- Joined
- May 17, 2010
- Messages
- 4
Hi all, I was referred here when I posted this on another forum. This happened earlier today. This is the OP I posted:
Someone there thought it might be a red footed tortoise, so they referred me here. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!
Okay, uh....so this just happened.
Was coming in from walking my dogs and saw some kids kicking what looked like a rock around the parking lot. Also trying to jump over it on their skateboards. As I got closer I realized that it was in fact not a rock, but a turtle. I flipped at them, asked them what they thought they were doing, etc.
Kid #1 said the turtle belonged to Kid #2. Kid #2 said yeah, it was his. I asked where their parents were, they said "not home." (Right ) and when I asked them what they thought they were doing, they shrugged.
I couldn't get any real information from them, and this entire time they KEEP giggling and poking the turtle around the sidewalk and tapping its shell with their feet and zooming their skateboards into it. I asked them where they lived, since I was going to get their parents involved, and they just said "I DUNNO" and refused to tell me. Great. As a last resort, I asked if I could have it. They said "NOPE" so I asked if they'd sell it to me. They were immediately like "OKAY" and I gave them a little cash and took it.
I have no idea about turtles. At all. I had a few snakes and lizards in high school, but never turtles. I THINK it's a box turtle, but am not even confidant about THAT, because I know literally nothing about turtles.
What the heck do I do with this thing? It looks healthy enough aside from being a little scuffed up, and it keeps trying to get out of the box I have it in and it doesn't hesitate to hiss at me when I pick it up. Then again, I don't know how to tell if a turtle is healthy so I have no clue.
I'd honestly be willing to keep it if I can get a crash course in Box Turtle care, but I've always been told they have difficult care requirements and I know they suffer a lot in the pet trade and if their care is too difficult for a newb, I'll gladly find a reptile rescue around here to take it. They're native here, but if it was bought from a pet store (they said it was) or something, would that make it unreleasable? Ohgod I don't know anything about turtles.
So guys- this is a box turtle, right? I'm about to start googling their care and try to get it some proper food and a box with a UV bulb and some substrate tonight until I can get a proper setup for it, or...should I just not bother and find a rescue for it instead? All I know about box turtles is that they're terrestrial. That's it.
Helpppp
Someone there thought it might be a red footed tortoise, so they referred me here. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!
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