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My father in law found a turtle crossing the highway and stopped and got him/her and brought it home. My 10 year old daughter fell in love. I'm pretty sure it's a box turtle. We've had him a little over a week now and he/she seems to be happy. It explores the house at times find a corner to hide in. It doesn't hide when people are around and it will even eat his worms in front of everyone. So I need to know what I need to do to make sure it stays happy and healthy?

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

Depending on your states laws, your father in law might have committed a crime by collecting this turtle. This forum has a strict rule against advising anyone to do anything illegal, so we are treading a fine line here.

I would suggest your release that one back into the wild in a safe area near where it was found, and then go buy a captive bred, legally obtained member of the same species.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Are box turtles native to your neck of the woods? If not, it is probably ok to keep it after you've tried to find its owner, but if they are, and this is a wild turtle, it should be put back where it was found, safely off the road. It is illegal to pick up wild turtles and tortoises.

We'll need to see a picture before we can give you detailed care instructions. Quite often, the new turtle-keeper mid-identifies the new animal in his care.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. I totally agree with above. If its a native species, it should be left to live in the wild.