Box turtle in the backyard

[mtnbkr]

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

[Brrlgrrl]

You bet your sweet a** I am.  Oh, I'm sorry, it's Friday and I saw a post about turtles!

A friend of mine had a turtle living in her back yard for close to twenty years.  She fed it lettuce, and grape leaves.  The turtle lived in a little dog house.  My friend would cover the door w/ a piece of plywood during hibernation. I know next to nothing about turtles.

Cheers!

[charby]

lucky you, I wish I one in my back yard.

more info right here http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/eastern_box_turtle.htm

Charby

[onions!]

Boxies are a lot of fun!

As long as you can keep pesticides out of your back yard then he (are it's eyes red?if so,it's likely a male) should be fine out there.I'd let him forage for his own supper mostly.A good supplement of shredded dark greens & other veggies along w/various,non-citrus,fruits will be appreciated.Bananas & strawberries will just disappear!

As far as winter hibernation goes.Honestly,if he's to be a pet,I'd bring him inside & set him up in the largest container you can find.I wouldn't try overwintering him outside if he's your first turt.

Remember also that if you do want to let him go-sooner is better.

[K Frame]

As long as you give him food, shelter, and water, the only reason he'll have to leave your yard is to find some lovin.

[Larry Ashcraft]

One word: STRAWBERRIES

They love 'em.

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

Mr. Turtle might enjoy a bit of shade when he gets too warm, and to hide under. Couple of shrubs, perhaps?

I don't think he'd like being held captive inside the house, though. The turtles I've seen in that situation just looked sad, in a reptilian sort of way. Let him stay in the yard.

Sounds like he's got plenty of food, but I don't see any harm in feeding him.

A few years ago a huge snapping turtle showed up in our side yard. We called him Gamera.  After a few hours he moved on.

- NF

[mtnbkr]

Thanks for the info guys.  Turns out, "he's" a "she" based on eye color (brown, not red).

I'll probably remove the bricks from below the back gate (there's a 3" or so gap otherwise) so she can leave whenever.  If she stays, great, but I don't want her to stay if we're going to have to provide food and shelter as if a pet.  I'd rather her remain wild than be a cage critter.

There's plenty of shade between the earthboxes and fence, just not any shade in the form of shrubs and trees.  The earthboxes tend to attract slugs because of the daily waterings and shade from the beans, so that's a food source for her.  

Chris

[wasrjoe]

I had a box turtle show up on my from porch when I was about 5 or 6. It lived in out back yard until we moved out. (I assume it lived there for a while atferwards, too.) I saw it eat a dead mouse once. *crunch* I thought it was about the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

I had 8 living in my back yard once. I'd always stop and pick them up if I saw them in the dangerous habit of attempting to cross a road.  Kept the pest-critters at bay in my back yard and added a little more enjoyment to the place.  

I made a point of not removing one from a more 'native' habitat. Concrete and asphalt are not native habitats.

Regards,
Rabbit.

[K Frame]

Just watch your lawnmower, Homer.

[Stand_watie]

In the springtime, when it's wet, my dogs bring them home by the dozens and gnaw on them for chew toys. I'll bet I've rescued 200 in the last 8 years.

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

BTW, there's a more reliable way to tell Mr. Turtle from Ms. than eye color. The mrtle has a concave carapace (underside). The hertle has a flat one.  

Bonus points for figuring out why.

- NF

[mtnbkr]

Just watch your lawnmower, Homer

She's a bit big to miss in the grass while mowing.  

Bonus points for figuring out why.

To make room for eggs I'd imagine.

Chris

[InfidelSerf]

I remember when I was oh.. 6 or 7 we found a box turtle in the street on our way to church on easter sunday.
Good ol' Herbie the turtle lived with us for the next 7 - 8 years or so.  And completely ended a cricket problem we had in the basement.
Then we moved to a new house.. and one day the sliding door at the new house was left open a bit too long.
Herbie decided it was time to move on and who knows how long he lived after that.
A great pet, of course now since the box turtle is the state reptile we would have been considered criminals for capturing him

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

To make room for eggs I'd imagine.

Nope. Think about what happens before the eggs...

