Box Turtle for A Pet.

[MasterBlaster]

A buddy of mine was telling me about how his kids found a box turtle in the yard. They wanted to keep it for a pet, but he said "Heck no! Ya'll can't keep no dirty turtle for a pet! Let it go!

:what:

I thought that was being silly. I remember growing up as a kid with my brother and we had a bunch of box turtles that we'd capture and keep in a cool pit that we had dug for them. We feed them rabbit pellets and they ate the hell outta it. They'd hibernate in the winter and everything. It was cool, my dad didn't have a problem with us having friggin turtles for pets, big deal.

Anyhoo, I told my friend I thought it was silly him forbidding having a turtle as a pet. He thought I was the crazy one.

So, I'm just curious what camp ya'll might be in. I don't think there's a darn thing wrong with it. Hell, it ain't like a pet possum orrrrr something.

 

[Mr. Sir]

I had one for a few years when I was a kid. Built a fenced in pen in the yard for him. It was cool. He was a little bitty thing when I found him and grew to be about 15" across when I finally let him go.

 

[Cut4fun]

We had boxed turtles and eventually we would take them for a ride or walk and release them in the woods somewhere when the newness wore off as pets.

Also had them painted store bought turtles.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I remember throwing a horny toad in with the herd. I thought they'd hang out together, but that was when I discovered that turtles were omnivores, lol.

 

[Greenhorn]

I had 13 adults at one time in a pin as a kid. They actually started breeding, cute little soft shell things about the size of a quarter would hatch out of eggs. I loved to turn loose june bugs in with them and watch the carnage. I really enjoyed them, had them all named and could tell the males from the females etc. Some of them were really wild and would bite you if you messed with them, most were pretty chill.

 

[cory]

Sounds cool to me.

 

[Cut4fun]

I had 13 adults at one time in a pin as a kid. They actually started breeding, cute little soft shell things about the size of a quarter would hatch out of eggs. I loved to turn loose june bugs in with them and watch the carnage. I really enjoyed them, had them all named and could tell the males from the females etc. Some of them were really wild and would bite you if you messed with them, most were pretty chill.

aka: box turtle pimp = greenhorn

That had to be pretty cool.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Had one for years named 'Stretch'. Man, he loved lettuce, would walk across the entire yard to get it, took about ten minutes. Sadly, I think he disappeared through the open gate one day. Cool pet, I still think of him. Gently guy, never once bit.

 

[bill22]

Heck yeah, I had one.

 

[jefflovstrom@sb]

My tortoise

We have a desert tortoise came to live with us 4 years ago.


Jeff

 

[Greenhorn]

aka: box turtle pimp = greenhorn

That had to be pretty cool.

I actually broke some eggs on accident before I realized they were breeding, felt bad about it. They would back up to each other and there back legs would get all interlocked when they were mating, guess I didnt think anything would become of it before the egg incident! If I was more of a business man could have sold them to pet shops. Wouldn't now though, I like seeing animals roam free or atleast have a big pen.

My uncle has a Christmas tree farm in Florida, lots o big gopher turtles out that dig some monster holes.

Soft shell or mud turtles we call them have to be the angry creatures I have messed with, and they have VERY long necks to reach out and bite. Almost learned that the hard way.

Just a month or so ago they claim to have pulled a 60 pound alligator snapping turtle out of the local duck pond, after the ducklings dissappearing!

Guess I have always had an eye out for turtles.

 

[No_Bivy]

when I see one crossing the road I offer aid.........

 

[MasterBlaster]

That's how we collected 50 or 60, even more. Every time we saw one on the road, we grab the sucker.

 

[No_Bivy]

they live to be old......

 

[woodworkingboy]

Don't they go through a sort of semi hibernation in the colder months? I seem to recall that our guy used to dig a hole partly under the fence and disappear for awhile.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Yea, they would hibernate every winter.

 

[tophopper]

I have a buddy who caught a huge snapper last year........it now temporarily resides in his freezer.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Great eating! I've eaten several!!!

 

[Burnham]

When I was a wee tyke living in Tallahassee, my father brought home a big tortoise for me to see, locally called a "gopher" . It lived in our fenced and wooded back yard of about 2 acres for a year or so, then was released back near where he found it. It was a big rascal, as my kidlet mind recalls, and strong...it could crawl around dragging me holding it's shell to my chest.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hahaha, I bet he just loved that workout!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

My mom had box turtles for a long time. She loved them, the dogs... not so much

 

[Burnham]

I bet you are right Butch, not so much fun as all that, for the tortoise...but it LOVED the canned dog chow and fresh veggies...it would come to the back porch and wait for mealtime .

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hahaha, that's cool, B.

 

[Paul B]

I had a couple red eared sliders for a few years, they liked worms, and pooping, I traded them for uhm, I forget what. I was around 11 or 12 when I had them.

 

[Che]

This is what the CDC says about turtles.

I think kids (and adults) are trying to be too 'clean' with all the germ phobics around. Good way to keep an immune system weak.

I wish we had 'gopher' turtles....all we had were painted turtles. In GirlScout camp I saw a girl pick one up at the lake, she gave it a kiss....it promptly bit her in the lip. ouch.