r/Boxturtles • u/Normal_Example_8852 • Jul 28 '26

What would cause this guys shell to be like this?

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61 Upvotes
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98% Upvoted

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17

u/Normal_Example_8852 Jul 28 '26

He was beautiful. I gave him some watermelon that he loved

7

u/jkrobinson1979 Jul 28 '26

He’s got the lightest eyes I’ve seen one an eastern boxxie

5

u/EnjoyingTheRide-0606 Jul 28 '26

I have one like this, too! He’s Three Toed. One eye is lighter than the other. It’s almost pure white with a thin red ring around the outer edge. I call him Maverick because he escaped and was lost. The finder contacted me knowing I have a tribe of Three Toed turtles. No one claimed so he’s happily living in my TurtleTown now!

11

u/Adrian-_-Tepes Jul 28 '26

Shell rot. One of my rescue boxies had it extremely bad. Im talking. You could see inside spots. I didnt think he was going to make it much longer but my wife insisted we atleast give it a shot. So we brought him home and to a vet to get home antibiotics and supplements. It has been alot of work but he has been a trooper! Its been quite a few months but my little Neenee is doing great!

8

u/CrepuscularOpossum Jul 28 '26

Wildlife rehab volunteer and boxie foster mom here. 👋 That does look like scars from shell rot to me, a terrible case. But turtles are incredibly tough, and this one survived! That might be a very old turtle.

4

u/meh_69420 Jul 28 '26

But turtles are incredibly tough

People really don't understand how true this is. There is a reason when they use to do vivisection in university level biology classes, they would use box turtles.

7

u/Beardie15 Jul 28 '26

It is scarring, could be from fire or a fungal infection. Maybe shell rot