed at one time in its life. Long time ago, though, nothing to worry about now.

 

[Yvonne G]

Wow glad I asked. He gave her an injection of enrofloxcine if anyone has had a sick turtle and wanted me to continue injections for 15 days but she refused to eat for 2 days and was very lethargic so I didn't do the treatment, it's still sitting in my cabinet. My thought behind it was food is more important right now than antibiotics. Thanks for ya'lls help

Why the antibiotic? What did you take the turtle to the vet for? (Symptoms)

 

[leigti]

Would this be a case where the extra virgin coconut oil might be beneficial? I definitely don't think it is a cure all for things but it might be a good nonchemical way to start. Just apply it to the Shell top and bottom, wait about 15 or 20 minutes and then wipe off the excess with a dry towel. That might be where I start. But it would be nice to consult with an experienced reptile vet

 

[Yvonne G]

I have never treated a turtle with such an advanced case of shell disintegration, bacterial or fungal. Generally all the loose flaky material
must be debrided and topically, sometimes parenterally, treated, but given her poor, possibly fragile condition, I think I would just get her outside in a protected enclosure with quiet attention, food and drinking water and let her start to heal naturally. If she survives this it will because of your sacrifice and loving care on her behalf. You should be commended. It's a testament to turtle design evolutionarily. They can survive almost anything thrown at them
and any obstacles to success and survival placed in their path.

I respectfully disagree. I believe the shell damage is old and dry and it will eventually flake off on its own. There is no need to do anything to the shell.

Because the plastron looks just fine (in the second picture), I'm going to go with burned. I believe this turtle has lived through a minor forest fire of sorts. Because I don't know the symptoms, the reason for the visit to the vet, I hesitate to say don't finish giving the injections, but if the injections were because of the shell condition, the injections will accomplish nothing. Only time will make that shell look better.

 

[domalle]

I respectfully disagree. I believe the shell damage is old and dry and it will eventually flake off on its own. There is no need to do anything to the shell.

I will defer to Yvonne on this.
I was not recommending any aggressive treatment at this time for the little turtle but bed rest and loving care.
I relied on the information from Britney that the turtle has been kept longterm in a basically aquatic enclosure and treated as a water turtle,
cultural conditions which would certainly threaten a terrestrial turtle's shell integrity.
But I do not think this looks like burn damage.

 

[leigti]

Taking into consideration what Yvonne said, if it was my Boxturtle I would use the evco on the top shell about once a week or every two weeks. That and a very good outdoor enclosure made for your climate. Check out the box turtle section for some ideas. And the enclosures section has some very good examples to.

 

[domalle]

I just bought cactus fruit for my red footed tortoise and wanted to know if the seeds are safe for them to consume. This fruit is very seedy. Thanks

By the way, Britney, cactus fruit is an excellent and calcium rich food for your turtle and the seeds are not a problem.
Good luck with your little survivor.

 

[Britney McCarty]

Why the antibiotic? What did you take the turtle to the vet for? (Symptoms)

I took her to the vet to see if I needed to do anything about the shell. I'm trying to give her the best chance for survival. I regret the vet now though, it was a waste of money being he didn't know much about her. She doesn't have any symptoms. She's eating very well and seems much happier now that she has more space. Her shell actually looks better that it's dried out now. My heart broke for her when I went to pick her up. The owner was absolutely clueless when it came to her care. It's sad how uneducated people are.

 

[Eric Phillips]

I took her to the vet to see if I needed to do anything about the shell. I'm trying to give her the best chance for survival. I regret the vet now though, it was a waste of money being he didn't know much about her. She doesn't have any symptoms. She's eating very well and seems much happier now that she has more space. Her shell actually looks better that it's dried out now. My heart broke for her when I went to pick her up. The owner was absolutely clueless when it came to her care. It's sad how uneducated people are.

Well, you get my Kudos To You Award. I am glad you took it upon yourself to give this Boxie the proper care it deserves. I've never quite seen a shell in her condition so I defer to Yvonne. Just want to give a warm welcome and glad you shared your Box Turtle with us.

 

[Britney McCarty]

Well, you get my Kudos To You Award. I am glad you took it upon yourself to give this Boxie the proper care it deserves. I've never quite seen a shell in her condition so I defer to Yvonne. Just want to give a warm welcome and glad you shared your Box Turtle with us.

