The Common box turtle has been officially recognized as “vulnerable,” and there are now some limitations as to their capture and trade. The only state in which wild specimens can be captured for sale is South Carolina. However, while it is often illegal to capture a wild common box turtle for financial gain, the laws tend to be more relaxed about capturing them for personal ownership.
Common box turtles have many needs, and it is extremely important for pet owners to be aware of these needs. These turtles can die within a matter of days when put into captivity if their needs are not met.
Something to keep in mind is that the colorful shells of common box turtles tend to fade when they are kept in captivity. This occurs due to a lack of direct sunlight.
Housing a Common Box TurtleTo keep a common box turtle as a pet, you will need a fairly large enclosure. This should be tall enough that they cannot escape from it, and wide enough that there is ample room for all of their essentials. The enclosure should also be made from a material strong enough that the turtle cannot break out of it. A cardboard box should only ever be used as an enclosure for a very brief period of time, such as when cleaning their primary enclosure.
The turtle will need ample heat and lighting in a specific area of their living space. This way they can move closer to the heat source or further away from it as needed. A good level of humidity is required for their environment. Using a spray that has a mist function can help with this, by lightly misting fresh water around the turtle’s living space every so often. This must be done multiple times, daily. They also need a large source of water for drinking, soaking, and bathing.
Even though turtles can retreat into their shell, they still appreciate being able to hide within something else, such as a piece of log or bedding that they can burrow into.
Feeding a Common Box Turtle
Dandelion. Picture byMark
It can be very difficult to ensure a captive box turtle gets all of the vitamins they need in their diet, so you may have to ask you veterinarian about supplements such as vitamin A and calcium.
Your turtle will want to be fed live insects that they can hunt. Most pet stores sell crickets, but you can feed them all sorts of things such as worms, grubs, cockroaches, and so forth. For greens, you can feed them romaine lettuce and dandelion greens (taken from a yard that does not use pesticides). They also enjoy fruits, berries, and mushrooms.
Different common box turtles can have different tastes, since they are native to such wide regions. You should offer your turtle a variety of foods and see what they like. Just make sure they are getting enough nutrients, so beware of them just eating one thing all the time.
Common Box Turtles have a tall dome shape on the upper portion of their shell. They have a hinged shell as is common with box turtles. Their beak is down-turned. They can grow up to eight inches long. The shell of a common box turtle often has dark colors such as dark brown with spots of much brighter contrast, such as yellow or orange patterns.
This turtle is found primarily in the eastern regions of the United States.
They prefer lightly moist regions in forested areas. They can be found as high north as Maine and as far south as Texas if the conditions are right.
Common Box Turtles can be found in dry regions occasionally, but they tend to thrive best in moist, forested areas with lots of brush. They are not aquatic, but will sometimes spend long durations of time in shallow water or mud.
The common box turtle has six sub-species still in existence, these are;
There is also an extinct sub-species of common box turtle, known as theTerrapene carolina putnami, with no common name.
The Eastern Box Turtle variant is the type species of the common box turtle.
The Common box turtle can sometimes live all the way up to an impressive 100 years of age. It is believed that the odds of reaching this age are less likely when in captivity.
Also know that letting your turtle play outside, even under supervision, could result in the contraction of tiny unseen parasites. Because of this; it’s a good idea to have them checked by a vet periodically.
There are a few ways to sex a common box turtle. The easiest way is to look at their eyes. Males typically have red eyes, whereas a females eyes are usually brown or yellow.
The male also has a concave plastron whereas the females is flat.
Common box turtles are omnivores, meaning their bodies can each both other creatures and plant matter. In the wild, their diets are extremely varied. Since they cover such large regions of eastern America, what they eat often depends simply on what is available in the area.
When they eat meat, they go for small insects such as beetles, slugs, earthworms, larva, grubs, and so forth. Their plant diet consists of things like berries, flowers, mushrooms, certain grasses, and fruit.
Be wary that common box turtles are likely to eat almost anything they come across if it smells edible, even if it is actually bad for them.
You can often find acceptable food for common box turtles at a pet store. Look for things like bags of turtle feed and feeder insects such as crickets or grubs.
North American box turtles are turtles of the genus Terrapene. Although box turtles are superficially similar to tortoises in terrestrial habits and overall appearance, they are actually members of the American pond turtle family (Emydidae). The 12 taxa which are distinguished in the genus are distributed over seven species. They are largely characterized by having a domed shell which is hinged at the bottom, allowing the animal to retract its head and legs and close its shell tightly to protect itself from predators.
