Please read the following before contacting MATTS. Many of your questions may be answered below.

Im an adult male semi-aquatic Malayan box turtle  (Cuora amboinensis), for adoption in the Baltimore, MD, area, but transport could be available to York or Harrisburg, PA. My shell is about 7" long, and Im over 20 years old (but I can live another 20 or more).  My species comes from lowland tropical rain forest areas of Southeast Asia.  I like to swim, and need my water on the warm end (75-78F), but I may also like a land area, since Im a semi-aquatic turtle, sort of like a cross between an eastern box turtle and a slider. I can eat pellets, earthworms, and insects in the water and fruit on land.  My basking area should be around 90F, with the heat light and UVB light on for 14 hours a day.  A "turtle table" with a large kitty litter pan or a cement mixing tray with a good ramp (maybe made out of egg crate light diffuser) is a possibility, too, like this one: http://www.turtlepuddle.org/extras/habitat.JPEG

Another option is a 50 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank set up for an aquatic with a basking area or a 100 gallon stock tank with a DIY basking platform made from PVC pipe.

If Im fed on land, heres a good diet plan: http://www.boxturtlefacts.org/Feeding_North_American_Box_Turtles.pdf

Care articles can be found at:

http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Turtles-Tortoises/Turtle-Care/Asian-Box-Turtle-Care-Tips-and-Breeding-Notes/

http://www.chelonia.org/articles/Camboinensiscare.htm

http://www.turtlepuddle.org/cuora/amboinensis.html

Im for adoption because my people became too ill to care for me.

For ideas on how to prepare an aquarium, pond, or turtle table, visit www.turtleforum.com to chat with other keepers.    

REQUEST AN ADOPTION APPLICATION from matts_adoptions@hotmail.com.  Please include your CITY AND STATE when contacting MATTS.  An application will be e-mailed to you. Once completed, the application can be returned, and if approved, youll then have to submit pictures of your set-up before picking up a turtle. We meet adopters in central locations such as Fells Point in Baltimore, MD, Parkton, MD, York, PA, as we foster from our homes and do not have a central shelter.  Shipping is possible if the adopter pays for shipping (next day for delivery on a Wednesday - Thursday to a home or business IF temperatures allow).

PLEASE HELP OTHER TURTLES by spreading the word - baby turtles grow into big turtles! They do not stay small - they do not grow to the size of their enclosure! Please dont buy hatchling turtles at vacation tourist spots. Its illegal in ALL 50 states to sell a turtle this small. Like turtles but cant have one? Want to help? MATTS accepts tax-deductable donations at MATTS, P.O. Box 341, Highland, MD 20777. We help over 100 displaced pet turtles a year!