Thank you so much. I looked it up and agree that she is a three toed box turtle. I'm so happy ya'll helped me uncover her identity so now I can take even better care of her diet wise. Ya'll are so helpful and wonderful, I'm so happy I found this forum. I am very grateful for everyone who is trying to give advise and input on my turtle. Her name fits her well being her condition. She's a fighter and my family's Hope ♡

 

[Alex sulcata]

You can use vitashell and it will help to get moisture to the Shell I use it for my three toe box turtles

 

[Angel Carrion]

You can use vitashell and it will help to get moisture to the Shell I use it for my three toe box turtles

I don't recommend vitashell because of the chemicals used to make it and the ingredients list. Extra virgin coconut oil cold pressed is so much better and has no downside, unless you goop it on and don't rub the excess off.
Especially if you are keeping her inside for now, I would really suggest using the EVCO on her carapace to help heal, protect, and moisturize while also killing/preventing any bacteria or fungi that may be starting up (or could start up) on/in her shell's flakes and damage. It is an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial naturally.

 

[Angel Carrion]

An indoor enclosure at least 12 inches deep with at least 12-13 square feet of floor space is best. Outdoor enclosures are even better, climate permitting.

Sphagnum moss and milled coconut husk fiber (coco fiber/coir) or peat moss mixed together is a good moisture retaining substrate. It needs to be about 6 inches deep throughout the enclosure. Humidity needs to be between 60-80% in the enclosure. Using an accurate hydrometer is the best way to measure the levels. Having a water dish under the heat lamp is a way to keep humidity up, just make sure the water doesn't get too hot for the turtle and that, while it is under the lamp, it isn't sitting DIRECTLY under, as that is where the turtle will bask. The moistened substrate will also keep humidity up. The water dish needs to be big enough that the turtle can soak on her own, but shallow enough that she doesn't accidentally flip over while trying to climb in or out. Misting the enclosure is another good way to keep humidity up.
Temp ranges; 80ish F on warm side, 70-75 F on cool side, 85-90 F for the basking spot. Nighttime temps should not go below 65 F.

Heat lamp UVA and a UVB bulb will be needed, or you can get a mercury vapor bulb which produces heat and UVB. If you get a heat lamp and UVB bulb separate of each other, make sure to NOT get a coil bulb. Those can damage turtle eyes and cause blindness. A UVB bulb should be replaced every 6 months, but a mercury vapor bulb can be replaced every 12-18 months. The lamps need to be 16-18 inches above turtle so as to avoid burning them.
Using a digital temp gun is most useful in reading the temps accurately. I got mine off amazon for 12-14 bucks.

Food items and how much
Animal matter: 50% of meal -- crickets, earthworms, feeder fish (not goldfish - may make them sick, like upset stomach or something), Dubai roaches (yum!), mealworms (as a treat), grasshoppers, sow bugs, katydids, isopods, june bugs, slugs (but not banana slugs), terrestrial snails, waxworms, various grubs, superworms (zoophobas), blood worms, carrion, beefheart, gastropods, spiders, cicadas, silkworms, millipedes, pill bugs, butterfly larvae, preying mantids (remove spiked forelegs first), boiled skinless chicken, boiled eggs with shell, cooked lean ground beef, nightcrawlers. Can feed a pinkie or fuzzy once a month. Freeze in freezer bag for 72 hours at least to kill any parasites. Thaw in tepid water before serving. Never use microwave to defrost! NEVER FEED EASTERN TENT CATERPILLARS
Vegetables: 20% of meal -- pretty much all squashes, bell peppers (not often), carrots, corn on the cob (boiled, not often), green beans, okra, opuntia cactus pad & fruit, peas in the pod, various pumpkins, sweet potatoes, zucchini.
Greens: 10% of meal -- bibb, various kinds of clover, collard greens, dandelion greens & weeds, escarole, kale (not often), mustard greens, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, turnip greens, watercress, pesticide-free field-collected weeds & leaves (I suggest only picking those you can identify).
Fruits: 10% of meal -- apples, apricot, figs, banana (mainly as a treat), all berries, grapes, kiwi, all melons, peach, plum, tomatoes (never feed any other part of the tomato plant- not safe)
Fungi/mushrooms: 10% of meal -- chanterelle, fried-chicken mushrooms (yeah, that's a thing), meadow, morel, oyster, puffball, russulas, shaggy inkcap. (Yes those are all different mushrooms). Do not offer Portabello mushrooms. Can't remember why.

