Rescuing a Hingeback

[Sultros]

Hello all!

Where to start? I have a client at work who I occasionally make house calls on since she and her husband work from home. They are nice people, animals lovers, who happen to have 2 turtles and a tortoise in a 100gal aquarium. They are from a generation that doesn't seek answers on the net and have been given the wrong care requirements by pet stores for 15 years. They were dumped on them by their nephew when he left for college. They have two box turtles (3 toe and an ornate) and a Hinge-back and all are in rough shape. Ill be honest, I'm actually shocked they are still alive. All 3 exhibit signs of lack of calcium and dehydration from incorrect care including no UVB and no exposure to sunlight. I honestly cannot believe the 3 toe and the hinge-back are alive and respiratory illness hasn't killed them. It's been on my mind for months and during a house call this week I agreed to take them.

I'm very familiar with box turtle care as I've cared for a rescued 3 toed hatchling for 2 years now. It lives outdoors in a 50 gal storage box with soil and mulch and is happy and healthy with a standard, alternating diet of greens and live insects / worms. I have a game plan in place for the two box turtles and will be moving them outside as soon as I pick them up tomorrow. They will not be coming into any contact with my other resident box turtle to prevent spread of disease and I am debating on separating the box turtles. Considering their age, they are undersized, and in serious need of TLC and proper conditions. They need nail trims, beak trims, and a total diet overhaul. They have been given live food once in 15 years and that was a month ago. Their skin is so dry and they look so sad. Their arms are so dried and crusty they have no color. Ill get pics up tomorrow when I pick them up.

On to the hinge-back who i have in my care now. I know next to nothing about hinge-backs other than what I have learned so far from researching on the net. At first i thought it was a very deformed Sulcata. Are the care requirements similar to a 3toed box turtle? How about diet? (hinge-back hasnt had any live food in 15 years) Im concerned about the outdoor temp. Its in the 90's after noon. I live in Houston and it gets seriously hot and muggy when it's not receiving biblical floods. I currently have the hinge in a 50 gal storage container with a deep layer of moist hardwood mulch. The container is placed on a west fence, gets morning sunlight, has a soaking dish, and a hiding spot. This container is temporary while I begin to build it an outdoor habitat along the west fence. I'm still tossing ideas around but I need to nail its care requirements before I do anything. I hope to build a 8' x 8' in ground habitat along the fence and possibly keep all 3 together if their care permits. They've been together already for 15 years, whatever that counts for. From what I have learned so far, care requirements for both hinge-back and box turtles appears very similar, specifically the 3 toed with its love of water.

All 3 of my new residents need serious rehydration. The hinge looks the worst out of the three. He is super shy but is eating. He has marks on his legs and back of his neck from his skin rubbing against his shell. I put him outside today in his box but the heat really concerns me. He seemed very lethargic today after being outdoors and immediately received a soak for 15min in lukewarm water as soon as I got home from work. I am really worried I over stressed him by moving him outdoors and into this heat when he has spent over a decade indoors never once seeing or experiencing the heat and sunlight.

Im uploading some photos so you can see just how bad of shape the hinge-back is in. Notice the top of his head and the condition of his shell. He's an absolute mess and I hope I can get him healthy and provide a better home than his well meaning, previous owner. Any tips on rehabilitation and care are very much appreciated. Im planning a trip to the vet next week to do an evaluation on the hinge-back.I hope to start documenting their rehab here. Im sure nearly everyone here has seen the results of poor care. It is utterly heart breaking. Their previous owners are great people, real animal lovers, who got completely over their heads so I don't judge them.

Thank you in advance. This site has been a great resource.

 

[mikeylazer]

For one, he either has or had shell rot on his carapace where it is clumpy and broken on the right side. His shell looks terrible and it is painful to see him in that condition. Give twice daily soaks for 20-30 mins each time. I would clean his shell and check for a rotting smell on it. If you can get him to a reliable vet, I would do that as soon as possible to check on his shell. If it is a fungal rot he needs to be treated immediately. Good luck.

