What to do?

[bdavison]

I have an Eastern Box Turtle. My Great Dane puppy brought her to me at our dog park. Flipped her out of his big, slobbery mug and pawed at her like a ball. About had a heart attack. I brought her home to make sure she was ok, and to figure out how/where to release her to a more suitable environment. After some quick research, I learned not to release her away from her hatching area. What is the right thing to do? The dog park is big, but everything around it is being cleared or has been cleared for industrial building. It is surrounded by big parking lots and busy roads. One experimental bite and she would have been dead by my dog. Is it really the best idea to put her back there?

She is currently living outdoors in our sulcata's yard, but that also seems to be a concern as far as mixing species, and whether or not its even legal for me to have her at all, given her wild origin.

Some have already said to put her back in other threads where I mentioned her, but I hadn't detailed the situation. Now that I have, do you still feel that way? Her entire home turf has been manipulated by human beings into a death trap. With all the warnings on here about dogs, it just feels wrong. My Weimaraner can spend hours looking for something to chase, play with, or eat at the dog park. It sickens me to think of him finding her first. And having her unharmed was a miracle. If I sat around with headphones on like half the owners, we would not be having this discussion. Max is a 112 lb chewing machine.

 

[Holycow]

I'm no expert, but I'd say try to find an area with similar terrain to the area where you initially found it, but with less roads or dog parks. At least there it might have a chance. Putting it back in the dog park is a death sentence. I suppose you could wait until spring so things are a little warmer, it might give it a chance to get a better wintering burrow in it's new place. Be careful however, I've seen box turtles climb chain link fences.

 

[greyshirt]

In some States box turtles are protected. But in the meantime you should take care of it. Research I've done is that box turtles cannot be released any where but where they grew up. Supposedly they will continually travel and are more likely to get killed. I don't know if that is true or not. Best case is try to find a wildlife rehabilitator in your area, and if not then do as much research as possible and keep it , or get it to someone who can take care of it. It definitely should not go back in the dog park.

 

[Millerlite]

Box turtles have a very strong home range radar. If you released it somewhere else it will try and make it back to where it was. I think there are studies on this. But I heard it on other forums too. I would hold onto it till you know for sure the law,

 

[Pameladale]

Try to call a wildlife protection center in your area, I agree that putting her back wouldnt be safe for her with all the construction. Turtles travel the same path there whole lives back and forth so if you get ahold of them they would know what to do, i have never heard of a sulcata and an ornate breeding.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Becky:

Since you have already had the box turtle in contact with the sulcata, I would NOT release it back into nature. There's no telling what kind of germs this box turtle has picked up and they might be detrimental to the native box turtle population. If you don't want to keep the turtle, then finding a wildlife rescue is your best bet. But if you go that way, be sure to let them know that the turtle has been in contact with a sulcata tortoise.

Once school of thought here in California is that many years ago sulcata tortoises were released into our deserts and this is what has given our native desert tortoises the dreaded mycoplasma that causes Upper Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

 

[bdavison]

Thank you everyone! I feel validated that bringing her home and then not putting her back was not a totally irresponsible decision. There is no land left unpopulated around where I found her that is not dog park. Nothing. The front entrance to the park in less than 30feet from an 8 lane interstate. There seems to be very little governmental respect for wildlife populations here. Its disturbing. And while the park is big, rumor has it they are struggling. If they go under, what little population from that little pocket that is left is dead. Geez, that makes me so sad!

I have emailed with a conservationist/rescue group here before. I sent them an email about her, but got no response. I will try again. They were very responsive in our previous conversation. I think my email must have gotten caught in a spam filter or something.

Is inter-breeding why there are warnings about not mixing species?? That hadn't even occurred to me. The size discrepancy alone, not yet, but by sexual maturity of my sulcata is laughable to ponder. Besides, I think turtles and tortoises are genetically as different as say a mouse and a hamster. Not going to happen. I thought it was more in case she turns out to be a he. An aggressive male sulcata could do some damage to this little girl if he saw her as in invader or something. Or, as emysemys points out, bad germ swapping. Never even occurred to me! They are from different continents. Duh!

They have been close enough that that is certainly a possibility. I will tell the people I contact. I don't mind keeping her, if its best for her. Not like she requires much. Even seeing her is a little bonus for us. Wouldn't be heartbroken if a male came into her life. Sounds like the pet trade will keep them from extinction eventually. The size is certainly easier to accommodate than a sulcata. And the babies, holy cute factor! I digress.

I will contact the conservationists