Other Turtle Discussion :: Found a very odd box turtle crossing the road (pics)

[Spike 7.62]

This road was a two-way street with supermarkets and a plaza which led to the main highway in town, so I'm deciding to relocate him deeper into the woods so that he won't walk into another street.

Anyway, I noticed right away that this turtle has no front claws, but nubs instead. They are healed over and he uses them to walk pretty effectively. It probably causes pain, but he moves with the same speed as a regular box turtle would. I believe he is an eastern box turtle. I'm bringing him to an area that has a large freshwater lake (near where I found that musk turtle) and it's far from "civilization".

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Any idea how old he could be? I suppose a bird or fox or something ate off his hands, but it was long enough ago that the nubs are completley healed over. Also, he's healthy enough to have survived this past winter which was abnormally long and cold.

-Spike

[jay2487]

Spike, Check out this article I saw a week or two ago. What a coinky dink
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/sh ... p?t=226042

[happycamper]

Cool lookin turtle!

[theartbook35]

I think, if he has survived this long with stubby toes, that he is more than capable of going right back into the wild.

Beautiful turtle, the colors are lovely. He's a healthy boy!

[Spike 7.62]

Very neat article, this may not be so uncommon then. I released him later the same day I found him, away from "town" right on the edge of a water source. Hopefully he's back to his turtley business in the woods. It's quite a wonder that he was found where he was because of the traffic and lack of vegetation.

-Spike

[lotsofpets]

I can't be certain, but I think the males have red/orange eyes when fully grown. Either way a very nicely marked EBT. It looks like something has chewn it's front toes off in the past, but it's good the turtle gets around just fine without them. If it's a female (and I think it is) it was probably looking to find a nesting site. Past research has shown that box turtles have a particlar "home range" and taking them from that can have dire consequences. More than likely you did the right thing from taking the turtle from busy streets, but the EBT was probably was on it's path to a nesting location or something.

[Spike 7.62]

I'm sure you're right that it was in search of either food, a nesting site, a mate or water, but the area that it was picked up from has none of these. Hopefully he/she isn't too disoriented in it's new habitat, but I can only hope.

-Spike

[marisa]

They have their own set territory. The turtle will probably try to seek it out.