 

[mikeylazer]

Rehydrating and high levels of humidity should bring his skin back to normal. Make sure he is getting plenty of humidit especially right now, but with humidity he needs to be kept warm at all times.

 

[FLINTUS]

On to the hinge-back who i have in my care now. I know next to nothing about hinge-backs other than what I have learned so far from researching on the net. At first i thought it was a very deformed Sulcata. Are the care requirements similar to a 3toed box turtle? How about diet? (hinge-back hasnt had any live food in 15 years) Im concerned about the outdoor temp. Its in the 90's after noon. I live in Houston and it gets seriously hot and muggy when it's not receiving biblical floods. I currently have the hinge in a 50 gal storage container with a deep layer of moist hardwood mulch. The container is placed on a west fence, gets morning sunlight, has a soaking dish, and a hiding spot. This container is temporary while I begin to build it an outdoor habitat along the west fence. I'm still tossing ideas around but I need to nail its care requirements before I do anything. I hope to build a 8' x 8' in ground habitat along the fence and possibly keep all 3 together if their care permits. They've been together already for 15 years, whatever that counts for. From what I have learned so far, care requirements for both hinge-back and box turtles appears very similar, specifically the 3 toed with its love of water.

All 3 of my new residents need serious rehydration. The hinge looks the worst out of the three. He is super shy but is eating. He has marks on his legs and back of his neck from his skin rubbing against his shell. I put him outside today in his box but the heat really concerns me. He seemed very lethargic today after being outdoors and immediately received a soak for 15min in lukewarm water as soon as I got home from work. I am really worried I over stressed him by moving him outdoors and into this heat when he has spent over a decade indoors never once seeing or experiencing the heat and sunlight.
Im uploading some photos so you can see just how bad of shape the hinge-back is in. Notice the top of his head and the condition of his shell. He's an absolute mess and I hope I can get him healthy and provide a better home than his well meaning, previous owner. Any tips on rehabilitation and care are very much appreciated. Im planning a trip to the vet next week to do an evaluation on the hinge-back.I hope to start documenting their rehab here. Im sure nearly everyone here has seen the results of poor care. It is utterly heart breaking. Their previous owners are great people, real animal lovers, who got completely over their heads so I don't judge them.
Thank you in advance. This site has been a great resource.

This tortoise a Homes Hingeback, Kinixys Homeana, from West Africa, so therefore shouldn't be kept with Box Turtles to prevent the spread of diseases. To keep it short-I can give you a care-sheet for erosas if you want, that are similar, but I don't think I could upload it on here-, you want high humidity(75%+) and temperatures in the mid 70's for the most part. When it starts getting into the 90's, you risk dehydration problems, but if you could find a shaded area, and set up a sprinkler to cool him, I think you would be fine keeping him outside. These guys need access to water-they will bathe a lot- so I don't know how big your soaking dish is but make sure he can move around in it. Inside substrate I find a base layer of soil or mulch works well, then orchid bark if you can find it, then leaf-litter and moss as they like to bury down into their substrate. They do climb as well, so make the walls high, and plant up the enclosure e.g. Banana and Swiss Cheese Plants. In terms of diet, lots of mushrooms, animal protein and soft fruits such as papaya, mango, figs, sharon fruit, raspberries, dragon fruit etc. first, and banana can be used if he really isn't eating anything. Eventually, try to incorporate more greens-usual weeds, flowers, as well as rocket, endive etc. This species can be hard to get them to eat.

Keep him inside for now in a dark area until he acclimatizes, moving in and out constantly is not good for a new hingeback. They do not like direct sunlight at all, so as said make the outdoor area shaded, and maybe introduce a low level(2% if you can find as low) UV strip that covers part of his enclosure(maybe put up a screen to isolate it to one area) to get him used to it.

