I found a very curious tortoise walking on my back patio. It looks like someone in my neighborhood let it go for some reason. If someone could look at the picture and let me know what kind he is. I want to raise him, he is a funny charactor and a new welcomed member the family now. Thank to who ever can help.
100_0009.jpg

Some sort of box turtle? Does he have a shell flap that closes up when he pulls his head in?
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/m...le/boxinfo.htm

If he is an eastern box turtle, then he is probably wild and I would recommend letting him go in a nicely wooded area. This is from that website:

Another concern is the capture of box turtles for the pet trade. The impact of taking turtles from the wild can be devastating to local populations. Over the span of their lifetime, female turtles will lay hundreds of eggs, but only 2-3 of these offspring will survive to adulthood. These offspring will eventually replace their elderly parents, allowing the population to remain at a stable size (1). But, if box turtles are taken from the wild to become pets, or are killed by human activities, they are removed from the overall breeding population, the number of offspring drops, and the overall population declines. Additionally, box turtles have a homing instinct that causes them to try to return to the place of their birth if they are moved. As a result, when box turtles that have been taken as pets are returned to the wild, they will head straight for their natal grounds (1). This journey causes the turtles to encounter many dangers, such as roads, predators, and humans. For these reasons, if you are looking for a pet, you should try to find a captive-bred animal or consider a different pet.

Welcome to the board!

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.