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Description/
Sex:
Eastern box turtles can be very colorful turtles, many have
bright coloration which includes high yellows, oranges,
reds, browns and blacks. They range in size from 4-8 inches
long and are somewhat more domed like a tortoise. They have
four toes unlike the 3-toed box turtle which has three.
Males are known to be the prettiest as they often will have
plenty of orange and red mixed in on their skin. Other ways
to tell the turtle is male is the orange / red eyes, a
concave plastron (bottom of shell) or a longer and thicker
tail. Whereas the female would have darker eyes, more
likey a brownish or blackish color, a flat plastron, or a
short and thinner tail. If you still have problems
identifying your box turtle, feel free to post pictures in
our forums regarding this issue and im sure plenty of people
would come along and help you figure out if it is a male or
female.
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Habitat:
Eastern box turtles are found in the eastern part of the
united states. They roam wooded areas where they feel
protected from predators and can hide when need be. These
turtles will sometimes wonder in shallow waters to soak and
drink water. They are mostly seen in early morning hours on
the edge of a field or in a garden in someones yard in an
undeveloped area. They prefer to hang around the base of a
small tree or shrub. Box turtles will always be active when
it rains if temperatures are tolerant. The main reason for
this is because when it rains, worms approach the surface to
avoid drowning and its an easy catch for food. Plus the
rain creates puddle for the box turtle to drink from which
prevents the turtle from actually having to travel to the
nearest lake or stream for a drink. |
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Conservation:
Box turtles are slowly on
the decline and this is mainly due to heavy roadway
traffic. People simply do not see these turtles crossing
the road and they cross frequently. Some people even try to
hit these turtles on the road on purpose, which is just a
horrible thing. Habitat destruction is also hurting the
eastern box turtle as they lose their home and are forced to
cross roads where they are hit or they simply get burried by
a bulldoser.
Box turtle eggs suffer the predation of a fox, dog, cat,
skunk, raccoon, etc which has lowered healthy populations.
It is really up to captive breeding projects to preserve the
eastern box turtle for future generations. Hopefully the
states where they occur purchase more state land to protect
more habitat for them to roam freely. |
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Housing: The
best way to keep eastern box turtles is to create some sort
of outdoor wooden box or otherwise known as a turtle pen.
You can use 2x12 lumber and build 4 sides standing tall.
Make sure you sink the wood in the ground a few inches so
when a heavy thunderstorm comes and it pours, it doesnt wash
the soil around the base allowing the turtle to tunnel
out. After your box is built, make sure you add many
plants and shrubs that can create some shade for hot summer
days as well as hiding areas for protection from predators.
Some people like adding a hinged lid on their pen to make
sure the predators cannot get in as well as a neighbor who
might decide they want your turtle. |
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Feeding:
Box turtles often eat a mixture of different foods, which
contains about half fruits and vegetables and the other half
a carnivorous diet, such as worms, beetles, grubs, slugs,
crickets and snails. Here is a long list of more foods you
can offer your turtle, peaches, blueberries, strawberries,
water melon, corn, tomato, banana, romain lettuce,
cantaloupe, brand name foods such as trout chow or reptomin.
They also love friskies wet cat food. It is also a good
idea to spread a supplement on top of their food to ensure
they are getting their vitamins and calcium. Rep-cal makes
a good product for this which is carried by your local pet
store. The supplement helps with their shell growth. When
feeding your turtles, try offering the food on a plate to
make sure ingestion does not take place.
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Breeding:
Breeding with eastern box turtles will most likely take
place after spring/summer/fall rain where temperatures are
not too hot or too cold. I have seen box turtles breed in
April, May, June, July, August, September and October.
These are the months that these turtles are active. During
this process the male will chase the female and sometimes
attempt to bit the female's head until the female retracts
into her shell. Once the female gives into the male, he will
then climb on the back of her shell and latch on. He will
try and hold her down and lock on so she doesnt move around
and he doesnt fall off. Once the male has positioned
himself properly, he could breed with the female from
anywhere between 1 minute and a couple hours. |
Illnesses:
Eastern box turtles can get sick easily. The trick to
preventing them from getting sick is to make sure their
water is always kept clean, they have plenty of space to
walk around and hide, they get the lighting they need and
the temperatures are tolerant. If kept outside, make sure
you provide a large leaf pile for the turtle to burrow when
night time temps get really cold.
Bubbles exiting the turtle's nasal passage and gasping for
air are signs to a respiratory infection which is one of the
more common illnesses in turtles. The turtle at this time
needs to be warmed up slowly and given proper medications
such as fortaz or baytril. Contact your local vet for
advice. Some can get expensive, so this is why it is best
to make sure your turtle never gets sick to begin with. A
clean healthy environment is the key.
The best thing you can possibly do is just acquire a captive
bred box turtle that lacks stress which is known to weaken
the turtle's immune system giving the turtle a higher
risk with getting sick. |
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Hibernation:
Box turtles can easily be
hibernated outside where temperatures average below 50
degrees through the winter. The best thing to do is to just
dig a large pit in the ground about 2 feet deep and stuff
the entire hole with leaves and hay. On it's own, the
turtle should dig down to the bottom of the hole as
temperatures drop. If you find the turtle burried somewhere
else like in the corner of your pen, try placing it on top
of the leaf pile. The box turtle should remain in the hole
or near the hole the entire winter. If it warms up the box
turtle might come out for the day and retreat back to the
leaf pile at the days end. Hibernation should take place
from around November until around April, but that is based
on your geographical location. |
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AL ROACH |
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