strange day with unwanted outcome

ColleenT

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I have been searching for a female Three-toed boxie for months online. every time I think i have a lead, it's gone. I finally found a guy who has a lot of animals and he told me he had a female 3 toed. I was thrilled, as you can imagine. Well she arrived this morning and not only is she not a three toed, when she opened up in her soak, i discovered she was missing a leg and had bone showing thru. I freaked out, and i checked the bag she was inside. sure enough, there was dried up leg that looked like beef jerky. I got her to the nearest reptile vet who happens to be a specialist in Box turtles. The turtle needs her leg properly amputated and then she needs to heal. Cost will be probably just over $500. The person i got her from has a 5 star rating, and everyone says he's a great guy to do business with. So i am not going to give out his name, he said he wants to make this right. So now i have a Gulf coast female, which i did not want, and a $500 vet bill, which i also did not want. I am trying to embrace having a new turtle, even tho she is not what i wanted. she can probably live in the outdoor enclosure with the three toeds when she is healed. she will not be able to bury any eggs, but she will still be able to hibernate. I did not want hybrid boxies, anyway. So i am trying to make lemonade out of lemons and thinking i will call her ILENE. She is a pretty gulf coast, and even the vet thought she was sweet and easy to handle for a turtle in distress. They gave her morphine right away and she will be there for a few days.

Ileneturt1_zpsr30tqrhc.jpg


ilenebone_zpsuqgtzm9h.jpg


ilenedetachedfoot_zpsr6spowky.jpg
 

Rue

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That is just awful.

I hope she will be okay and thank you for looking after her.
 

ColleenT

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what the vet said is that it had healed around the bone so she thinks something got caught around the leg and the blood supply was cut off. So when the seller put her in the cloth bag, she was likely folded up in her shell and it was not seen. When she got into the bag, the claws probably caught the fabric and it pulled the dead leg off.
 

mark1

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well this sale i'd imagine has to knock a couple stars off his 5 rating ........ the turtle is lucky someone like you got her .......... that'd be a tough one to make right by me , or even explain how it happened ..... hopefully the guy makes it right by you ...... she is a pretty gulf coast .........
 

crimson_lotus

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That's a nightmare, but I'm glad she went to someone willing to help her. How could something like that go unnoticed?
 

Sara G.

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That's such a nightmarish thing to happen to that poor baby. I'm so glad she made it to you though. Finally someone can take care of her.
So the vet thinks it was something like a long-term issue? As in whoever had her didn't notice it for a while?
I don't know how you can't notice something stuck around your turtle's leg.
 

Maro2Bear

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There's definitely something fishy going on here. It is extremely hard to believe or comprehend that the seller didnt know about this injury before shipping it off to you. Glad that you are in a position to take care of this guy, especially since it's not even the species u wanted.
 

wellington

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Wow, so sorry. The poor thing. Hope the guy does make good on this. If he doesn't, spread his name and this story to anyone and everyone. That poor thing should have checked over with a fine tooth comb before ever shipping. That alone should knock him down a few stars. One should know if they are shipping only a healthy animal.
 

surfergirl

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Your karma cup just over flooded... Many would not think a boxie was worth that much time or money. I know some do not have the means to give this much to a turtle in need so not judging there. But I hope you get the gifts you deserve in life from sharing your big heart with this beautiful gulf coast girl!

Maybe she was meant to be with you and under your care? ........
 

MPRC

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Poor baby! I hope she makes a full recovery and I hope things work out with the seller. That isn't just a scratch!
 

ColleenT

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well, i will say that i think the seller might be overwhelmed and have his hands full. I'm not trying to make excuses, but with the other amazing reviews he got, i don't feel right outing him. at least not at this time. I am guessing she was closed up in her shell when he grabbed her for shipping and didn't notice bc of that. I am trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, since i would not have ordered from him if he did not have stellar reviews to begin with. If she works out with my other 2, then good, but if not, i will try to find her a good home. The vet thinks something like a string or thread might have got tangled around the leg and killed off the blood supply, but the dead leg was keeping the bone protected. Until the shipping. i know the turtle will be ok, she looks very healthy other than this issue, her weight was decent, and she was active, despite this injury. It's just the money i am bummed out about. that and the fact that there seem to be Zero Female Three-toed boxies in the USA for sale. But i'll do my best for ILENE.
 

Yvonne G

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...also, if the leg was still attached, the seller wouldn't have noticed anything wrong just looking from outside the turtle yard at the turtles. Then when picked up, she would draw everything inside and close up. Things like this can happen to anyone. It's very thoughtful of you to be kind about this person and think about his reputation.
 

Ferretinmyshoes

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Wow, what an unwelcome surprise all around! Glad she's getting the cars she obviously was lacking before.

I have a female missing a back leg and she actually has laid eggs every year for the last two decades without any problems at all! The first year I went out with a little spoon expecting that she'd need help. But she was able to dig a perfect egg hole even with just one foot. I was shocked. But she does it every year. I have several of her babies resulting from eggs after her amputation (a raccoon bit it off). So there's hope there at least for your Ilene!
 

mark1

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if he's not what i think he may be , he should have no problem covering your vet expenses , as his turtle needed the vet care regardless of who has it ........ i've seen scenarios like this play out to where the guy says he wouldn't have needed a vet , or they have their own vet who would have done it cheaper ....... my personal thought to those defenses is , they should have made sure they sent out a healthy turtle ....... in reality , for most of those folks , it wouldn't cost them $500 because the turtle wouldn't receive vet care , they're merchandise , the value of the turtle vs the cost of a vet would probably leave her to fend for herself ., i have a three legged turtle , they can survive it without vet care , but i think the bone left in your girls leg may doom her if not removed ..... .......there are plenty of hybrids that are tough to ID , but you think he'd at least have sent you one with three toes ....... i've heard of folks up north hibernating gulf coast box turtles , i've never tried it , i got one , he doesn't act like he wants to hibernate in the fall , he doesn't dig in like the ones who hibernate , so i have to bring him in every winter , it is a chore to have him , he was sold to me as an eastern ........... if the seller makes this right by you , he should get 10 stars ........jmo
 

Cheryl Hills

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Wow, I am so sorry she was sent like that. Thank you for caring. I sure hope this guy take care of this. She is a sweet looking tort. I do have a three toed Boxie but she is not for sale. I rescued her from someone that really didn't know what they were doing. My April is doing great though. One day , maybe, I will get a male and bread them. I also have a male gulf Boxie, he also only has three toes on the back. Rapheal might be a hybred, I really don't know. He was from Louisianna and wild coughs. I rescued him when he got hit with a machete by my boyfriend. He did not see the turtle till after. Luckily , he was not hurt. At that time I really did not know much about turtles. After we got back to Ohio, I started doing research. Knowing what I know now, I would have never taken him, but, it is way to late now to return him. He was on my dads property. He is also doing great.
 

Pearly

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Poor baby!!!! But also lucky to have ended up in a very special and caring hands. You are so awesome! All around! Keep us posted on her recovery. He colors are gorgeous
 

Sandy Martinez

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That's just awful -- I'm so glad she's on the road to recovery and I'm glad she has such a special and caring person to take care of her. Blessings to you and Ilene
 

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