Help Identifying Tortoise!

elansu

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Joined
May 26, 2019
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3
Location (City and/or State)
North Carolina
Hi, new poster here! I'm unable to get a solid identification on what this lil dude is, all I can tell is that she is a female. I'm unable to bring her to the vet at the moment to have them look at her there, so I figured I could try here since it seems like this could help!

At the moment, myself and someone at one of the local pet shops believes she's a russian tortoise but we aren't sure since her shell doesn't quite match anything we've seen.

Here are some images of her that I got with some natural lighting on her walk today.

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We currently have a 30x12x12 tank for her that we had previously since she is still rather small, only about four inches long. We have a decent sized hide she can move around in, alfalfa pellets for the ground, a heat lamp, a UV bulb (emits 5-10 uvb), calcium/vitamin supplement to put on food, and a large enough water bowl for her to place herself in. We aren't sure if her diet or anything would change depending on what she specifically is, so we stuck with the general guides. We have been feeding her mostly lettuce and kale with some celery leaves occasionally at the moment.
 

Toddrickfl1

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Looks like a Eastern box turtle who has had damage to his shell in the past that has since healed, probably from fire, but in any case definitely a box turtle. Native to your area and you might want to check your laws on keeping them as many states do not permit keeping them as pets.
 

elansu

New Member
Joined
May 26, 2019
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Location (City and/or State)
North Carolina
Looks like a Eastern box turtle who has had damage to his shell in the past that has since healed, probably from fire, but in any case definitely a box turtle. Native to your area and you might want to check your laws on keeping them as many states do not permit keeping them as pets.
Thank you so much! We were confused at the store the other day because she has that red eye, but her shell looked so much like tortoises. That helps a lot. We will definitely work on making her home properly!!! We are also able to keep her since we did not purchase her from a shop, it is only illegal here if they are purchased or sold. She is a rescue.
 

Toddrickfl1

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Thank you so much! We were confused at the store the other day because she has that red eye, but her shell looked so much like tortoises. That helps a lot. We will definitely work on making her home properly!!! We are also able to keep her since we did not purchase her from a shop, it is only illegal here if they are purchased or sold. She is a rescue.
Good deal, congrats on your new friend. We are not allowed to keep them here in GA. They like to be kept humid, and they eat protein too.
 

Yvonne G

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Dry pellets isn't a good substrate for a box turtle. Please read a care sheet and learn the correct way to house and care for the animal. (red eyes usually denotes a male turtle)
 

elansu

New Member
Joined
May 26, 2019
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
North Carolina
Dry pellets isn't a good substrate for a box turtle. Please read a care sheet and learn the correct way to house and care for the animal. (red eyes usually denotes a male turtle)
I am doing a bunch of research now! We were pointed towards believing it was a tortoise due to the shell, but we are working on getting substrate with dirt and getting some protein in the food now :)
 
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