Where did your Box Turtle come from?

[Becca267]

Right now I have two Three-toed Turtles Box (Adult) and two Gulf Coast Box Turtles (about a year and a half old). The three-toed were bought from a teenager over craigslist and came in a cereal box. The gulf coast were from a local woman who is best described as a hobby breeder. I am interested in requiring some Eastern Box Turtles at some point and have been doing to research on where. I'm not having lots of luck and it got me wondering how others came to own their turtles...online store, rescues, etc.

 

[ColleenT]

the first 2 i got were on Craigslist and being kept in a tiny rubbermaid container( the one that fits under your bed) that they were sharing with a full size gulf coast and a full size wood turtle. I found homes for the gulf coast and the wood turtle, and i kept the male and female Three-toed.

When i ordered Ilene online, she was supposed to be a three-toed, but she was a huge gulf coast and her leg needed to be amputated when i got her. Long story...

The 4th one is a three toed i adopted from a turtle rescue.

 

[jakskillz]

My male three toed Perry was given to me by my mom who got him from someone keeping him in a dark basement with no uvb and only fed mealworms. His rear legs were paralyzed but proper diet and forced exercise got him walking again.

My other male three toed dragon was bought online as a female but that wasn’t the case after the first day.

Two eastern females were bought off craigslist.

My big male gulf coast Ebert was adopted in manhattan from a reptile rescue. He was a house turtle before and outlived his previous owners.

Franklin, my male Florida box turtle, was an interesting craigslist find. I saw an add for “dog crate and turtle” the pic was blurry but I figured it may be a box turtle but most likely a slider or chicken turtle. I figured I’d go get him and worst case find him a rescue if he was aquatic. I get there and sure enough it’s a male Florida box turtle. His owners found him and his sister in their backyard as hatchlings 30+ years ago and kept them outside in a dog crate. He’s healthy. When his owners passed away their son came down to clear out their house and released the turtles in the backyard. The female died within a week and he found franklin in the pool so he decided to just sell him.

Pumpkin has the best story though. He was a rescue up in New Jersey and someone new I kept box turtles so handed him off to my mom. I live in the south so we were trying to figure out ways to ship him down here but every shipping center refused to ship him. My mom wasn’t too happy about him living in her guest bath tub and having to take him out every day for some sun. After a month we finally found a way to ship him overnight. I was working so asked a friend to receive the package for me. My friend made the mistake of opening the box and not realizing that this turtle can move faster than a typical turtle. I get a text after 30 min to a “hey dude sorry I lost your turtle” I left work and searched the neighborhoods around his house for weeks. After a month of calling pet stores and adoption shelters/vets I gave up. A month later I’m at a vet with one of my box turtles. This was the only vet with availability at short notice. In the waiting area a vet tech came up to me and complimenting my turtle. She said they usually don’t get too many cool turtles like mine and the last one they saw was “an awesome orange African turtle” I don’t know every species but I’ve never heard of an orange African turtle so I asked what kind and she said she didn’t know but he was cool looking and had crazy markings on his shell like paw prints. She said he was only about 6” big and someone just found him in the street with a broken leg. I pulled up my picture of my missing turtle and she was like “hey that’s him!” Then was shocked he had an owner. The vet I saw kept him and fixed his leg then sent him to a wildlife rehab center 2 hours away. I went the next day and confirmed pumpkin was my missing turtle and he finally came home.

Most of my others are rescues and the rest I bought. They all get spoiled.

 

[Becca267]

That is a crazy number of turtles in a box...And sort of a weird assortment.

the first 2 i got were on Craigslist and being kept in a tiny rubbermaid container( the one that fits under your bed) that they were sharing with a full size gulf coast and a full size wood turtle. I found homes for the gulf coast and the wood turtle, and i kept the male and female Three-toed.

When i ordered Ilene online, she was supposed to be a three-toed, but she was a huge gulf coast and her leg needed to be amputated when i got her. Long story...

The 4th one is a three toed i adopted from a turtle rescue.

 

[Becca267]

I almost bought a craigslist Florida box turtle, but he was more than I really wanted to spend, I didn't really have a good place for him right then, and I really wasn't looking for a Florida box turtle. He sure did have a pretty shell though.

My male three toed Perry was given to me by my mom who got him from someone keeping him in a dark basement with no uvb and only fed mealworms. His rear legs were paralyzed but proper diet and forced exercise got him walking again.

My other male three toed dragon was bought online as a female but that wasn’t the case after the first day.

Two eastern females were bought off craigslist.

My big male gulf coast Ebert was adopted in manhattan from a reptile rescue. He was a house turtle before and outlived his previous owners.

Franklin, my male Florida box turtle, was an interesting craigslist find. I saw an add for “dog crate and turtle” the pic was blurry but I figured it may be a box turtle but most likely a slider or chicken turtle. I figured I’d go get him and worst case find him a rescue if he was aquatic. I get there and sure enough it’s a male Florida box turtle. His owners found him and his sister in their backyard as hatchlings 30+ years ago and kept them outside in a dog crate. He’s healthy. When his owners passed away their son came down to clear out their house and released the turtles in the backyard. The female died within a week and he found franklin in the pool so he decided to just sell him.

