Hamburger, nine years old, has been with us about one year and is now making his debut on the Wildlife Club. You can’t help but notice something unusual about him – his shell and body seem wrong for each other. And that’s exactly the problem! Someone found the box turtle as a hatchling eight years ago. They did their best in taking care of him, giving him everything he was supposed to eat and more. What they didn’t give him was time outside in the sunlight or UV rays indoors, necessary for turtles like Hamburger.

Without the UV rays, his shell never grew properly. It’s so small and deformed that he can’t pull inside like other box turtles to protect himself from predators or the elements. As a result, he can’t be kept outside in the sunlight for very long, nor can he hibernate with our other turtles, so he stays mostly inside with a UV light.

However, he is a very sweet and friendly little guy and loves to be around staff, who enjoy giving him attention. Hamburger earned his name because it was the first thing that came to our zoo General Manager’s mind when he saw him – an extra large burger on a small bun. He’s now available on the Wildlife Club for sponsorship, and if you sponsor him, you know what you’ll be .... Yup! a Hamburger helper. He’d like that so long as he’s nowhere near a pan! So go sponsor him now!