Prinmel said:I guess my sister told her mother in law it was a box not a tortoise and the mother got very upset, so apparently she is in denial..
And she has been doing this as a living for 15 years?!?!
No one, and I mean no one, has ever mentioned that these are box turtles?
How are they SURVIVNG? And as already mentioned, it is highly illegal to breed desert tortoises, so at any rate that would be a major problem...
I am not trying to be mean, I am just REALLY confused as to how she could just not know? How can you keep an animal for FIFTEEN YEARS and not even know what it is?????
As Maggie was saying, this is essentially a "land" turtle, not a swimming turtle... They are a bit more aquatic than most tortoises, but not so much as pond turtles. Be VERY careful putting that poor blind baby in water. It should be warm, but not hot, and shallow enough that he can lift his head out of the water with little to no effort. If he could see, it could be a bit deeper, but with those eyes, he can drown.
If he isn't eating, let us know, we can help with that.