Box Turtle - Up Close

NateS

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Short story to go with this one.

About 1 month ago, my brother-in-law was backing out of the driveway and actually ran over this little guy. He got out after it happened and saw that the turtles shell was cracked (not crushed) and scuffed really bad. Turtle didn't act really well either. So he moves him to the grass and hopes for the best. For an entire month the turtle has been hanging out in his backyard. His back legs don't work (just drags them) but he gets around suprisingly well with just his fronts. My Bro-in-law is thinking about bringing him inside for the winter (setting up a box or aquarium) because he's afraid he might not make it thorough a winter. Anyway, I figure the turtle deserved to be seen all over the world for his troubles.

I'd love to hear what people think of the pics in general as well.

1.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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5.
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6.
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Nice series! Good detail of its scaly skin texture and colour. I especially like #5 with the dof, pov and composition
 
Nice series! Good detail of its scaly skin texture and colour. I especially like #5 with the dof, pov and composition

Thanks. 5 was my favorite too and I couldn't believe how colorful he actually was.

Wow. I wouldn't want to live somewhere with such a total lack of vetrinary services!

Plenty of vets but if people went to the vet everytime a turtle got hit, we'd need specific turtle vets. I can't blame him for not spending the hundreds it would cost to (maybe) fix him. I was pretty impressed with the steps he's taking regardless.

Really like the composition of #3.
Good series.

Thank you.
 
I thought I'd bump this once just in case it got lost. This forum moves pretty fast sometimes.
 
I like the color. Hope he pulls through
 
Beautiful photos, and props to your brother for doing what he can for the little guy. I can't say how well the turtle would fare if taken into human hands for the winter, but I think any help your bro can give the guy is a good thing. Maybe extra food, build a small shelter outside for him.. dunno. But good to see heart out there :)
 
Thanks guys. I wondered the same Dmitri about the long term consequences of bringing him in for the winter. I'm just not too sure he'd be able to make it through a cold winter on his own.
 
Hi,
Lovely pictures of the turtle. I have a similar turtle (3 toed Box Turtle) as a pet and have a few suggestions on what to do for the turtle to help it recover from its injuries
Box turtles and any sort of turtle for that matter are rather difficult to domesticate and even if they are receiving food and shelter from a human they are able to readapt quite well to being outside again.
If left outside the turtle will probably die this winter. I would suggest bringing the turtle inside now and placing it in an enclosure with high walls (they can climb heights up to about 6 inches vertical if they set their minds to it) This could be as simple as a rubbermaid tote. Ideally if you are able to take it to a vet the cost would not be too high- basically they would sanitize the wound, wire together the edges of the shell if it is broken badly and construct a plexiglass outer-layer on the shell.
Alternately you can treat the turtle yourself- I would clean the wound with a q-tip and warm water if it is still open and then treat with polysporan (works wonders on shell damage too). Then just make sure that the wound is kept clean by limiting time the turtle spends in water or dampness (you could mist the turtle with a plant mister and leave only a small amount of water in a bowl in the enclosure).
Make sure to maintain the turtle at roughly room temperature- as they are cold blooded they respond obviously to temperatures inside the house and their activity levels decline in the cold (also healing is hindered by cold).
Provide direct light during the day (a study lamp is fine) as well as shade (cut a shoebox in half to provide a little 'cave')
For food- if you are brave catch worms (note: do not purchase fishing worms which are frequently treated with chemicals), otherwise ground beef, cooked eggs, papaya, berries and bananas are popular choices with my turtle.
Don't worry about the turtle not readjusting to being outside once you release it in the late spring (wait until the temperature is at least 20 celcius). My box turtle who has been a pet for more than 25 years escaped one summer and managed to successfully find food even hibernate until the next spring when she was found sunning herself on a neighbors lawn.
Alternately seek help from Turtle Homes Rescue- an organization in the US, UK and Canada that helps rehabilitate wild turtles as well as finding long term care for those which cannot be moved back to the wild. Their website is as follows: http://www.turtlehomes.org/
I hope this helps and best of luck.
 

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