My husband brought home a turtle today that a co-worker found. It appears to be blind in one eye. I don't know what kind of turtle it is. I live in South Eastern Pennsylvania. Can anyone help me identify this turtle?

Close up of shell



Eye is cloudly white, is it blind?



More close ups out of shell

__________________
Kelly

My pets:
Leopard Gecko ~ Ducky
Rabbit ~ Chester
Kitten ~ Lil Fang
Black Bear Hamster - Charlie
Parakeet ~ Ray
Eastern Box Turtle ~ Ollie
Hermit Crab ~ Mr. Crabs
Teddy Bear Hamster ~ Poppy RIP 7/12/07

This is an eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina. I believe it's male, but yeah, his eyes are a bit clouded. I'm not sure if that's cataracts or if he's sick though. Cloudy eyes can be indications of both.

__________________
+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

Just the one eye is cloudy. The other eye is nice and bright and brown. He is very active when my daughter puts him in the yard to walk around.

Do you know anything about box turtles?

__________________
Kelly

My pets:
Leopard Gecko ~ Ducky
Rabbit ~ Chester
Kitten ~ Lil Fang
Black Bear Hamster - Charlie
Parakeet ~ Ray
Eastern Box Turtle ~ Ollie
Hermit Crab ~ Mr. Crabs
Teddy Bear Hamster ~ Poppy RIP 7/12/07

Without a doubt a box. It looks like an injury to the eye and is more than likely permanent.

__________________
Ken
" The United States Marine Corps......sure we are a department of the Navy,,,,,,we're the MENS department "

My daughter want to keep it since it has a bad eye. Is this recommended? I do live adjacent to John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge so we could let it go there although this not where the turtle was found.

If we keep it what do we need to do? It likes being outside in our yard but I don't think we would keep it out there all of the time. Could we house it in a sterilite box with the appropriate habitat? I did some googling and the food it likes is easy for me to obtain.

__________________
Kelly

My pets:
Leopard Gecko ~ Ducky
Rabbit ~ Chester
Kitten ~ Lil Fang
Black Bear Hamster - Charlie
Parakeet ~ Ray
Eastern Box Turtle ~ Ollie
Hermit Crab ~ Mr. Crabs
Teddy Bear Hamster ~ Poppy RIP 7/12/07

the food is the easiest part. Box turtles are healthier and happier with alot of room. Outdoor enclosures are best and they are UV dependent.

__________________
Ken
" The United States Marine Corps......sure we are a department of the Navy,,,,,,we're the MENS department "

My daughter has had it outside all afternoon, just letting it roam around our yard. It seems happy and actually on the friendly side. What kind of pen would you recommend if we were to keep it outside? My husband is going to have a fit if I tell him his has to build me something! I guess he should have known better than to bring a creature into my house and then expect us not to want to care for it! Katie has already named it Ollie.

__________________
Kelly

My pets:
Leopard Gecko ~ Ducky
Rabbit ~ Chester
Kitten ~ Lil Fang
Black Bear Hamster - Charlie
Parakeet ~ Ray
Eastern Box Turtle ~ Ollie
Hermit Crab ~ Mr. Crabs
Teddy Bear Hamster ~ Poppy RIP 7/12/07

It would be best to build a custom cage for him outside. I am in the process of building mine which will be about 10 foot in diameter (though I will have a small pond in it). I would suggest a minimum of say 6 foot by 4 foot. Pick a spot in your yard and fence it in. make sure the fence goes at least a foot under ground so he can't dig out, and it's at least a foot high with a liip overhang so he can't climb out. You can plant plants in it but bear in mind he will eat and or trample them in no time. Give him a few places to hide and make sure that dogs and or cats cannot get to him. You'll have to modify this setup if you plan on him hibernating through the winter. I bring mine in in the fall.

__________________
Ken
" The United States Marine Corps......sure we are a department of the Navy,,,,,,we're the MENS department "

The thing that concerns me is that from your pictures, his other eye also seems a bit cloudy. Definitely not as clear as it should be anyway, but maybe it's just the picture.

As Ken's pointed out, box turtles need quite a bit of room. I'm not trying to talk you out of keeping him, but you'll definitely need to do some building if you want to keep him healthy and happy. If you intend to bring him indoors during the winter you'll also need a mercury vapor light and a rather large enclosure.

__________________
+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

Thanks for all of the information, I really appreciate it.

__________________
Kelly

My pets:
Leopard Gecko ~ Ducky
Rabbit ~ Chester
Kitten ~ Lil Fang
Black Bear Hamster - Charlie
Parakeet ~ Ray
Eastern Box Turtle ~ Ollie
Hermit Crab ~ Mr. Crabs
Teddy Bear Hamster ~ Poppy RIP 7/12/07