He's not actually in that bad condition at all. He has grown too fast, but the growth is actually pretty good. You might not be used to the shape of hingebacks, so this is why your perception of him is that he is in a horrendous state-search for k.homeana on google images, he is not too bad at all, but just slow growth down. The 'knob' is usual, as is the hinge that the first reply believed was shell rot.
Be careful with the vets, Hingebacks are little known about outside of their keepers. I would check back here before agreeing to something that the vet suggests unless he/she is a chelonia specialist.

 

[Killerrookie]

Hello all!

Where to start? I have a client at work who I occasionally make house calls on since she and her husband work from home. They are nice people, animals lovers, who happen to have 2 turtles and a tortoise in a 100gal aquarium. They are from a generation that doesn't seek answers on the net and have been given the wrong care requirements by pet stores for 15 years. They were dumped on them by their nephew when he left for college. They have two box turtles (3 toe and an ornate) and a Hinge-back and all are in rough shape. Ill be honest, I'm actually shocked they are still alive. All 3 exhibit signs of lack of calcium and dehydration from incorrect care including no UVB and no exposure to sunlight. I honestly cannot believe the 3 toe and the hinge-back are alive and respiratory illness hasn't killed them. It's been on my mind for months and during a house call this week I agreed to take them.

I'm very familiar with box turtle care as I've cared for a rescued 3 toed hatchling for 2 years now. It lives outdoors in a 50 gal storage box with soil and mulch and is happy and healthy with a standard, alternating diet of greens and live insects / worms. I have a game plan in place for the two box turtles and will be moving them outside as soon as I pick them up tomorrow. They will not be coming into any contact with my other resident box turtle to prevent spread of disease and I am debating on separating the box turtles. Considering their age, they are undersized, and in serious need of TLC and proper conditions. They need nail trims, beak trims, and a total diet overhaul. They have been given live food once in 15 years and that was a month ago. Their skin is so dry and they look so sad. Their arms are so dried and crusty they have no color. Ill get pics up tomorrow when I pick them up.

On to the hinge-back who i have in my care now. I know next to nothing about hinge-backs other than what I have learned so far from researching on the net. At first i thought it was a very deformed Sulcata. Are the care requirements similar to a 3toed box turtle? How about diet? (hinge-back hasnt had any live food in 15 years) Im concerned about the outdoor temp. Its in the 90's after noon. I live in Houston and it gets seriously hot and muggy when it's not receiving biblical floods. I currently have the hinge in a 50 gal storage container with a deep layer of moist hardwood mulch. The container is placed on a west fence, gets morning sunlight, has a soaking dish, and a hiding spot. This container is temporary while I begin to build it an outdoor habitat along the west fence. I'm still tossing ideas around but I need to nail its care requirements before I do anything. I hope to build a 8' x 8' in ground habitat along the fence and possibly keep all 3 together if their care permits. They've been together already for 15 years, whatever that counts for. From what I have learned so far, care requirements for both hinge-back and box turtles appears very similar, specifically the 3 toed with its love of water.

All 3 of my new residents need serious rehydration. The hinge looks the worst out of the three. He is super shy but is eating. He has marks on his legs and back of his neck from his skin rubbing against his shell. I put him outside today in his box but the heat really concerns me. He seemed very lethargic today after being outdoors and immediately received a soak for 15min in lukewarm water as soon as I got home from work. I am really worried I over stressed him by moving him outdoors and into this heat when he has spent over a decade indoors never once seeing or experiencing the heat and sunlight.

Im uploading some photos so you can see just how bad of shape the hinge-back is in. Notice the top of his head and the condition of his shell. He's an absolute mess and I hope I can get him healthy and provide a better home than his well meaning, previous owner. Any tips on rehabilitation and care are very much appreciated. Im planning a trip to the vet next week to do an evaluation on the hinge-back.I hope to start documenting their rehab here. Im sure nearly everyone here has seen the results of poor care. It is utterly heart breaking. Their previous owners are great people, real animal lovers, who got completely over their heads so I don't judge them.

