South Texas

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Bebopgirlblues

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Clear Lake, Houston, Tx
Okay, so my name is Ashley
Currently living in Clear Lake, Houston, Tx 77062
I've been married for (3+) years
Together we have a son who is two.

When discussing pets with my husband, he is the topical male. He wants a puppy, I like puppies but I don't like the training. So I agreed to us getting a dog if it was aged and well trained, hints the reason we don't have a dog. I'm also more of a cat person, but living with a child in the house, I worry about him getting in the kitty litter. So no cats, no dogs, what else could we agree on? No birds, I'm not interested in waking up to chirping and fishes... Well, fishes to me, are high maintenance pets. Any pet can be high maintenance if you have the money to spent. But fishes, I'd want to go all out, huge long tank, coral, the works.

So what's something that doesn't need much but can give you hours of entertainment? Turtles. It's something that can be found naturally out in the wild, taking care of it's self. It doesn't need us to live and it doesn't normally show aggregation unless threaten. And have you ever seen a pissed off turtle? I haven't. So when my husband came home with one. I agreed. He found this turtle, out in the road while walking up the street from our house.

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We don't know what type it is, we don't know if it's a female or male, I think it might be a female (because when I tickle the back of it's shell, it kinda tries to get away) We thought the name Valcore sounded pretty cool, because the face colors remind me of a hawk and Valcore sounds like something you'd name a hawk. But after a quick bath, I noticed that for one so small, he had marks on him, like he had been through a lot. The best way I can describe what I mean is that on his shell, there are pieces missing. Like maybe he fall and part of his shell broke off? I don't know, another thing is that he is kinda fat, like he fits in his shell, but he pokes out a lot too. And at the bottom of his shell it's cracked so he can close him self all the way. But is that natural? It doesn't look so. I can take some more pictures of Valcore if requested. Here is another picture, him just being awesome.

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ALSO one last thing, and this might be from an accident he got back when he was younger, I don't know, his mouth, it's not a point on the top, it's a square. It doesn't look natural but who knows. Thank you ahead of time to everyone that replies! :)
 

wellington

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Hello and Welcome:) First, if that turtle is native to where you live, you really need to put it back where you got it from, but safely off the road. Wild should always be left in the wild. If it isn't native to your state, then it is probably someone's pet and the rightful owners should try to be located, if they aren't, then it's yours. Good luck and hope you do the right thing.
 

Yvonne G

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What your husband has found is a three toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis). I think they may be native to Texas, but I don't know the laws regarding their collection from the wild.

He seems very friendly and outgoing in the pictures, making me think he might be someone's escaped pet. Did you put up notices in the neighborhood where he was found to try to find his owner?

Welcome to the Forum. We have many box turtle enthusiasts here on the Forum!
 

luvpetz27

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He or she is very pretty!!.....also looks very tame. I agree he probably belongs to
someone. They never come out of their shell if they are "wild". There is also a lot you need to keep a box turtle. They really need an enclosure outside so they have sunlight. They need
special heating and UVB (sunlight) lighting. They need fruits, vegies and protein also. They also need humidity and fresh water at all times. If you decide to keep him, you need to research what he needs.....OR put him back close to where you found him.
 

Bebopgirlblues

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Clear Lake, Houston, Tx
Thank you to everyone that replied. I haven't noticed anyone searching for a lost turtle but I'll look around to see if someone is. Also the location he was found in was being worked on, I don't know if a line got busted or what but they are currently digging up the dirt every where. If he is wild, I think he might have been trying to get away from the construction work. Also, thank you for the information of what kind of Tortoise he is. :)
 

SpdTrtl

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I have found that proper care of Turtles and Tortoises takes quite a lot of maintenance. Please review the care sheets and enclosure requirements to see if having a Turtle is really right for you.
 

Twin mom

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Yes, looks like a three toed box turtle. He can close himself into his shell, hence the name box turtle. Is he eating anything?
 

Bebopgirlblues

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Clear Lake, Houston, Tx
I asked my husband for more details about where and how he found Valcore. Apparently someone had pulled over to the side of the road, placed the turtle out in the grass and drove off. When he got to the spot where the car once was, there was a turtle crawling back toward the road. I don't know what the people were thinking, the location where they dropped him off was dangerous with all the work being done around them. I want to keep him. After learning what time of tortoise he is, I now have a much better understanding of how to care for him. - Eating wise, I haven't seen him doing much. I've only tried lettuce until recently; I read up on what he can and likes to eat. He has a really good range, from veggies to insects (grubs). So I tried some tomatoes and peppers. If what my husband says is true, there is a good chance Valcore, is a rejected pet and who knows what they were feeding him. He might be used to pellet food for all I know. I'm trying different things, slowly.
 
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