What species is she?

Katenacoy

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Mar 18, 2019
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Sheffield Al
Hey! I'm new to this site, And being a turtle mom, But This is Hummus (Old name was sally, but I thought hummus was cute). I got her from my boyfriend's aunt. She was in awful condition, They left her in a cold basement. In a small tank of water and fish pebbles. No way to walk out of the water. No lamp or sunlight. Tank was never cleaned. I wasn't planning on getting a turtle. But I felt awful for her and asked if I could keep her. Now I've never had one before. They said she was a box turtle. I went and got some temporary bedding, A water dish she can get in and wade. Food (I tried earthworms. But she won't eat them) a lamp and uvb light. But I know it's not enough. So my question is. Does anyone happen to know what breed she is? Possible care tips? Feeding, Habitat, temperatures, watt for lightbulb. Anything is helpful. She's pretty small. When I get paid I'm getting her a bigger home. Thinking either a kiddie pool. Or rubbermaid storage bin. Something big. Ive only been able to get her to eat banana, Some boiled egg white, and a small bit of grape. All she does is burrow in the bedding and sleep, I try to keep her hydrated by soaking and using a spray bottle

Thanks!
411722017256433b25d29dc3aa379233.jpg
 

SweetGreekTorts

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Tucson, AZ
Hey! I'm new to this site, And being a turtle mom, But This is Hummus (Old name was sally, but I thought hummus was cute). I got her from my boyfriend's aunt. She was in awful condition, They left her in a cold basement. In a small tank of water and fish pebbles. No way to walk out of the water. No lamp or sunlight. Tank was never cleaned. I wasn't planning on getting a turtle. But I felt awful for her and asked if I could keep her. Now I've never had one before. They said she was a box turtle. I went and got some temporary bedding, A water dish she can get in and wade. Food (I tried earthworms. But she won't eat them) a lamp and uvb light. But I know it's not enough. So my question is. Does anyone happen to know what breed she is? Possible care tips? Feeding, Habitat, temperatures, watt for lightbulb. Anything is helpful. She's pretty small. When I get paid I'm getting her a bigger home. Thinking either a kiddie pool. Or rubbermaid storage bin. Something big. Ive only been able to get her to eat banana, Some boiled egg white, and a small bit of grape. All she does is burrow in the bedding and sleep, I try to keep her hydrated by soaking and using a spray bottle

Thanks!
411722017256433b25d29dc3aa379233.jpg
Her species is a Box Turtle. She's a beauty. Definitely lots of space, some humidity, and diet is omnivore (greens, fruits, and proteins). Check out the Care Sheet we have available. Welcome to the Forum!

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/box-turtle-care-sheet.93937/
 

Toddrickfl1

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Yep looks like a three toed box turtle.
 

EllieMay

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Welcome! Hummus is adorable and I’m sure really appreciate that you’ve taken her! Good luck!
 

Katenacoy

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Mar 18, 2019
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Sheffield Al
Thank you everyone who commented! Knowing she's a box turtle definitely helps. I can't get her to eat much and all she does is sleep, She's quite a picky eater too! Any advice on dealing with picky eaters would be great :) Tomorrow I'll be putting together a new, Bigger home for her. Maybe that will help. I'm just concerned, Is eating such little normal? Or is there anything I can do to open her appetite?

Thank you!!
 

Katenacoy

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Sheffield Al
Sorry but just trying to pick someones brain ☺ To anyone who uses soil as a subtrate (I think I used the right word) How do you clean it and how often would you need to? Might be a stupid question. I've never used soil before (As I've only ever had bunnies, mice, hamsters, rats, cats, and dogs) From what I've seen soil would be great for box turtles, More natural?. Just wondering if it's more difficult to deal with than other substrates? Thanks again!
 

Sadiegirl

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Dec 27, 2018
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Greenport n.y.
Hey! I'm new to this site, And being a turtle mom, But This is Hummus (Old name was sally, but I thought hummus was cute). I got her from my boyfriend's aunt. She was in awful condition, They left her in a cold basement. In a small tank of water and fish pebbles. No way to walk out of the water. No lamp or sunlight. Tank was never cleaned. I wasn't planning on getting a turtle. But I felt awful for her and asked if I could keep her. Now I've never had one before. They said she was a box turtle. I went and got some temporary bedding, A water dish she can get in and wade. Food (I tried earthworms. But she won't eat them) a lamp and uvb light. But I know it's not enough. So my question is. Does anyone happen to know what breed she is? Possible care tips? Feeding, Habitat, temperatures, watt for lightbulb. Anything is helpful. She's pretty small. When I get paid I'm getting her a bigger home. Thinking either a kiddie pool. Or rubbermaid storage bin. Something big. Ive only been able to get her to eat banana, Some boiled egg white, and a small bit of grape. All she does is burrow in the bedding and sleep, I try to keep her hydrated by soaking and using a spray bottle

Thanks!
411722017256433b25d29dc3aa379233.jpg
God bless you,shes a lucky turtle,watch the show sparky on u tube.its great.
 

