An eastern box turtle has a new life, after spending at least 50 of her years living on a tiled kitchen floor. Her name is Rockalina, and according to Garden State Tortoise founder Chris Leone, the turtle is probably 65 to 70 years of age.
The turtle’s story began in 1977 when a boy playing outside his New York home found her and brought her home. She lived on cat food and an occasional lettuce snack, but the lack of being outdoors and walking over rocks and rough terrain, her nails grew and eventually curled up. Without proper nutrition through the years, her physical condition slowly deteriorated.
In February 2025, a relative of the boy who found the turtle called Leone and asked for help. Rockalina, however didn’t look like a regular box turtle; her skin was discolored, and her eyes were shut and in bad shape as were her claws. She was missing her tail and had been covered in cat hair.
Rockalina’s rescue proceeded quickly. First she was given a relaxing bath, and after nearly an hour, her eyes opened.
“Poor traction on the slippery floor, severe dehydration from being in a dry home and improper diet have led to a disturbing outcome for this little turtle. Her claws grew upwards and backwards in curls, her joints became bowed, her skin became discolored and started sloughing off, her beak grew too much becoming disfigured and her back legs were suffering from necrosis. It’s been 30 days since we rescued little Rockalina the eastern box turtle and we are thrilled to report that she’s made leaps and bounds in her recovery! Her rehabilitation story is an amazing example of the positive impact people can have on wildlife.”
And it wasn’t long before Rockalina’s social media interest began. Among her first experiences bringing tears to viewers’ eyes had been when she stepped out into the sunlight.
Everyday Rockalina’s health continues to improve, and she is frequently spotted burrowing into the ground and has even snacked on an earthworm – a turtle fav.
Box turtles used to be quite prevalent, however a combination of factors including loss of habitat, road accidents and the pet trade has contributed to their population decrease. Turtles are slow moving and thus make them more vulnerable to road accidents and less natural habitat hiding places.
Check out Rockalina’s adventures and her amazing recovery featured on Facebook too.
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