Turtle Kept on Kitchen Floor and Fed Cat Food Finally Feels Sun After 50 Years

Since 1977, Rockalina, an eastern box turtle taken from the wild, lived on a kitchen floor and was fed cat food. Now, nearly 50 years later, she’s feeling the sun on her shell again, thanks to her rescuers.

Rockalina was recently surrendered to Garden State Tortoise, a reptile rescue run by Chris and Casey Leone. She had been captured decades ago by a young boy in New Jersey and kept as a pet ever since.

Unfortunately, her living conditions were far from ideal. “Poor traction on the slippery floor, severe dehydration from being in a dry home, and an improper diet have led to a disturbing outcome for this little turtle,” Garden State Tortoise shared. “Her claws grew upward and backward in curls, her joints became bowed, her skin discolored and began sloughing off, her beak overgrew and became disfigured, and now her back legs are suffering from necrosis.”

At first, her rescuers wasn’t weren’t sure if they’d gotten to her in time. But they documented her journey — from learning to recognize a worm as food to taking her first steps outside in decades — and began to see signs of hope. You can watch the heartwarming video below:

Chris Leone grew emotional watching Rockalina explore the outdoors again. While he admits her back leg and beak may never fully heal and she’ll never regain the vibrant appearance of a wild turtle, she’s making steady progress.

Rockalina may not look like she once did, but she’s on the mend and finally safe in a home that understands how to care for her.

Here’s the video of Rockalina’s initial rescue video, a few months before being able to venture out into the sun.

Eastern Box turtles can live for over 100 years. Leone guesses she was around 20 years old when she was taken from the wild so she still has many years ahead of her.