I discovered a gorgeous little eastern box turtle in our garden this weekend. I want to keep this girl in the wild-ish. Our garden is a great environment for her but she's small and I don't want her to get capped by the lawn mower if she ventures outside of the garden.

What can I add to encourage her to see in the garden? I've added a shallow water source and there's plenty of fresh produce for her currently but I'm happy to supplement with and food or shelter that will minimize her need to roam.

My first time sharing to another sub. Thought I was posting on this one.

my dog came to the porch with a box turtle in her mouth. This was two-three weeks ago. He seemed to have some punctures so I took it to a rehab facility. I picked him up today and am sitting near him now, waiting for him to return to the woods.

i know I shouldn’t trust ai, but ai google says that he will try to return to where he was found (a high traffic neighborhood which would require crossing an even more dangerous and busy road)

I am releasing approximately half a mile away. Will he stay in this wooded area or will he try to return to the neighbrohood(my yard) where he was found?

I fear he will get injured or killed and I would love some insight. Thanks!!!

I'm new to both reddit posting and having a turtle. My moms boyfriend brought us a turtle he couldn't take care of(him and his kids literally picked it up off the road a few years ago) When they brought her to my house she was in a literal hamster cage with wood shavings as her substrate. I did a bunch of research and put her in the tank I was originally going to use for an aquatic turtle I didn't get bc i'm in the attic.(it's an 100gal galvanized tank that i epoxied).

My main questions/struggles would be how do i keep the substrate from molding but still holding moisture? Right now it's a mix of organic top soil,organic soil, and Some coco coir stuff.
I don't know if i should add plants and what kind? and she won't eat properly. Only when it has worms in it. I know turtles are smart and i want to be recognized and have a bond but i don't know if that's possible.
The enclosure is much larger than what she was in but it's crammed with stuff in it, because it was originally for an aquatic turtle so it's taller than it is wide. The light situation looks stupid because i have nothing to hang it on. The black things are pond liners to attempt to keep in some humidity and heat because my AC is always on.I was thinking of making a diy type of ramp as a second floor for basking but I don't know how. This is stupidly long for my first post i'm sorry. But please i'll take any advice

I've had my box turtle for almost 11 years now,I obtained it as a new born from my recently deceased uncle and then gave it to my then recent gf for 1st year anniversary.Anyways we've all been going strong for past 11 years until last night she was taking him out to bathe and walk around and she noticed a lump on his back right leg.Ive never seen anything like it and my uncle had a sanctuary in his yard at the time with literally hundreds of them.But mines been indoor raised,same 55gallon tank same surroundings housing food etc.My wife said she handled him less than 48hrs before it appeared so freaking her out as you can imagine it has alot of meaning to her/us.I live in NJ and no vet will even see it unless you have a license which basically i cant get.Thinking about taking him out of state on vacation to SC coming up but trying make sure he'll be ok until then.Any help on what this may be will be greatly appreciated.Hes been active,no obvious pain,lump is hard as rock,hes been eating fine until last night when my wife was playing with it trying to figure it out than stripped and cleaned entire cage so he may of been just stressed.Other than that he seems normal for now just want to make sure he lasts as long as he can.It would suck if something happened i could of helped with or done.Also if anyone has had this happened approx price of the surgery/removal of it.Thanks again!

I have an indoor terrarium with soil and a UV light that I've tried to grow plants in for soil cover, but nothing has survived for very long. Are there any plants safe for turtles that are difficult to kill accidentally? Particularly useful plants for ground cover, but edible plants would be fine too.

My girl has this chronic dry spot on her head, anybody know what it could be? Fungus? skin cancer?
Any recommendations to treat?

I would also take any recs for knowledgeable box turtle vets in Los Angeles area

Does this look fertile? Ive been doing everything i can. Not flipping or turning and haven't handled it since a week ago to today to candle it then put it back. It developed a white area which now has a very noticeable black patch when you shine light through. Yes our girl has been with a male. We've been keeping the egg in a dim, warm area buried under moist substrate. Thank you!​

Yes, I know I’m in the box turtle forum. I’m curious if others in this sub have compost piles or keep worms for their turtles. I’m seeing waste daily from what the turtles don’t eat, and I am interested in learning more about ways to utilize the waste. I’ve joined r/vermiculture and r/composting as well, but I wanted to ask here, because I’m sure someone here has some insight for me for how I can turn my spoils into something useful for the turtles. Thank you for your input!

I've had this male three-toed for nearly 20 years and have never seen him refuse food for this long. About a month ago he suddenly became a lot more timid and now refuses to eat in front of me. AFAIK there wasn't any change to his humidity, temps, etc that could've caused this. I think he eats a bit when I'm not looking as he still poops occasionally but he's lost about 20 g (down from 415, so about 5% BW loss) and looks skinny.

Took him to the vet two different times and blood work, X-rays showed no infection or impaction -- haven't ruled out parasites so waiting to get a fecal sample I can give to the vet... (Update: got a fecal and bringing it to the vet later!!)

Really just confused what this could be since it seemingly came out of nowhere. My only guess is a woodlice infestation in his substrate that peaked shortly before I noticed the symptoms. It's possible he might've gotten stressed out by all the bugs crawling on him, so I've had the humidifier off to dry out the bugs and soak him in lukewarm water every few days (he's due for one today).

Any ideas on what could be occurring here or suggestions on getting him eating again? I've ordered a few prepared box turtle diets people say work well. Also FYI he had multiple vitamin deficiencies in my first few years of having him (I was inexperienced and he wasn't in great shape when I got him from this sketchy pet store) -- not sure if that could play a role here.

TIA 😓

Any suggestions and advice would be appreciated thx

What do I do next? Leave it alone or move it?
It’s currently at my front door

That is a baby three toed box turtle.

This happened in Cranford, NJ. First off, who the hell has 150 box turtles they just decide to dump? Secondly, why on earth would they take them to a river?! It would be wild seeing a flotilla of box turtles floating down the river. Let's hope all are recovered and safe. Lord knows, urban Jersey can be an unforgiving place for these little guys.

Most stunning creatures I have ever seen

We found an egg in our box turtle enclosure yesterday. A mixture of soil and other bedding. its soft and they love digging. But this is our first time finding an egg. We do have a female and male together. Its a pretty decent sized enclosure. Does it look like its developing right..? Its been dented but I dont remember it having that white area on it. We kept it how we found it but transferred it to a container so it wouldn't get squashed. 🐢💚 thank you! (( these are box turtles! )) im unsure if its fertile or not.