The genus name Terrapene was coined by Blasius Merrem in 1820 as a genus separate from Emys, describing those species which had a sternum separated into two or three divisions, and which could move these parts independently.[3] He placed in this genus, among others, Terrapene boscii (now accepted to be Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum) and Terrapene carolina (but under the name Terrapene clausa). Also several Asian box turtles have been formerly classified within the genus Terrapene; e.g., Terrapene bicolor (now Cuora amboinensis couro) and Terrapene culturalia (now Cuora flavomarginata).[1] Currently, six species are classified within the genus and 12 taxa are distinguished:[1]
Box turtles have diploid somatic cells with 50 chromosomes.[5]
Once maturity is reached, the chance of death seems not to increase with age. The survivorship curve of box turtles is therefore probably similar to that of other long-living turtles. The average life span of adult box turtles is 50 years, while a significant portion lives over 100 years. The age of a growing box turtle in the wild cannot be accurately estimated by counting the growth rings on the scutes; Their growth is directly affected by the amount of food, types of food, water, illness, and more. Box turtle eggs are flexible, oblong and are (depending on the taxon) on average 2–4 cm long weighing 5-11 g. The normal clutch size is 1-7 eggs. In captivity and in the southern end of their range, box turtles can have more than one clutch per year, while the average clutch size is larger in more northern populations.[6] Delayed fertility has been observed in female turtles during which a box turtle pair will mate and the female will hold onto the male’s sperm within the cloaca for a period of months or even years before fertilizing and laying a clutch of eggs[7]Turtles can defend themselves from predation by hiding, closing their shell and biting. The risk of death is greatest in small animals due to their size and weaker carapace and plastron. While the shell of an adult box turtle is seldom fractured, the box turtle is still vulnerable to surprise attacks and persistent gnawing or pecking. Common predators are mammals like minks, skunks, raccoons, dogs and rodents, but also birds (e.g. crows, ravens) and snakes (e.g. racers, cottonmouths) are known to kill box turtles.[8]
North American box turtles are omnivores with a varied diet, as a box turtle will "basically eat anything it can catch". Invertebrates (amongst others insects, earth worms, millipedes) form the principal component, but the diet also consists for a large part (reports range from 30 to 90%) of vegetation. The diet is amended with fruits (amongst others from cacti, apples and several species of berry) and gastropods (Heliosoma, Succinea).[9] While reports exist that during their first five to six years, box turtles are primarily carnivorous and adults are mostly herbivorous, there is no scientific basis for such a difference.[9]
Box turtles are native to North America. The widest distributed species is the common box turtle which is found in the United States (subspecies carolina, major, bauri, triunguis; south-central, eastern, and southeastern parts) and Mexico (subspecies yukatana and mexicana; Yucatán peninsula and northeastern parts). The western box turtle is endemic to the south-central and southwestern parts of the U.S. (and adjacent Mexico) while the spotted box turtle is endemic to northwestern Mexico only. The Coahuilan box turtle is only found in Cuatro Ciénegas Basin (Coahuila, Mexico).[2]
Because box turtles occupy a wide variety of habitats (which both vary on a day-to-day, season-to-season, but also species-to-species basis), a standard box turtle habitat cannot be identified. Mesic woodlands are a habitat where box turtles are generally found. T. ornata is the only species regularly found in grasslands, but its subspecies the desert box turtle is also found in the semidesert with rainfall predominantly in summer. The single location where Coahuilan box turtles are found is a 360 km2 region characterized by marshes, permanent presence of water and several types of cacti.