BTW, on a similar topic, there used to be a British TV show called "Vets In Practice" about newly-minted vets. One show had a bit on the marital relations of tortoises.  Turtle foreplay was a riot, especially when Ms. Turtle was having none of it. [Klonk... klonk... klonk...]

- NF

[Jamisjockey]

Any old soup recipe will work for (snapping) turtle soup. The main problem  with turtle soup is cleaning the turtle. You have to be certain that every  last speck of fat is removed from the meat before cooking. This is not too  difficult because the fat is between the skin and the flesh.
 
  To butcher a turtle you start by chopping off the turtle's head. Be careful  because the head will still bite even after it is removed from the body and  the body will still crawl away after the head is removed. Turtles don't die  right away.
 
  When the body stops trying to crawl away, dip it in boiling water and  scrape off the exterior layer of skin, including the shell. The result will  be a bright white carcus, compared to the muddy brown-green you started  with.
 
  Next step is to remove the shell. Cut along grove on each side between the  front and back legs. It is the narrowest part of the shell. The tail, neck  and all four legs are attached to the top of the shell. Remove from shell  and you have the bulk of the meat. However, there will be some meat on the  bottom shell and top shell.
 
  It is at this point that you remove the fat. Just roll back the skin and  with a paring knife and your index finger scrape out the fat.
 
  I learned about turtles from my parents who learned from their German  immigrant fathers. It has been told in family circles that my maternal  grandfather would catch snapping turtles by hand. I never saw him do it  because he was hit and killed by a truck when I was about nine years old.  It was a big loss for me because he was just starting to teach me about  turtles, wild mushrooms, dandelions and other natural things. He made the greatest doughnuts I ever ate.
 
  Good luck with your turtle soup. Just cook it long with lots of vegetables  and it will be good if you removed all of the fat. - Earl

  From Earl Shelsby

  Collected by Bert Christensen
  Toronto, Ontario

http://www.bertc.com/turtle.htm

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

Well, this thread's shot now... Gee, thanks.

- NF

[mtnbkr]

Nope. Think about what happens before the eggs

I did some reading, it's for both.  

[Klonk... klonk... klonk...]

lmao

Chris

[toro]

My brother and I had a pet turtle for a while when we were children.  We just let it run anywhere it wanted.  Trouble is they go off and you only see them every so often.  We always thought it was the same turtle come back to see us.


My husband and I took a trip to England to visit friends.  They had the most beautiful garden I had ever seen.  While we were there we heard a clomp, clomp, clomp.  Our hosts said well it seems our pet tortoises have awakened and it's time to put them in the garden.  They had four of them.  They said in the winder they just put them in a box and when they wake up they climb out and make the clomping sound and they bring them back down to eat the  vegetation to keep the garden clean.  They said almost all people in England had pet tortoises.


                                              Mrs. Toro
P.S. We went to the Aquarium today and they had a plate with lettuce and there was a mommy, daddy and baby turtle eating together like a family.  I was so cute.


=========================================
Song of Solomon 2:12
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

[Anna G.]

You can read some caresheets to make sure you are doing everything right. In my opinion this is the best site on the internet where you can do this.  http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-easternboxie.htm

If you have any questions try out their forum: http://www.turtleforum.com

[BrokenPaw]

BTW, there's a more reliable way to tell Mr. Turtle from Ms. than eye color. The mrtle has a concave carapace (underside). The hertle has a flat one. Bonus points for figuring out why.

Because the top of hertle's shell is convex.

-BP, who actually paid attention when reading Ranger Rick as a lad.

Edited because I'm a knucklehead.

[SalukiFan]

Box turtles are cool little critters.  You might want to check your local wildlife laws though, there is now a $5,000 fine if you get caught with one as a pet here in Indiana.  If you'd had one for a while I guess you can get a waiver but $5,000?  Yow!

[Harold Tuttle]

Sheldon the Box Turtle says: Wiminz?

i loves da turtle wiminz!

Note to Self, do not feed the box turtles halepenos:

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

Note to Self, do not feed the box turtles halepenos:

Gamera is really neat!
Gamera is full of meat!
We all love you,
Gaaaaammmm-eeeerrrr-aaaaaa!