Rockalina was taken from the wild in 1977 and lived nearly 50 years on the floor of a house living on cat food, lettuce and fruits.
After decades living on a kitchen floor and fed cat food, lettuce and fruit, Rockalina, an Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina), is on the mend, thanks to the folks at Garden State Tortoise. Rockalina has been an internet sensation for more than three months and her story her plight has become inspiring. She was basically cared for in suboptimal conditions since May 1977. She was plucked from the wild, as an adult at the time by a young disabled boy. She then spent the next 48 years living on the floor of the boy’s (now man’s) house.
When the man’s parent’s passed away, a relative contacted Chris Leone of Garden State Tortoise, and he drove to pick Rockalina up. Rockalina was in bad shape. Her beak had overgrown, she lost all her natural color, was dehydrated, had overgrown nails. And her rear leg appeared to be necrotic. She had been fed lettuce, fruit and cat food since the 1970s.
Rockalina drinks water as she gets a warm soak. Photo by Chris Leone
A visit to the veterinarian determined that she had abnormal bone structure due to her living conditions, and metabolic bone disease, among many other issues. Her blood work was good news, according to the the veterinarian, Dr. Lambert. She had good protein and her uric acid, the marker for kidney function is normal. She had calcium in her blood, her bile acids were also normal, so her livers are functioning well. Leone and his team at Garden State Tortoise are working the plan to ensure Rockalina has a good quality of life. Reptiles Magazine contacted Leone for a quick interview about this resilient little Eastern box turtle.
Rockalina was not in good shape when Chris Leone picked her up. Photo by Chris Leone
Reptiles Magazine: What were your initial thoughts on her chances when you first saw the photos of Rockalina?
Chris Leone: We honestly thought she’d die on the car ride home or would have to be euthanized.
RM: After you let her soak and she then opened her eyes, what was your first reaction?
CL: That first soak was puzzling. All it took was some warm water and she not only drank profusely but her eyes opened. The lady who gave her to us said she had no idea when the last time she opened her eyes was. On one hand we were like, wow that’s all it took to get her to open them?! And on the other we were very disturbed that no one thought to do that for her before all of this.
RM: The first photos of her were disheartening. How much time did it take to trim away the years of neglect?
CL: In total it took about 4-6 weeks to get her strong and “cleaned up.” It was crucial for us and our veterinarian to take baby steps with her because of how long she was in such bad shape. Little by little we chiseled away and every time we did something she responded in a positive way. We knew to keep going because she was “telling us too” for lack of a better way to say it.
Rockalina about to eat an earthworm. Photo by Chris Leone
RM: When you brought her out in the sun for the first time in decades, how did she react?
CL: She immediately responded by blinking, stretching out her neck and gulping the fresh air. It was absolutely amazing and emotional to witness. She instantly knew she was outdoors.
RM: How long was she out in the sun for the first time? Is there concern that her skin may be susceptible to sun burn after decades inside on the kitchen floor?
CL: She was outside for a few hours in a partially shaded enclosure. It’s certainly possible that if she was left in direct sun her skin could be negatively affected but she showed us very natural behavior for box turtles by burrowing into pine and leaf little to hide. That was really important behavior to see because this lets us know that she is capable of acting like a normal box turtle would in these situations. When provided with an appropriately decorated enclosure that’s placed in a good location, the animal responds to triggers accordingly. If sun is too strong, a turtle should be triggered to move out of it by either finding shade or burrowing into cool, moist forest floor. She did this and that was fantastic.
RM: What was your impression when she ate the earthworm? Were there initial concerns that her misshapen beak may inhibit her chance of grabbing it?
CL: We were so thrilled when she not only grabbed the worm but ate it too. I wasn’t even thinking she’d be able to grab it because of her beak, I just wanted to test her to see if after all these years she’d be able to recognize it as a food source. She wanted it, worked for it and ultimately got it! It was great.
RM: Do you think that Rockalina may get some of her color back?
CL: Time will tell. I do know of other box turtles that were kept incorrectly for a long time indoors regain coloration and that is my hope for Rockalina. I think it could happen once she’s outdoors consistently and on the right diet long term but it’ll be a while before we notice anything, possibly years.
RM: How did you facilitate the transfer of Rockalina?
CL: Someone reached out to us through our website about her and asked if we’d be able to take her in. Once we saw the photos we quickly made arrangements to drive up there and pick her up.
RM: Is the goal to get her in an outdoor pen?
CL: Absolutely! We’re currently planning that out.
RM: What is next for Rockalina?
CL: Getting her outdoors into as natural of a situation as possible is a priority for us. We can’t wait for her to be able to be as much of a box turtle as she can be and we have always believed in naturalistic keeping by using nature as a model. She deserves the absolute best and we will continue to share her story and progress to spread awareness for her species. Our hope is that Rockalina’s story will save many other turtles for years to come.
