abandoned tortoise

L

LittleLionLover

Member
A little while ago I spotted what we though was a turtle about to cross the rode. Rushing over I picked it up thinking to put it back in the river the and realized it wasn't a turle at all but a tortoise. I live in northern jersey and dont exactly think this little guy/gal is common wildlife. It's shell is a bit beat up, beak appears a tad worn, but overall it appears healthy. At the moment I dont have the room or the means to keep it. Im wondering if anyone knows a shelter or rescue that takes in tortoises I'd appreciate any help.
 
Here are some pictures if anyone wants to sex or identify.
 

Attachments

  • 001.jpg
    001.jpg
    231.5 KB · Views: 175
  • 002.jpg
    002.jpg
    240.4 KB · Views: 190
  • 004.jpg
    004.jpg
    227.8 KB · Views: 148
  • 005.jpg
    005.jpg
    217.4 KB · Views: 162
  • 007.jpg
    007.jpg
    214.4 KB · Views: 250
That's great! Hopefully you can get a good home for the little guy. I wish I could help on identification but I'm still having a hard time remembering to call tortoises tortoises and not turtles. :p
 
Syn said:
That's great! Hopefully you can get a good home for the little guy. I wish I could help on identification but I'm still having a hard time remembering to call tortoises tortoises and not turtles. :p
Click to expand...

Me too! Almost threw the poor thing into the river until I realized it didn't have webbed feet :eek:
 
That's a female Eastern box turtle. They are in fact native to your area. Just let it go as close to where you found it as possible. They have a built in "homing beacon " so to speak, meaning they know where there home range is(which is usually smaller than a square mile), and they will try to get back to it no matter where you let her go at, crossing roads on the way and likely not making it. Hopefully it was not let go by someone else where you found her at.
 
Fidel said:
That's a female Eastern box turtle. They are in fact native to your area. Just let it go as close to where you found it as possible. They have a built in "homing beacon " so to speak, meaning they know where there home range is(which is usually smaller than a square mile), and they will try to get back to it no matter where you let her go at, crossing roads on the way and likely not making it. Hopefully it was not let go by someone else where you found her at.
Click to expand...

See I didn't know that! I was assumin she might be someones pet because I live in a pretty populated area. She was actually crossing the street when I found her.:eek: Im not sure where exactly I could release her, I'd put her back where I found her but theres nothing but busy streets and a stanky river.I'm at a bit of a loss at what to do :/
 
I'm not sure, but she could be looking for a place to lay eggs. I know that in captivity they can lay more than one clutch and my friend's are still working on what should be the last clutch for the year.

Just did a search and some have even been found in the very south part of Ontario!
 
Last edited:
kinyonga said:
I'm not sure, but she could be looking for a place to lay eggs. I know that in captivity they can lay more than one clutch and my friend's are still working on what should be the last clutch for the year.

Just did a search and some have even been found in the very south part of Ontario!
Click to expand...

Wow thats crazy! Always a surprise to find out some critters can be found in your own back yard!. And speaking of surprises I've found someone that would love to take the little girl in:). She already has a few tortoises she's rescued from near death and abandonement situations as well as a few dozen birds, dogs, among other things. Her life and house are dedicated to these guys, it's pretty cool. Hopefully the little gal can adjust and live comfortably with her, I just don't have the heart to release her knowing she might have been abandoned rather than wild. I've got a pretty good hunch that was the situation, we saw a decent sized tank thrown on the sidewalk with a big 'FREE' sign a few days earlier and thought nothing of it:mad:. Either way thanks a bunch for all the feedback guys :D
 
We have those little guys ALL OVER the place in southern Indiana! My husband and I will go out in our woods and look for them, not to mention I have stopped multiple times to get them out of the road.

I don't know about Jersey, but here in Indiana it is actually illegal mess with wild EBTs, and you can face fines if you are found keeping one. So many have been taken from the wild and sold it has actually diminished the wild population to a point where the law had to intervene. Just try to take her back to where you found her - she knows what to do!
 
JennyBug said:
We have those little guys ALL OVER the place in southern Indiana! My husband and I will go out in our woods and look for them, not to mention I have stopped multiple times to get them out of the road.

I don't know about Jersey, but here in Indiana it is actually illegal mess with wild EBTs, and you can face fines if you are found keeping one. So many have been taken from the wild and sold it has actually diminished the wild population to a point where the law had to intervene. Just try to take her back to where you found her - she knows what to do!
Click to expand...

See I found her at a very busy intersection and I searched for somewhere moderately safe to release her but I live in a very populated, slightly urban area so I was hesitant. That along with the abandoned tank and some odd ongoings I felt this might've been a case of abandonment. Im thinking she was probably wild, picked up by someone, dumped when they no longer wanted or could care for her, and left in my area. It's extremely odd to find something like a tortoise where I live, especially where she was at, the wildest this you'd find here is probably a racoon. So although it might not have been the most ethically sound thing to do, morally I found it best to give her to someone who would care for her properly, allow her tons of space to roam, and supply her with an abundance of food and attention. But thankyou for the input, should something like this ever occur again ill try harder to return whatever it is to the wild. But in this instance I felt stuck between a rock and a hardplace and went with my gut feeling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

DekuScrub
cage mates? taboo or.....
2
Replies
30
Views
8K
wimz050
wimz050
Brad
Interview with Chris Anderson
2
Replies
21
Views
11K
jannb
jannb
Back
Top Bottom