Please Help ID This Lost Turtle

SammyLyn

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Mar 13, 2020
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Carlsbad, CA
I apologize if this isn't the correct place to post this. Please point me to the correct forum or mods feel free to move the thread.

My neighbor found this turtle in their yard. We're in North County San Diego. I don't believe it's a tortoise, to me it looks like a desert box turtle. I've already advised her on a better diet and care - she does not plan on keeping it and has contacted a rescue. I'm thinking of taking it into my care, but need to know what it is so I can best care for it. I have experience with Russians, but this isn't a Russian.

Thank you!FB_IMG_1606862889366.jpg
 

Maro2Bear

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I‘d definitely say a “Box Turtle” for sure. Desert Box sounds right considering where you are from. I’m sure @Yvonne G will assist.

The desert box turtle, also known as the Sonoran box turtle, is a subspecies of box turtle which is endemic to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They are generally terrestrial but occasionally take to the water and are most known for their boxy shell and its structural integrity.
 

SammyLyn

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It isn't a three-toed box turtle, it has 4 toes on it's back feet. There are some hybrid species of three-toed box turtles that have four toes, but they are mainly eastern.

And yes, we have posted in multiple groups on FB (local lost pets, buy nothing groups, lost and found, etc) and the Nextdoor app to find the owners. We do not live in an area where fliers would help. No luck so far.
 

Relic

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It isn't a three-toed box turtle, it has 4 toes on it's back feet. There are some hybrid species of three-toed box turtles that have four toes, but they are mainly eastern.

And yes, we have posted in multiple groups on FB (local lost pets, buy nothing groups, lost and found, etc) and the Nextdoor app to find the owners. We do not live in an area where fliers would help. No luck so far.
I've caught many three-toeds over the past 50 years (yep, I'm old) and 4-toed specimens are not unusual - and in my neck of the woods, they're not hybrids. Hybrids nearly always have faint to quite noticeable stripes in their carapace. I see none of those stripes in the photo above.
 

TammyJ

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Whatever it is, it's sure cute as a button. Hope it ends up in a good home!
 

Relic

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Here is a desert box turtle off Wikipedia - notice the stripes

1607100496486.png
 

Relic

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Here is a Gulf Coast Box turtle from Wikipedia...not a plain shell.

1607126773163.png
 
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