Can anyone offer any turtle help? Pics Added!

[hollyclyff]

Doesn't look like any NA native box turtle I've ever seen. Maybe they meant some sort of wood turtle instead of redwood box turtle?

 

[ladycrotalus]

The herpetology group that i am a member of said it is a South American Wood Turtle from the family Rhinoclemmys.
Rhinoclemmys punctularia - Spot-legged turtle
Here is a care sheet on them. http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-sawood.htm

 

[michelle1017]

Quote:
Thank you very much!!

 

[Epona142]

Great job finding it! I didn't have time to look and for the life of me couldn't find Austin's Turtle Pages for her lol.

 

[hollyclyff]

Well, that explains how the previous owner could have kept it with sliders. I just couldn't imagine how a poor box turtle had lived like that!

 

[michelle1017]

Quote:
So, if I read it right, it is okay that I have it as a land turtle now? She is doing great and ate really well last night. The 2 aquatic ones have been eating turtle pellets we put in their water. We have also been getting them out every night to "run" around for a while. The big one really takes off!

Thank you everyone for all your help!!

 

[hollyclyff]

The way I read the care sheet, it sounds like it is more aquatic than a box turtle, but probably likes more land than the sliders. Definitely not a native turtle that can live outside all year in your climate. But I only know eastern box turtles, nothing else. A box turtle just needs a dish it can soak in (I use a paint tray), they don't really do any swimming. In fact both of mine were rescued from near drowning in our swimming pool when they were babies. I actually thought one was dead when I first scooped him off the bottom of the deep end. He was limp and not moving, with his legs hanging out and his eyes clouded over and swollen. He made an amazing recovery, but he really looked like he was a goner when I pulled him out. They can swim some, but not particularly well apparently.