Box Turtle Rescue!

A couple months ago, I found an injured box turtle in our driveway. He was dragging his leg which was badly infected.  I called around and took the turtle to Kim in Radford who then brought her to Allison Lee, a reptile specialist, from Roanoke.  A vet removed the bad leg and today Allison called to say he was good to go.

 He looks a lot better than when I found him in July.  He also had had an ear infection.  I didn't realize turtles even had ears but now I know how to tell if they have an infection and might need assistance.

Allison explains that you can identify individuals by their distinct markings on the shell.  She said his marking reminded her of flames.  He also of course only has 3 legs now.  A notch on the upper part of the shell may indicate that he was originally hit by a vehicle.  She told me how to tell he is a male: almost red (his looked like orange) eyes, top shell extends beyond bottom, and indentation in the bottom shell.

She released him about 100 feet where I found him, in the cove area where the turtle could find moisture.

I am so appreciative of Allison and her excellent rehabbing of turtles.  Her organization website address is:  wildlifecarealliance.org

Did I say how much I love turtles and am so glad our land is a home for them.