Thank you in advance. This site has been a great resource.

Hmm it's gonna take awhile for them to recover from those 15 years of mistreatment for sure. I can't believe someone would treat these beautiful animals so badly. Makes me want to cry. One of the experts should come by and help like @FLINTUS or @tortadise

 

[Gillian M]

Sorry to see your tort im such a cndition, and wishes for a speedy recovery.

A very warm welcome to to forum.

 

[Lyn W]

Thank you for rescuing them and hope they soon recover as best they can, You will find lots of help and support here so don't be afraid to ask for it.
Good luck with them.

 

[Anyfoot]

Hello all!

Where to start? I have a client at work who I occasionally make house calls on since she and her husband work from home. They are nice people, animals lovers, who happen to have 2 turtles and a tortoise in a 100gal aquarium. They are from a generation that doesn't seek answers on the net and have been given the wrong care requirements by pet stores for 15 years. They were dumped on them by their nephew when he left for college. They have two box turtles (3 toe and an ornate) and a Hinge-back and all are in rough shape. Ill be honest, I'm actually shocked they are still alive. All 3 exhibit signs of lack of calcium and dehydration from incorrect care including no UVB and no exposure to sunlight. I honestly cannot believe the 3 toe and the hinge-back are alive and respiratory illness hasn't killed them. It's been on my mind for months and during a house call this week I agreed to take them.

I'm very familiar with box turtle care as I've cared for a rescued 3 toed hatchling for 2 years now. It lives outdoors in a 50 gal storage box with soil and mulch and is happy and healthy with a standard, alternating diet of greens and live insects / worms. I have a game plan in place for the two box turtles and will be moving them outside as soon as I pick them up tomorrow. They will not be coming into any contact with my other resident box turtle to prevent spread of disease and I am debating on separating the box turtles. Considering their age, they are undersized, and in serious need of TLC and proper conditions. They need nail trims, beak trims, and a total diet overhaul. They have been given live food once in 15 years and that was a month ago. Their skin is so dry and they look so sad. Their arms are so dried and crusty they have no color. Ill get pics up tomorrow when I pick them up.

On to the hinge-back who i have in my care now. I know next to nothing about hinge-backs other than what I have learned so far from researching on the net. At first i thought it was a very deformed Sulcata. Are the care requirements similar to a 3toed box turtle? How about diet? (hinge-back hasnt had any live food in 15 years) Im concerned about the outdoor temp. Its in the 90's after noon. I live in Houston and it gets seriously hot and muggy when it's not receiving biblical floods. I currently have the hinge in a 50 gal storage container with a deep layer of moist hardwood mulch. The container is placed on a west fence, gets morning sunlight, has a soaking dish, and a hiding spot. This container is temporary while I begin to build it an outdoor habitat along the west fence. I'm still tossing ideas around but I need to nail its care requirements before I do anything. I hope to build a 8' x 8' in ground habitat along the fence and possibly keep all 3 together if their care permits. They've been together already for 15 years, whatever that counts for. From what I have learned so far, care requirements for both hinge-back and box turtles appears very similar, specifically the 3 toed with its love of water.

All 3 of my new residents need serious rehydration. The hinge looks the worst out of the three. He is super shy but is eating. He has marks on his legs and back of his neck from his skin rubbing against his shell. I put him outside today in his box but the heat really concerns me. He seemed very lethargic today after being outdoors and immediately received a soak for 15min in lukewarm water as soon as I got home from work. I am really worried I over stressed him by moving him outdoors and into this heat when he has spent over a decade indoors never once seeing or experiencing the heat and sunlight.

