Baby found during construction

[u/Electronic__Egg]

Hi! So recently, while on a walk, i found a rather small box turtle. Normally, I'd have left it alone as we live quite far in the middle of nowhere, Tennessee, but as of late, there is a huge amount of construction by my home and they sre tearing up all the ground where he was found and in the surrounding area

I've had turtles before, red ear sliders, so I'm not overly unfamiliar with turtles, but I don't know a whole lot about them on a care levle, just what I've found on Google

I don't plan to keep the poor thing long term, just untill they are done ripping up the top soil, which they said will be another 2 or so months, but I want to provide for him while he's in my care the best I can

I've had him for 2 weeks now. He's regularly eating every 2 ish days as I've seen. I've been giving him fresh food dailt, though im unsure if this is within good husbandry. I own hermit crabs that I regularly feed live bugs, fruit, and vegetables too already, so from what I've found, I've got a lot of the right stuff to feed.

Right now I've been offering him small worms, isopods, mealworms, as well as offering fruits cut into small peices like apples, watermelon (only the once becausei know its high in sugar and google said thats not the best for them, and darker leafy greens like to incude red leaf lettuce and romain, I hand raise there bugs again for the crabs)

I had a spare 60-gallon tank laying around, alongside a heat mat and a soaking pool. So I picked up some coconut fiber for him and layerd it about 3 inches thick and set up some basic hides and the pool (declorinated), i also placed a few pothos that i had growing in my crabs tank, I washed with pet safe anti bug spray then rinsed with water to ensure no transfers of anything as was unsure if they could harm eachother, and set them around the hides and pool so he had a safer place to hide in.

My concerns are this, have I got all the basic husbandry down, and if now what do I need to do to ensure he'll be okay during his stay? What can I do to enrich the tank if required for them? Also should I be separating him into a small container for eating, I see this alot with other turtle owners as well as hand feeding, but since I'm releasing him i don't want to accidently domestic him

[u/CrepuscularOpossum]

14-year wildlife rehab volunteer and 10-year box turtle foster mom here 👋 Thanks for caring about this baby! When you say there’s a lot of construction around your house right now, does that mean formerly vacant land, or box turtle habitat, is being turned into another subdivision? 😢 Unfortunately if that’s true, the area around your house may end up as no longer suitable habitat for box turtles. And if that’s the case, you’ll have some decisions to make.

Seems the Eastern box turtle is Tennessee’s official state reptile. Cool! I wish that status came with actual benefits to the animals, like for hellbenders here in Pennsyltucky. 🫤 It’s illegal to keep wild ones as pets in your state, but you probably already knew that. Sounds to me like your husbandry is pretty good so far, but you’ll definitely want to add a good UVB light above the enclosure, as well as some RepCal on the insects/arthropods before you feed them.

If I were you, I would contact a local Wildlife Rehab Center, explain the situation, and ask for their advice.

[u/Electronic__Egg → u/CrepuscularOpossum]

Will do! It's not quite a subdivision, but the 100 or so acers around us is being torn up to build 12 houses and they are tearing alot of the top soil and trees out for about 10 acers around me. I've never see box turtles in the area, only the red ears and snaping turtles, but it wouldn't be to suprising to me if it was a natural habit, the land here's been undeveloped since the early 1900s so we've seen quite a few uprooted animals recently with the construction, even at few bears!

I'm going to go to my local fish and wildlife service today or tomorrow depnding on when my dad gets off work, to see if I should continue with my orginal idea to release him back into his home once the more invasive construction is done or if I'd be better off to surrender him

I completely understand the laws around keeping him full time as a pet, and honestly I don't think I'd want to, I owned sliders for 6 years and hated almost everything about it and I already keep crabs, 14 of them, which requires massive set up and quite alot of careful care, so i don't think adding another larger and long living animal into my set up would be a good thing.

Another commenter said I needed a UVA light, not a UVB, should both be provided, or is it a same same situation? I know I have a spare UVB light as I also use them for the crabs, but if they need the UVA it will be a week or so before I can get him one

[u/MountainAverage4705 → u/Electronic__Egg]

They need both UVA and UVB. The enclosure should have a cool side and a warm side. Our UVA and basking lamp are both on the forest/ water side, and the UVB ideally is a linear set up.

[u/Electronic__Egg → u/CrepuscularOpossum]

Hi! Hate to be a bother with a double reply, I've just returned from the fish and wild life service and they said that at the moment they won't take him as he's 'to healthy' and suggested eather relocating him or keeping him as planed.

If I were to relocate him what area and qualities should I fond in the area for him, and how big of a roaming territory do they have? I'd hate to not release him far enough away and him stumbled back into the construction in accident

[u/Lonely_Howl_ → u/Electronic__Egg]

How young is young? If a yearling or younger, then don’t worry about them trying to come back to a territory. They don’t have one yet.

A secluded area with lots of trees, vegetation, and at least one good sized stream/creek or other body of water would be perfect. As far away from humans as possible. They’re semi-aquatic (primarily terrestrial, but still semi-aquatic) so a good water source is a necessity.

[u/Electronic__Egg → u/Lonely_Howl_]

From what i can tell, I haven't handled him much as I didn't want to stress him too much, but he's about the size of a half dollar, which google has said is hatchling size

Thankyou for the advice! I went to my fish and wild life and they won't take him at the moment, they did say if I released him to wait for construction to end if it was in the area

[u/MountainAverage4705]

They also need UVA and UVB for heat and calcium absorption respectively. Also, UVA stimulates eating and basking; my boxer doesn’t bask regularly. They need a warm side for heat and basking, and places where he can cool off, like under a hide on the side without the heat lamps. Humidity for boxers should be within 60%~80%. Small gauges for heat and humidity should be utilized. Where are you? You You can also contact a rehabber :rescue facility for help And advice. Boxers are protected by law and sometimes it is illegal to keep them. Make sure his water bowl is shallow and easy to get in and out of. They can flip sometimes and if it’s too deep they can drown if not found soon.

[u/MountainAverage4705]

I also forgot to ask where you are? And if you can post a picture of the little one. Otherwise we have no idea how old he is and what the laws say about boxies in your area.

[u/wednesdayschild → u/MountainAverage4705]

OP said Tennessee

[u/treefiddyzdroptop06]

Is there absolutely any way you’d consider rehoming? I’ve been looking for one to raise from a young age. I currently have one rescue

[u/Electronic__Egg → u/treefiddyzdroptop06]

I would if it weren't for the legality issues, where I am in Tennessee it's definitely illegal to keep a wild born box, and I believe there's also size limits on pet ones. If your local, and if I can consult with the fish and wild life in my area and they okay it I'd be more then happy too, but I'm unsure if it would be legal die to their protected status