I recently acquired a cute little tortoise from an acquaintance and have no idea what kind it is. Can someone help me? They also mentioned that there may be a little shell rot?! How do I find that out?
From the few pictures you have posted, the toenails do look way longer than they should be. In the wild, they naturally wear down from digging, walking miles and miles, and scrambling in and over and on rocks, stones, pebbles, etc.
You might want to take your boxie to a vet for the first trimming, but you definitely don’t want to trim too much at any one time. Like dogs, cats and birds, taking off small bits over time is best.
Hi, and welcome! As others have said, you have a three toed box turtle - Terrapene carolina triunguis. The long, curling nails tell me he's showing the first signs of Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) from living in poor conditions and being fed an incorrect diet.
In my opinion, adult box turtles, as yours is, need to live outside so they can get natural sun (UVB) and search for live food. Since this is the time they start thinking about hibernation, and you should not allow him to hibernate this year, it's best to set him up in a natural-looking indoor enclosure with a GOOD UVB light. Trim his nails and beak, and start feeding him calcium-rich foods.