Im uploading some photos so you can see just how bad of shape the hinge-back is in. Notice the top of his head and the condition of his shell. He's an absolute mess and I hope I can get him healthy and provide a better home than his well meaning, previous owner. Any tips on rehabilitation and care are very much appreciated. Im planning a trip to the vet next week to do an evaluation on the hinge-back.I hope to start documenting their rehab here. Im sure nearly everyone here has seen the results of poor care. It is utterly heart breaking. Their previous owners are great people, real animal lovers, who got completely over their heads so I don't judge them.

Thank you in advance. This site has been a great resource.

View attachment 132890

Hi there. @FLINTUS is right he's not as bad as I thought he was when reading your post. Can you load any photos of the plastron and tail area. I have 6 homeana. Give him/her some worms/slugs and snails. They can't resist. Maybe a week before he eats. They seem to sulk for a while in new environments. A cat litter tray would be good as a bath. One of mine lays in the water a lot. All love to submerge in the water. This species is facinating, they turn into ninjas when presented with worms. Mushrooms is a good food too. And they will never reject mandarins. Although this is a debatable food topic. But if you get desperate try it. I give mine 2 Mandarin's between them once a week. They all come out from there hides soon as they smell it. Oh yeah nearly forgot. If he struggles with big snails(which he will). Crush the snail then feed. The inside of a snail gives a scent off they can't resist. This is just things I've tried and works. Spray him twice a day too. My substrate is 6" of coco and with bark and leaf litter. They need hides and cover from plants, and boy do they climb. Been found in the wild 2ft up trees. Make sure you have a lip overhanging in your enclosure. Bye. Keep us informed. Love what you are doing.

 

[Sultros]

Thank you all for taking the time to read this post and reply.

A few updates. I spent all day today working on my backyard since it is finally dry enough to mow and get the outdoor containers prepped. I have a beastly hot backyard with unobstructed sunlight. Great for growing corn and veggies, not so great for turts and torts. The Hinge-back was active today and spent the morning exploring his pen. I literally spent every hour monitoring temps and sunlight in the container and decided to move it to the West side of the house, up against the fence, since it gets the shortest amount of light and good airflow. I wish I could do the east side but the fence on that side starts at the back of the house. The West side is only a 4ft gap and my neighbor has a 2 story house that blocks the sun by about 3pm. One aspect of using a 50 gal storage container that concerns me is it turning into a hot box. The container will get a bit of morning light but will be fully shaded when it gets blazing. It was 94F in the shade today! Currently, at 10pm, it's 84. Since summer is now in full swing temp wise, I moved things around so the box turtle habitat is also well shaded and the box isnt being cooked on one side by the sun. Because they are against the fence, its possible to build a lean to to create more shade yet still maintain airflow.

Hinge got a 30 min soak this morning and again tonight. He seemed more active today but is extremely shy. I tried offering a few live foods today but they were ignored. I tried snails, slugs, and earthworms. I set a large clay pot on its side in the container for a privacy area. I also went ahead and moved my remote thermometer to his pen so i can monitor the box temp and see what the conditions and humidity levels are inside. I have a scale and tomorrow I will begin weighing him before and after the soaking to see how much his weight shifts. Its over 10 degrees hotter here than its native land.

I ended up getting a work call tonight so I wasnt able to pick up the box turtles. Hopefully tomorrow!

If things really start to go south with the Hinge-back, I know a gentleman who runs a Reptile store that will take him. His wife is a vet too. He also agreed that once the box turtles are healthy, he owns a sealed 4 acre plot that is specifically set up to release captive natives with minimal risk of spreading disease. Im likely going to keep them but its great to have options.

Thanks again for the positive encouragement.