Pumpkin has the best story though. He was a rescue up in New Jersey and someone new I kept box turtles so handed him off to my mom. I live in the south so we were trying to figure out ways to ship him down here but every shipping center refused to ship him. My mom wasn’t too happy about him living in her guest bath tub and having to take him out every day for some sun. After a month we finally found a way to ship him overnight. I was working so asked a friend to receive the package for me. My friend made the mistake of opening the box and not realizing that this turtle can move faster than a typical turtle. I get a text after 30 min to a “hey dude sorry I lost your turtle” I left work and searched the neighborhoods around his house for weeks. After a month of calling pet stores and adoption shelters/vets I gave up. A month later I’m at a vet with one of my box turtles. This was the only vet with availability at short notice. In the waiting area a vet tech came up to me and complimenting my turtle. She said they usually don’t get too many cool turtles like mine and the last one they saw was “an awesome orange African turtle” I don’t know every species but I’ve never heard of an orange African turtle so I asked what kind and she said she didn’t know but he was cool looking and had crazy markings on his shell like paw prints. She said he was only about 6” big and someone just found him in the street with a broken leg. I pulled up my picture of my missing turtle and she was like “hey that’s him!” Then was shocked he had an owner. The vet I saw kept him and fixed his leg then sent him to a wildlife rehab center 2 hours away. I went the next day and confirmed pumpkin was my missing turtle and he finally came home.

Most of my others are rescues and the rest I bought. They all get spoiled.

 

[lisa127]

I adopted 3 from a wildlife rescue and rehab in MS, one from our local reptile rescue, and my juvenile gulf coast from Eric here on TFO.

 

[jakskillz]

I almost bought a craigslist Florida box turtle, but he was more than I really wanted to spend, I didn't really have a good place for him right then, and I really wasn't looking for a Florida box turtle. He sure did have a pretty shell though.

The guy that sold him didn’t know much besides he was a box turtle since it was his parents turtle. The turtle came free with the dog crate that was $65 and for an adult Florida box turtle that was one of my luckiest finds

 

[RumWeatherReptiles]

Right now I have two Three-toed Turtles Box (Adult) and two Gulf Coast Box Turtles (about a year and a half old). The three-toed were bought from a teenager over craigslist and came in a cereal box. The gulf coast were from a local woman who is best described as a hobby breeder. I am interested in requiring some Eastern Box Turtles at some point and have been doing to research on where. I'm not having lots of luck and it got me wondering how others came to own their turtles...online store, rescues, etc.

 

[RumWeatherReptiles]

I have had my three toe for about 8 years. I got her from an online auction that no longer exists. I think it was just called reptileauctions.com. My eastern has a longer story. He came from a home in Pennsylvania where eastern box turtles are illegal. He was kept for years on a screened in porch. I dont know the full story of whether they caught him or received him from someone else. Either way they no longer wanted him and were planning to release him. A guy i know through work knew i was a “turtle person” so he took him for me. He was surprisingly healthy and is super tame. I was able to make him a large outdoor enclosure where he can sit in the sun whenever he wants.
I just recently adopted two more box turtles from MATTS (mid atlantic turtle and tortoise society). A very young Eastern Box turtle and a hatchling hybrid (three toed/gulf coast). Both are shy but are eating well. The love Mazuri and earthworms dusted with reptovite.
Never take a box turtle from the wild. And never release a long term captive into the wild.

 

[RumWeatherReptiles]

I have had my three toe for about 8 years. I got her from an online auction that no longer exists. I think it was just called reptileauctions.com. My eastern has a longer story. He came from a home in Pennsylvania where eastern box turtles are illegal. He was kept for years on a screened in porch. I dont know the full story of whether they caught him or received him from someone else. Either way they no longer wanted him and were planning to release him. A guy i know through work knew i was a “turtle person” so he took him for me. He was surprisingly healthy and is super tame. I was able to make him a large outdoor enclosure where he can sit in the sun whenever he wants.
I just recently adopted two more box turtles from MATTS (mid atlantic turtle and tortoise society). A very young Eastern Box turtle and a hatchling hybrid (three toed/gulf coast). Both are shy but are eating well. The love Mazuri and earthworms dusted with reptovite.
Never take a box turtle from the wild. And never release a long term captive into the wild.

 

[EasternBoxTurtleLover]

I got rosey from tortoisetown.com

 

[RumWeatherReptiles]

I got rosey from tortoisetown.com

I have looked at that site before. Aren’t their box turtles like $300 tho?

 

[EasternBoxTurtleLover]

I have looked at that site before. Aren’t their box turtles like $300 tho?

That’s the full grown box turtles

 

[PJay]

Look for a turtle from a rescue or local Turtle society. There a lot of turtles up for adoption.