Homeless Tortoise, Please Help!

[pinwaven]

Hi all, today, we found a tortoise wondering around on our driveway. I have never seen a wild tortoise in Long Island, NY, it is very likely to be a neighbor's pet. If it is a pet, it might not survive in the wild, so I took it inside the house. Please help identifying this tortoise, if it is a native species in Long Island, NY, I will release it into the woods. Otherwise, I will send a letter to the neighbors to inform them about a missing pet. Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

It's a box turtle. I'm thinking it may be an eastern box turtle. Not real sure, but I think they ARE native to New York.

 

[Millerlite]

Looks to be a three toed box turtle, but could be a eastern which is native to your area and I believe illegal to keep, but not 100 percent.

 

[terryo]

If you are in Long Island, and need help, call or contact Julie MaGuire of the Turtle rescue of Long Island. She is in Lake Ronkonkoma NY
Turtle Rescue of Long Island
Julie Maguire
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
631-981-6106
http://www.turtlerescues.com/
[email protected]
[email protected]
Animals Accepted: Reptiles, Turtles and Tortoises

She is a fantastic person and a good friend.
Looks like you found an Eastern Box Turtle, and need a permit to own them. If you can put it back where it came from, or contact Julie and she will help you. Good luck.

 

[Keeblercop]

Def. a box turtle, but I don't think it's an Eastern. I agree w/Millerlite that it may be a three toed box turtle...or even perhaps a hybrid cross of the two???? I also believe that Easterns are protected or illegal to own in NY. Hopefully, the turtle rescue will be able to help you identify and determine if it's native or a lost pet. Best wishes.

 

[mike taylor]

This is a three toed box turtle

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[bmt123]

I do think your right that it is someone's pet because it is not boxes up like a wild turtle would be. It also has an overgrown beak which I don't think is very common in wild turtles.

 

[pinwaven]

Following terryo's suggestion, I have contacted Turtle Rescue in Long Island for help to identify this turtle. Many of you suggested that it was a three toed box turtle. If it indeed is a three toed, then it is not native to Long Island New York. I will wait for a reply from Turtle Rescue and update this thread. Thanks for all the help so far!

 

[thea lester]

Looks like a 3 toed to me as well. Good point about the beak overgrowth. Glad to know you've contacted the Turtle Rescue of L.I. Tail looks long enough to make it a male as well.
Best of luck! Thea

 

[pinwaven]

Julie from Turtle Rescue of Long Island replied: "Sadly, What it looks like is a hybrid box turtle that was not cared for very well and should not be returned to whoever had it. It could possibly be an old Eastern box turtle with burn scarring but it’s hard to tell by the photo. The Easterns usually have a bit more color and pattern to their shells. Can you send a better photo of the face?"

I have sent her more photos of the turtle.

 

[Gangreene]

Your turtle looks is a terrapene carolina carolina. They come in all shapes, colors and sizes and some times have 3 toes on there back feet.
Eastern's shells can sometimes be brown or solid black.
Taking the from the wild is against the law In New York State.
Long Island has a very large and diverse population of Eastern Box turtles.
I am not seeing an overgrown beak from your picture and its short and very sharp nails make me believe it is a wild turtle.
Some wild box turtle's are just not shy, often it's male box turtles that are very outgoing in the wild.

 

[pinwaven]

Update: After sending more photos to Long Island Turtle Rescue, they have identified that this turtle is indeed an Eastern Box Turtle. The first photo was a little misleading due to the poor lighting. There are 4 toes on the hind feet. The turtle will be release into the woods close to where it was found. Thanks all for your help!

 

[Keeblercop]

That's great news! I'd love to see the updated pics, but they wouldn't load for me. I def. could not tell it was an Eastern from the pic.