Yesterday morning, while walking the dog, I came across an Eastern Box Turtle walking down the sidewalk as if he belonged there. This particular sidewalk follows a major surburban road one one side and townhomes/parking on the other. In other words, not a safe place for a turtle. The nearest "forest" is a quarter mile away. The nearest stream is a bit further. Between the turtle and the forest/stream would be a major road crossing and several rows of townhomes. Since I like to expose my daughter to new things and because this turtle wasn't particularly safe, I took him home with me (the dog was a bit perplexed by this critter, but not antagonistic).
Currently, Mr Turtle is living in our backyard. Our backyard is approximately 30'x30', moderately damp, fenced, and not heavily shaded. Around the perimeter of the yard, we have several Earthboxes with beans growing in them. Because the backyard is partially shaded by our home, it doesn't get direct sunlight for most of the day until noon-3pmish. I've partially buried a small bowl to allow for a permanet water supply. Because of the damp nature of the yard, we have plenty of slugs here and there. Mullberries are currently dropping into our yard from the neighbor's tree next door. Yesterday, I fed Mr Turtle a slug I found under a piece of slate. He ate it with gusto, which surprised me. I figured he wouldn't be in the mood to eat after changing homes and being handled. He likes to take shelter between the fence and the earthboxes.
Do I need to do anything to keep him healthy and happy in our yard? Should I feed him or let him forage on his own? What about hibernation? All the info I can find runs to the two extremes: making your yard a complete habitat with brush piles, etc or keeping them in enclosures. What about info for small yards and no enclosures?
I don't mind letting him go if it's not practical to keep him in our yard, but our daughter does enjoy watching him and I think it could be a learning experience for her.
Chris