So what is Max?

Now that we have him, we need to know what he is so we can take care of him. I was thinking he was a box turtle, simply because we have seen several in our yard, but I wanted to make sure. I searched the web a bit and found the Virginia Herpetological Society site. I contacted several of the members and received an email back from Mike Clifford who writes "It is a hatchling Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina . Nice photos... you can even see the egg tooth and "belly button" yolk sack. For more info, go to Turtles of Virginia. Judging from the egg tooth and yolk sack, it probably hatched within the last week or so. Most likely there are several more little brother and sister turtles nearby (they look alike at this age). If you want to keep him for a few days, you can use a cardboard box with some damp leaves and moss to hide under. For water, an overturned jar lid will do. Small earthworms are a favorite food, although it may not be hungry yet if just hatched". One mystery solved!