Once a week, lightly dust meal with a calcium supplement with Vitamin D3 and a vitamin supplement. I use Rep-Cal Phosphorus-free Calcium with Vitamin D3 (the phosphorus-free info is important) and ZooMed's Reptivite. Leaving a cuttlebone in the enclosure will give the turtle the opportunity to free-serve calcium as they need
Do not offer cat food as most commercial cat foods produce acidic urine, which will increase the excretion of calcium in the urine.This can and most likely will cause a calcium deficiency in reptiles and can lead to metabolic bone disease, shell deformities, and soft tissue calcification. Using a low-fat wet dog food can be done if the turtle will not eat anything you offer to entice them to start eating.

Dealing with a reluctant eater: Box turtles are most active in the mornings, evenings, and after it rains. Try misting the enclosure before feeding & offer meals in the morning after the turtle has had time to warm up but before the day becomes too hot. If the turtle continues to not eat, try overripe brightly colored fruits like strawberries and cantaloupe (those are my guys favorites) and bananas. Also, turtles are naturally attracted to moving food. If your turtle will only eat live foods, try cutting up a nightcrawler or two and mixing it with some veggies and fruits so that the wiggling in and on the meal will attract them. As they try to eat the nightcrawler, they will likely accidentally grab the greens and such. After doing this for a while, reduce the amount of nightcrawlers until the box turtle consistently eats the veggies and greens.

How to get shy turtles out to eat: feed underneath foliage and keep activity in the area to a minimum as much as possible while eating.
Be sure to offer a wide variety and change things up. Turtles become bored being offered the same foods every meal.

Feeding frequency:
Hatchling to 1 year old, or underweight turtle - one to two days
one to three years old, or recovering from illness - two to three days
three years and older - three to four days
overweight - four days

Feed on a flat plate, plastic lid, flat rock, or paper plate. Be warned: turtles may try to eat the paper plates. Flat rocks are best generally because the rock will help file the beak and keep the nails trim.

Gut-loading insects: Crickets and mealworms (and others) can be gut-loaded two days before use. Feed them a high-calcium invertebrate food - sweet potato, high quality tropical fish flake, or low fat dry dog food. To provide the insects with moisture and added nutrients that will be passed on to the turtle, offer the feeders leafy greens like turnip greens or dandelion greens.

All invertebrate food items (except earthworms) should be lightly dusted with the calcium supplement just before serving. You can do this by putting some of the supplement powder in a sandwich bag then put that meal's insects in, close the bag, and gently shake to coat them in the supplement. Place in front of the turtle. If the feeders are moving around too much, the dust will fall off. It is best to offer them using forceps or by incapacitating them while still being able to move enough to draw the turtle's attention.
Make sure to mist the enclosure at least once a day.
I think that's it right now unless you want me to go into medical stuff.

 

[Britney McCarty]

An indoor enclosure at least 12 inches deep with at least 12-13 square feet of floor space is best. Outdoor enclosures are even better, climate permitting.

Sphagnum moss and milled coconut husk fiber (coco fiber/coir) or peat moss mixed together is a good moisture retaining substrate. It needs to be about 6 inches deep throughout the enclosure. Humidity needs to be between 60-80% in the enclosure. Using an accurate hydrometer is the best way to measure the levels. Having a water dish under the heat lamp is a way to keep humidity up, just make sure the water doesn't get too hot for the turtle and that, while it is under the lamp, it isn't sitting DIRECTLY under, as that is where the turtle will bask. The moistened substrate will also keep humidity up. The water dish needs to be big enough that the turtle can soak on her own, but shallow enough that she doesn't accidentally flip over while trying to climb in or out. Misting the enclosure is another good way to keep humidity up.
Temp ranges; 80ish F on warm side, 70-75 F on cool side, 85-90 F for the basking spot. Nighttime temps should not go below 65 F.

Heat lamp UVA and a UVB bulb will be needed, or you can get a mercury vapor bulb which produces heat and UVB. If you get a heat lamp and UVB bulb separate of each other, make sure to NOT get a coil bulb. Those can damage turtle eyes and cause blindness. A UVB bulb should be replaced every 6 months, but a mercury vapor bulb can be replaced every 12-18 months. The lamps need to be 16-18 inches above turtle so as to avoid burning them.
Using a digital temp gun is most useful in reading the temps accurately. I got mine off amazon for 12-14 bucks.