Sadiegirl

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Dec 27, 2018
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Greenport n.y.
Sorry but just trying to pick someones brain [emoji5] To anyone who uses soil as a subtrate (I think I used the right word) How do you clean it and how often would you need to? Might be a stupid question. I've never used soil before (As I've only ever had bunnies, mice, hamsters, rats, cats, and dogs) From what I've seen soil would be great for box turtles, More natural?. Just wondering if it's more difficult to deal with than other substrates? Thanks again!
I use repti bark mixed with organic potting soil,works great.
 

Erinelle

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Joined
Dec 8, 2018
Messages
31
Location (City and/or State)
Hales Corners, WI
Hey! I'm new to this site, And being a turtle mom, But This is Hummus (Old name was sally, but I thought hummus was cute). I got her from my boyfriend's aunt. She was in awful condition, They left her in a cold basement. In a small tank of water and fish pebbles. No way to walk out of the water. No lamp or sunlight. Tank was never cleaned. I wasn't planning on getting a turtle. But I felt awful for her and asked if I could keep her. Now I've never had one before. They said she was a box turtle. I went and got some temporary bedding, A water dish she can get in and wade. Food (I tried earthworms. But she won't eat them) a lamp and uvb light. But I know it's not enough. So my question is. Does anyone happen to know what breed she is? Possible care tips? Feeding, Habitat, temperatures, watt for lightbulb. Anything is helpful. She's pretty small. When I get paid I'm getting her a bigger home. Thinking either a kiddie pool. Or rubbermaid storage bin. Something big. Ive only been able to get her to eat banana, Some boiled egg white, and a small bit of grape. All she does is burrow in the bedding and sleep, I try to keep her hydrated by soaking and using a spray bottle

Thanks!
411722017256433b25d29dc3aa379233.jpg


I was going to say she/he is an Eastern box turtle.
The pattern on the shell appears Eastern to me.
Some are saying three-toed. They are a similar species. Some have bred them and you get hybrids of both. Without seeing him/her completely in the picture (full shell, carpace, feet) it’s hard to determine definitively however, care is the same for both types of this genus species.

He/she looks great for sitting in water with no lighting for long periods. I’m guessing it hasn’t been super long and surprised there’s no shell rot.

Great job rescuing this baby...he/she is still a juvenile. Looks like you did it just in time and applause for getting her out of water and on to some substrate. Some sunshine would also be fantastic but great job on the bulbs!
Burrowing is normal. Especially if she’s been in water. She’s probably tired and loving a more natural environment. I’d still soak her once a week in shallow, Luke warm water.

This page is awesome for questions and support.
Keep us posted and continue to ask as you go!

Thanks for saving her, she’s beautiful!
Hummus is a great name too! ;)
 

RumWeatherReptiles

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Apr 9, 2018
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New Jersey
Sorry but just trying to pick someones brain [emoji5] To anyone who uses soil as a subtrate (I think I used the right word) How do you clean it and how often would you need to? Might be a stupid question. I've never used soil before (As I've only ever had bunnies, mice, hamsters, rats, cats, and dogs) From what I've seen soil would be great for box turtles, More natural?. Just wondering if it's more difficult to deal with than other substrates? Thanks again!

She looks more like an Eastern Box turtle to me. For bedding i use a half/half mixture of Eco Earth (it comes in bricks at Petsmart. It is coconut fiber that expands when you soak it.) and Forrest Floor (a bark mixture where the pieces are rather large and won’t get eaten by accident.) It works great for all my box turtles. It holds moisture without being “muddy” or sticking to them too much. As for food, the best pellet food is Mazuri’s Aquatic Turtle blend. Try Amazon. If you can stomach it, a thawed frozen pinkie mouse (petsmart has them in individual packages) is a great “whole food” to jumpstart her recovery. Once you get her eating well, try dusting a little reptile vitamins on her food. She could sure use them after years of neglect. You are already improving her life immensely. Congratulations and thank you.
 

Katenacoy

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Joined
Mar 18, 2019
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Sheffield Al
Thank you! She's doing better still not eating as much. I have now only been able to get her to eat some low fat high protein canned dog food, And some banana, But I got her another bulb and a bigger bin. She seems to be happier. I see all these box turtles with big appetites. And it makes me concerned. I'll just have to keep experimenting with foods!
 
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