what kind is it...

[HmC]

i know this is a chameleon forum...but i know that alot of you know alot about different types of reptiles...which is why i ask....what kind of tortoise is this?
we had just got this guy yesterday, the person didnt have "time" for him...so now hes part of our large reptile family. haha

thank you for your help!!
holly

 

[kinyonga]

Any idea of where its from at all?? What country?
Could be a three toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis)...but I think I see 4 toes on the back foot...so it might be a cross between a three-toed and an eastern box. I'm not a turtle expert by any means.

 

[HmC]

i have no idea where its from...this girl just picked it up at a local pet store.....sorry

 

[Chamgirl]

Its an attractive tortoise, thats all I know!

 

[kinyonga]

I edited the first post I made....

 

[HmC]

Any idea of where its from at all?? What country?
Could be a three toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis)...but I think I see 4 toes on the back foot...so it might be a cross between a three-toed and an eastern box. I'm not a turtle expert by any means.

haha...yeah he has 4 toes in the back. he does kind of look like a 3 toed though.

 

[kinyonga]

Some three toeds do have 4 toes...so it still might be.
I keep three-toeds and a number of other turtles/tortoises. I have to sign off for now but will come back later to try to give you more information.

 

[HmC]

Some three toeds do have 4 toes...so it still might be.
I keep three-toeds and a number of other turtles/tortoises. I have to sign off for now but will come back later to try to give you more information.

thank you sooo much!!! ...yeah i joined some tortoise forum and alot of people are saying its a 3 toed also...and that she looks sick. which i believe because the previous owner only fed her iceberg lettuce

 

[Syn]

That's sad. It has no nutritional value whatsoever..

 

[kinyonga]

Do you have a picture of it with the head out of the shell?
Did someone say its female?? Does it have red eyes?? (They don't appear to be red in the photo.) Male 3-toeds have red eyes and females don't.

 

[kinyonga]

It might be a little thin and it also could be dehydrated from the look of it.

I feed mine a wide variety of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrot, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, celery leaves, etc.) (Sound familiar?? Chameleon gutload!) I also give them a bit of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.) and a source of "meat" (cooked chicken, earthworms, crickets, superworms, etc.) Not too heavy on the "meat". I dust the greens and veggies with crushed fruit flavored tums or phos.-free calcium powder at most feedings and twice a month with phos.-free calcium/D3 powder. I provide a UVB light and a basking light.

My cage (water table) has over 3/4 land area and the rest is a pool/pond. I have a drain and tap under the pool area so that the water can be drained and the water area cleaned out almost daily. There are at least two hides....one in the warmer area and one in the cooler part of the cage.

Three toeds can go through a hibernation in the winter and likely need to at least brumate in order to produce good eggs.

 

[HmC]

no red eyes. someone mentioned on this turtle forum that its a terrapene ornata luteola ( desert box turtle ) which he kind of looks like one out of all the research of done. so i think i may have gotten my answer! thank you all so much for your help!! ...no i can get the right food for my new baby and make sure hes healthy and happy!

 

[kenya]

TylerStewart (Stuart?) would know. It is NOT a Russian tortoise. That is all I have personal up close experience with as far as chelonians go.

 

[nightcrawler]

I really like tortoises but i have no room or money for one.
Has anyone ever read the stories of Harpo? Its a really funny slash entertaining story about one family's experience with a tort. A tear jerker too, i ohmost balled in the end and im a man.
Other then that, the funny thing and reason that i think i like torts so much is because I love making them salads and making salads for my crix. But i dont eat most if not any veggies myself.
There is a girl who i work with that has a Burmese tort. Never seen it but it seems neat.

Hope you can get him up to speed and live long with him/her.

here is harpo, if you like good stories i suggest you read this. and start from the beginning.
http://harpo.braveblog.com/archive.php

 

[kinyonga]

The ones in these sites all have quite a pattern...are you sure?? (Not saying I'm right...as I said I'm no expert...but its strange that yours hasn't got that pattern...
http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/list.php?qry=terrapene ornata luteola
http://www.californiaherps.com/noncal/southwest/swturtles/pages/t.o.luteola.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Desert-box-turtle.jpg
http://www.southwesternherp.com/turtles/luteola.html
http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/jd/jdweb/Herps/species/usturtles/terornlut.htm

 

[nightcrawler]

maybe try here
http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/index.php?showforum=97
this is the chameleon forums equivalent but with turtles, and chameleons are so much cooler

 

[HmC]

I really like tortoises but i have no room or money for one.
Has anyone ever read the stories of Harpo? Its a really funny slash entertaining story about one family's experience with a tort. A tear jerker too, i ohmost balled in the end and im a man.
Other then that, the funny thing and reason that i think i like torts so much is because I love making them salads and making salads for my crix. But i dont eat most if not any veggies myself.
There is a girl who i work with that has a Burmese tort. Never seen it but it seems neat.

Hope you can get him up to speed and live long with him/her.

here is harpo, if you like good stories i suggest you read this. and start from the beginning.
http://harpo.braveblog.com/archive.php

sounds like itll be good. got it bookmarked now!

 

[HmC]

The ones in these sites all have quite a pattern...are you sure?? (Not saying I'm right...as I said I'm no expert...but its strange that yours hasn't got that pattern...
http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/list.php?qry=terrapene ornata luteola
http://www.californiaherps.com/noncal/southwest/swturtles/pages/t.o.luteola.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Desert-box-turtle.jpg
http://www.southwesternherp.com/turtles/luteola.html
http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/jd/jdweb/Herps/species/usturtles/terornlut.htm

he looks like the one in the wiki link, although, he also looks like a 3 toed...but it may also be kind of hard to tell because his shell may be affected by the malnourishment ....so maybe in a few months we'll be able to tell!
but the diet to the 3 toed is very similar to the box turtle.

 

[HmC]

maybe try here
http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/index.php?showforum=97
this is the chameleon forums equivalent but with turtles, and chameleons are so much cooler

ill hit that up also....but the chameleon forum will always be #1! haha

 

[HmC]

It might be a little thin and it also could be dehydrated from the look of it.

I feed mine a wide variety of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrot, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, celery leaves, etc.) (Sound familiar?? Chameleon gutload!) I also give them a bit of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.) and a source of "meat" (cooked chicken, earthworms, crickets, superworms, etc.) Not too heavy on the "meat". I dust the greens and veggies with crushed fruit flavored tums or phos.-free calcium powder at most feedings and twice a month with phos.-free calcium/D3 powder. I provide a UVB light and a basking light.

My cage (water table) has over 3/4 land area and the rest is a pool/pond. I have a drain and tap under the pool area so that the water can be drained and the water area cleaned out almost daily. There are at least two hides....one in the warmer area and one in the cooler part of the cage.

Three toeds can go through a hibernation in the winter and likely need to at least brumate in order to produce good eggs.

sounds like a nice set up! we did have have a good mixture of greens for him the first day we got him, even though he didnt eat them. but, he seems a little frightened still....we have a uvb and basking (i also forgot to mention that the girl that had him, NEVER HAD A UVB LIGHT!!! for the 2-3 years shes had him!!!) we have calcium powder with vit d3 and right now we'll be building a kitty pool kind of thing (not an actual kitty pool because we cant find one right now) and have a mixture of natural dirt, sand and eco earth coconut fiber. also a little water area. this is what well be working on today or the tomorrow.