Food items and how much
Animal matter: 50% of meal -- crickets, earthworms, feeder fish (not goldfish - may make them sick, like upset stomach or something), Dubai roaches (yum!), mealworms (as a treat), grasshoppers, sow bugs, katydids, isopods, june bugs, slugs (but not banana slugs), terrestrial snails, waxworms, various grubs, superworms (zoophobas), blood worms, carrion, beefheart, gastropods, spiders, cicadas, silkworms, millipedes, pill bugs, butterfly larvae, preying mantids (remove spiked forelegs first), boiled skinless chicken, boiled eggs with shell, cooked lean ground beef, nightcrawlers. Can feed a pinkie or fuzzy once a month. Freeze in freezer bag for 72 hours at least to kill any parasites. Thaw in tepid water before serving. Never use microwave to defrost! NEVER FEED EASTERN TENT CATERPILLARS
Vegetables: 20% of meal -- pretty much all squashes, bell peppers (not often), carrots, corn on the cob (boiled, not often), green beans, okra, opuntia cactus pad & fruit, peas in the pod, various pumpkins, sweet potatoes, zucchini.
Greens: 10% of meal -- bibb, various kinds of clover, collard greens, dandelion greens & weeds, escarole, kale (not often), mustard greens, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, turnip greens, watercress, pesticide-free field-collected weeds & leaves (I suggest only picking those you can identify).
Fruits: 10% of meal -- apples, apricot, figs, banana (mainly as a treat), all berries, grapes, kiwi, all melons, peach, plum, tomatoes (never feed any other part of the tomato plant- not safe)
Fungi/mushrooms: 10% of meal -- chanterelle, fried-chicken mushrooms (yeah, that's a thing), meadow, morel, oyster, puffball, russulas, shaggy inkcap. (Yes those are all different mushrooms). Do not offer Portabello mushrooms. Can't remember why.

Once a week, lightly dust meal with a calcium supplement with Vitamin D3 and a vitamin supplement. I use Rep-Cal Phosphorus-free Calcium with Vitamin D3 (the phosphorus-free info is important) and ZooMed's Reptivite. Leaving a cuttlebone in the enclosure will give the turtle the opportunity to free-serve calcium as they need
Do not offer cat food as most commercial cat foods produce acidic urine, which will increase the excretion of calcium in the urine.This can and most likely will cause a calcium deficiency in reptiles and can lead to metabolic bone disease, shell deformities, and soft tissue calcification. Using a low-fat wet dog food can be done if the turtle will not eat anything you offer to entice them to start eating.

Dealing with a reluctant eater: Box turtles are most active in the mornings, evenings, and after it rains. Try misting the enclosure before feeding & offer meals in the morning after the turtle has had time to warm up but before the day becomes too hot. If the turtle continues to not eat, try overripe brightly colored fruits like strawberries and cantaloupe (those are my guys favorites) and bananas. Also, turtles are naturally attracted to moving food. If your turtle will only eat live foods, try cutting up a nightcrawler or two and mixing it with some veggies and fruits so that the wiggling in and on the meal will attract them. As they try to eat the nightcrawler, they will likely accidentally grab the greens and such. After doing this for a while, reduce the amount of nightcrawlers until the box turtle consistently eats the veggies and greens.

How to get shy turtles out to eat: feed underneath foliage and keep activity in the area to a minimum as much as possible while eating.
Be sure to offer a wide variety and change things up. Turtles become bored being offered the same foods every meal.

Feeding frequency:
Hatchling to 1 year old, or underweight turtle - one to two days
one to three years old, or recovering from illness - two to three days
three years and older - three to four days
overweight - four days

Feed on a flat plate, plastic lid, flat rock, or paper plate. Be warned: turtles may try to eat the paper plates. Flat rocks are best generally because the rock will help file the beak and keep the nails trim.

Gut-loading insects: Crickets and mealworms (and others) can be gut-loaded two days before use. Feed them a high-calcium invertebrate food - sweet potato, high quality tropical fish flake, or low fat dry dog food. To provide the insects with moisture and added nutrients that will be passed on to the turtle, offer the feeders leafy greens like turnip greens or dandelion greens.

All invertebrate food items (except earthworms) should be lightly dusted with the calcium supplement just before serving. You can do this by putting some of the supplement powder in a sandwich bag then put that meal's insects in, close the bag, and gently shake to coat them in the supplement. Place in front of the turtle. If the feeders are moving around too much, the dust will fall off. It is best to offer them using forceps or by incapacitating them while still being able to move enough to draw the turtle's attention.
Make sure to mist the enclosure at least once a day.
I think that's it right now unless you want me to go into medical stuff.

Thank you so much. You really helped me with some great information.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Thank you so much. You really helped me with some great information.

No problem. Need any more help, let us know.