My husband and I were driving 3 weeks ago when we almost ran over a desert box turtle. It was a busy road, so we picked her up. It has been 3 weeks, and she is a lot more sluggish than she was at first. She is so much slower (she was quite fast) and as far as we can tell, she won't eat or drink water (we got the food they suggested at the pet store, and we've kept fresh food and water with her every day). We take her outside a few times a week. I know it's about time for her to hibernate, and we have wood chips for her to burrow in, but since the first few days, she doesn't burrow at all anymore. We were letting her have free reign of the apartment, but since she started flipping onto her back, we've had her in her box full of wood chips most of the time since. She was trying to climb out today, so I let her out.
What can I do to make her get better? And since Desert Box Turtles are on the protected list, would a zoo take her, so she'd have more room to run free in? What should we do with her?
Update:We bought a whole bunch of wild crickets, but they just got loose in our apartment, and she never ate them.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Take her back to the exact spot you found her, place her in the direction she was going (off the highway) in a protected safe spot.
Box turtles have well established home territories and let Mother Nature take over again. I applaud you for rescuing her from a busy road, but it's in her best interest to return to her native habitat.
First you must decide housing for the turtle. Will you keep it indoors or outdoors? If you decide to keep the turtle outside, make sure that the area is similar to the turtle’s natural habitat. There should be plenty of sun since box turtles are reptiles, but also shade in case the turtle becomes overheated under the constant heat of the sun. Provide water for your turtle so that it is deep enough for swimming. The home should have weed-like plants and insects for consumption. An outdoor setting is probably the home a turtle would choose. However, an indoor home properly made will keep your box turtle just as happy and safe.
If you build your turtle a home indoors, use a container like those made by Rubbermaid. The best option is to have a large, dark container that the turtle cannot see through. A turtle can become perplexed and frightened looking out of a clear container. One of my box turtles constantly tried to climb through the wall of his clear container, so I had to move him. The container should be large and filled a few inches deep with a substrate such as “Bed-a-Beast.” Then provide a hiding place for the turtle such as a hollow log. You should make a pool for the turtle since that is where a turtle usually poops. I used the plastic lid of a container for food. Make sure that the pool is not too deep. Every day, keep the entire tank moist by spraying the surfaces of the home.
I have 2 turtles and the pet store kept selling me food but they wouldnt eat it and the only thing they would eat was live food they need what they eat in the wild so if you dont want to go and get live food all the time cause they do eat alot i would give it to the zoo or find a good place to put it back in the wild.
The turtle must go back to the exact spot you got it at. Not sure where you are located at, but in most states it is illegal to collect turtles species. This time of year they are going around to start burrowing in for the winter and start there brumation (sleep for the winter). One of the mistakes taken with turtles is people bring them indoor and don't' provide UV lighting for them nor do they supply correct food items. If you do want a turtle buy a captive born one that will not in most cases have parasites in them nor any underlying illnesses.
Hope they go back to keep the wild animals wild,
Ed
This may be due to the environment. Research the natural conditions in the turtle's ecosystem and duplicate it.
how are you taking care of her? She needs at least a 50 gallon tank, and a uvb light, a basking light, a heat mat and lots of food, not just crickets!
read all about it.. http://www.desertmuseum.org/programs/tap_boxturtle...
most likely the zoo won't take it. they will tell you to let her go where you found her.