Escaped 3 toed box turtle

Sarahw11

New Member
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Massachusetts
Hi everyone, I'm new here and in search of any help I can get. My 3 toed box turtle of 28 years escaped my house somehow last Friday. He has never been a wild turtle and we think his actual age is around 60 as he was owned by 2 previous families before us. We've taken him outside a few times ( we just moved into this house less than a year ago) but we are always with him. This time a door was left open to the garage. He would have had to tumble onto a landing and then either fall off the side or fall down 5 stairs, both being onto cement. Then somehow get out of the garage with no one seeing him. There was about a 13 hour gap between me last seeing him and realizing he was gone. We always let him walk around the house but the most he has ever done is hide under furniture which I thought he was just doing. Once we realized the severity of it, I panicked. I can't imagine him outside all alone. It's making me go crazy. We have a lot of woods around us but can still see the neighbors. We've had people over for days and nights scouring the woods and looking for any signs. I posted to our neighborhood FBI group. I've set out water dishes and apples and put tuna in a box (read that on another page) to lure him in but there are no signs of him. We even went as far as hiring a K9 team of dogs that searches for missing pets but the best they could do was "maybe" narrow it down to a certain area of 75ft around. Is there anything else I can do? I'm guessing time is of the essence and I can't imagine my life without this little guy that I got when I was only 5 years old. My own son now loves him and keeps asking for him. My heart is broken. Can anyone give me any help or advice? Would he have left the property or just hid? I am in Massachusetts and the weather has been around 65° during the day but still pretty cool at night. It also rained really hard Sunday night. That just tore me apart. I would literally appreciate anything anyone can tell me. Thank you in advance and thank you for reading this incredibly long post!
 

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wellington

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So sorry to hear this. Call local vets, pet stores and animal rescues incase he is found and turned in. Put up posters around your area. If it's colder at night and only 60's during the day she will want to bask in the sun. Start looking once the sun has been up for about a half hour and search sunny places. Keep looking, don't giv up. Many have been found months later. A lot of times they aren't as far as you think.
Good luck and keep us posted.
I'd like to suggest giving her a proper enclosure when you find her. I know you might have kept her roaming your floors for years, but this is why we suggest not too. Eventually something bad always happens.
 

orv

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Apr 24, 2014
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Aguanga, CA
Your story is heart wrenching. We too have long term tortoises in our family. Our lives wouldn't seem complete without them. Keep in touch and let us celebrate with you when he's found.
 

Sarahw11

New Member
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Massachusetts
So sorry to hear this. Call local vets, pet stores and animal rescues incase he is found and turned in. Put up posters around your area. If it's colder at night and only 60's during the day she will want to bask in the sun. Start looking once the sun has been up for about a half hour and search sunny places. Keep looking, don't giv up. Many have been found months later. A lot of times they aren't as far as you think.
Good luck and keep us posted.
I'd like to suggest giving her a proper enclosure when you find her. I know you might have kept her roaming your floors for years, but this is why we suggest not too. Eventually something bad always happens.
Thank you very much for your input. He does have a proper enclosure, the same one that he's had my whole life actually. We just let him out some days to get exercise. I feel bad always having him cooped up especially when he's so active :( I will get up early tomorrow morning and see if he has come out of hiding. I've been checking in the mornings but usually a couple hours after the sun comes up.
 

Via Infinito

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Dec 18, 2017
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115
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Viet Nam
28 years
Omg that's just heart-breaking!
U know it longer than your partner, children, all of your friends, etc.
I don't even know how I would cope if it was me.


Reading wiki,
Three-toed box turtles are known to migrate seasonally in order to maintain their preferred humidity level. In Arkansas, three-toed box turtles were observed in grasslands in late spring, while in early spring, summer, and late fall they were found in forested areas.[11] During dry times, they dig shallow burrows into leaf litter to conserve moisture. When water is available, these turtles soak for longer periods of time than any of the other subspecies.

I don't know if this helps
 

Sarahw11

New Member
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Massachusetts
28 years
Omg that's just heart-breaking!
U know it longer than your partner, children, all of your friends, etc.
I don't even know how I would cope if it was me.


Reading wiki,
Three-toed box turtles are known to migrate seasonally in order to maintain their preferred humidity level. In Arkansas, three-toed box turtles were observed in grasslands in late spring, while in early spring, summer, and late fall they were found in forested areas.[11] During dry times, they dig shallow burrows into leaf litter to conserve moisture. When water is available, these turtles soak for longer periods of time than any of the other subspecies.

I don't know if this helps
Thank you. I've been raking like my life depends on it. It doesn't help that these little guys are the same color as the leaves! I really don't think he would have gone far and I'm hoping he has conserved moisture at this point because it's been almost a week since he's drank/eaten. Hopefully he's found a grub or a worm so satisfy him. This whole ordeal just feels like a nightmare. I'd give anything to go back to that day...
 

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