 

[Sultros]

This tortoise a Homes Hingeback, Kinixys Homeana, from West Africa, so therefore shouldn't be kept with Box Turtles to prevent the spread of diseases. To keep it short-I can give you a care-sheet for erosas if you want, that are similar, but I don't think I could upload it on here-, you want high humidity(75%+) and temperatures in the mid 70's for the most part. When it starts getting into the 90's, you risk dehydration problems, but if you could find a shaded area, and set up a sprinkler to cool him, I think you would be fine keeping him outside. These guys need access to water-they will bathe a lot- so I don't know how big your soaking dish is but make sure he can move around in it. Inside substrate I find a base layer of soil or mulch works well, then orchid bark if you can find it, then leaf-litter and moss as they like to bury down into their substrate. They do climb as well, so make the walls high, and plant up the enclosure e.g. Banana and Swiss Cheese Plants. In terms of diet, lots of mushrooms, animal protein and soft fruits such as papaya, mango, figs, sharon fruit, raspberries, dragon fruit etc. first, and banana can be used if he really isn't eating anything. Eventually, try to incorporate more greens-usual weeds, flowers, as well as rocket, endive etc. This species can be hard to get them to eat.

Keep him inside for now in a dark area until he acclimatizes, moving in and out constantly is not good for a new hingeback. They do not like direct sunlight at all, so as said make the outdoor area shaded, and maybe introduce a low level(2% if you can find as low) UV strip that covers part of his enclosure(maybe put up a screen to isolate it to one area) to get him used to it.

He's not actually in that bad condition at all. He has grown too fast, but the growth is actually pretty good. You might not be used to the shape of hingebacks, so this is why your perception of him is that he is in a horrendous state-search for k.homeana on google images, he is not too bad at all, but just slow growth down. The 'knob' is usual, as is the hinge that the first reply believed was shell rot.
Be careful with the vets, Hingebacks are little known about outside of their keepers. I would check back here before agreeing to something that the vet suggests unless he/she is a chelonia specialist.

Id be happy to take any more info. Ive been trying to get as much as possible through google searches and posts. My biggest concern with keeping him indoors is properly maintaining humidity. We get mold and fungus gnats fast here. Im getting his old tank along with all of their equipment and food but I dont have it yet. I agree about the vet. The only vet Im willing to take him to is the wife of the gentleman who runs the reptile pet store. Ill get more pics up of him tomorrow so you can look closer at the condition of his shell. What really got me was his skin and how it looks dried out and crusty.

I like the idea of the sprinkler. At night, his box is 5 degrees cooler than the outside air. It's currently sitting at almost 75F. A friend builds sprayer fans and if I could automate it to spray during hot periods it may help. I just dont want him to suffer any more from improper care.

 

[FLINTUS]

I would seriously keep him inside in relatively dark conditions for now. Hot weather is not good for a Hingeback who has just been moved. Put some glass or plastic over the top to stop fungus spreading.

 

[Jacqui]

If he gets too warm, he will estavate (sp?). Basically, that is like a summer hibernation where they slow down and stop eating.

 

[Jacqui]

For one, he either has or had shell rot on his carapace where it is clumpy and broken on the right side. His shell looks terrible and it is painful to see him in that condition. Give twice daily soaks for 20-30 mins each time. I would clean his shell and check for a rotting smell on it. If you can get him to a reliable vet, I would do that as soon as possible to check on his shell. If it is a fungal rot he needs to be treated immediately. Good luck.

You are not referring to where his hinge us located are you?

 

[FLINTUS]

You are not referring to where his hinge us located are you?

That was my take on it.
I've had some homeana aestivate-can be spelled a number of ways- in colder weather, but is it actually safe for them in hot weather to do so? I could understand with semi-forest dwellers like nogueyi(or for that matter Red Foots), but it seems unlikely that most areas where they live would ever get much above 90, and if they did, there is plenty of water to go to.

 

[Sultros]

Could not agree more, which is why I ended up taking him to Eric, the pet store owner and reptile expert. He has a number of hinge-back tortoises that he has taken care of for years. He's going in an indoor enclosure until he gets healthy. I called his original owner and let her know what was going on and she was happy with the decision and trusts me to do what is right. He's getting a full vet treatment this week, deworm, check for respiratory infection, and far better care and attention than I could offer such a specialized and non native creature.

Thanks again everyone for the info and support!