Prior to hibernation, box turtles tend to move further into the woods, where they dig a chamber for overwintering. Ornate box turtles dig chambers up to 50 centimeters, while eastern box turtles hibernate at depth of about 10 centimeters. The location for overwintering can be up to 0.5 km from the summer habitat and is often in close proximity to that of the previous year. In more southern locations, turtles are active year-round, as has been observed for T. coahuila and T. c. major. Other box turtles in higher temperatures are more active (T. c. yukatana) or only active during the wet seasons.[10]
Box turtles appeared "abruptly in the fossil record, essentially in modern form". The absence of strong changes in their morphology might indicate that they are a generalist species.[4] It is therefore complicated to establish how their evolution from other turtles took place. The oldest finds of fossilized box turtles were found in Nebraska (U.S.), date from about 15 million years before present (in the Miocene)[4] and resemble the aquatic species T. coahuila most, which indicates that the common ancestor was also an aquatic species. Fossilized specimens of T. ornata and T. carolina were dated circa 5 million years before present and indicated that those main lineages also already diverged within the Miocene. The only recognized extinct subspecies (T. c. putnami) dates from the Pliocene and was, with a carapace length of 30 cm (12 in), much larger than other species.[4]
As the conservation status is defined for a species and not for a genus, differences exist between the different species in the genus Terrapene. Terrapene coahuila, as it is endemic only to Coahuila, is classified as endangered. While its geographic range reduced by 40% to 360 km2 in the past 40–50 years, the population of this species reduced from "well over 10,000" to "2,500" in 2002.[11] The most widely distributed species Terrapene carolina is classified as vulnerable, while Terrapene ornata is in a lower category as near threatened.[12][13] For Terrapene nelsoni insufficient information is available for classification.[14]
The Eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina has been declining due to anthropogenic factors and disease. Studies have documented reports of polymicrobial necrotizing bacterial infection. In Illinois, over 50 box turtles were found dead and this infection was determined to be the cause. Ranavirus may also negatively impact Eastern box turtle population. Continued investigation of Box turtle disease is important to conservation efforts. [15]
Sniffer dogs have been trained to find and track box turtles as part of conservation efforts.[16]
Most turtle and tortoise societies recommend against box turtles as pets for small children.[17] Box turtles are easily stressed by over-handling and require more care than is generally thought. Box turtles get stressed when moved into new surroundings. Some specimens will wander aimlessly until they die trying to find their original home if they are removed from the exact area that they grew up in.[18] Three-toed box turtles are often considered the best ones to keep as pets since they are hardy and seem to suffer less from being moved into a new environment.
Box turtles can be injured by dogs and cats, so special care must be taken to protect them from household pets. Box turtles require an outdoor enclosure (although they can have indoor enclosures when necessary), consistent exposure to light and a varied diet. Without these, a turtle's growth can be stunted and its immune system weakened.
It is recommended to buy captive-bred box turtles (in areas where this is allowed) to reduce the pressure put on the wild populations. A 3-year study in Texas indicated that over 7,000 box turtles were taken from the wild for commercial trade. A similar study in Louisiana found that in a 41-month period, nearly 30,000 box turtles were taken from the wild for resale, many for export to Europe. Once captured, turtles are often kept in poor conditions where up to half of them die. Those living long enough to be sold may suffer from conditions such as malnutrition, dehydration, and infection.[19][20]
Indiana, Tennessee, and other states prohibit collecting wild turtles, and many states require a permit to keep them. Breeding is prohibited in some states for fear of its possible detrimental effects upon wild populations.[21]
Collecting box turtles from the wild may damage their populations, as these turtles have a low reproduction rate.[22]
"The turtle watches undisturbed as countless generations of faster 'hares' run by to quick oblivion, and is thus a model of patience for mankind, and a symbol of our State's unrelenting pursuit of great and lofty goals."
North Carolina Secretary of State[23]
Box turtles are official state reptiles of four U.S. states. North Carolina and Tennessee honor the eastern box turtle.[24][25][26] Missouri names the three-toed box turtle.[27] Kansas honors the ornate box turtle.[28][29]
In Pennsylvania, the eastern box turtle made it through one house of the legislature, but failed to win final naming in 2009.[30] In Virginia, bills to honor the eastern box turtle failed in 1999 and then in 2009. In opposition one legislator had asked why Virginia would make an official emblem of an animal that retreats into its shell when frightened. What may have mattered most in Virginia, though, was the creature's close link to neighbor state North Carolina.[31][32]
Terrapene carolina carolina (young)
T. c. bauri hatchling
Rings on the scutes of T. triunguis. Rings can be used to estimate the age of box turtles in their early years.
Florida box turtle in southeast Georgia
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1856 watercolor of a box turtle by Jacques Burkhardt.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) North American box turtles are turtles of the genus Terrapene. Although box turtles are superficially similar to tortoises in terrestrial habits and overall appearance, they are actually members of the American pond turtle family (Emydidae). The 12 taxa which are distinguished in the genus are distributed over seven species. They are largely characterized by having a domed shell which is hinged at the bottom, allowing the animal to retract its head and legs and close its shell tightly to protect itself from predators.
