Box Turtle Care and Description Sheets Up!

I’ve done a lot of work since last night…restored old links that are still active and I just posted the care and description sheets for the Common Box Turtle. Woot! Looks like the site should be back on track soon!

Care Sheet: Common Box Turtle

Habitat:
Common box turtles are basically terrestrial, but do swim occasionally. They prefer a somewhat shady environment and can be kept in a suitable outdoor enclosure where temperatures are warm and there is some sun. Your turtle will appreciate a water dish and plants to hide under. Alternatively, your turtle may be kept indoors in an aquarium or wooden box. Since they like to roam, this arrangement is not ideal. You should provide a hide box and water dish deep enough for bathing. Their home should also be equipped with a full-spectrum spotlight for basking on the average of, 12 hours a day.

Temperature and Humidity:
Box turtles do best when water and air temperatures in their enclosures are between 75 and 80 degrees F. Your turtle’s basking area should be warmer, to 85 degrees F.

Box turtles’ natural environment is shady and damp, so you must provide him with a fairly humid habitat. A substrate of moss or soil will help retain moisture in his terrerium. Mist the habitat and let the turtle soak in a dish of water every other day.

Food:
Box turtles are mainly omnivorous as juveniles, becoming more herbivorous as adults. A good diet choice is commercial food supplemented with greens and fruit; all commercial diets must be supplemented with insects. They are especially fond of earthworms, slugs, snails, and soft fruits.

Cleanliness & Health:
Indoor box turtles will usually defecate in their water dish, so you must be sure to change the water daily. The aquarium should be emptied and thoroughly cleaned and disinfected once a month. Outdoors, their enclosure must be spot-cleaned as necessary and the water changed whenever it begins to get fouled.

Box turtles may suffer from respiratory and eye problems because of insufficient humidity. Many gulf box turtles are captured during the hibernation season, and have respiratory problems when they reach wholesalers. It’s best to inspect your turtle throughly before purchase from a breeder or pet store. Other possible health problems include both internal and external parasites.

Further Information and Related Web Site:
While this information is provided here as a quick reference, it is not by far, complete. I suggest you make a visit to the following page to get complete information on keeping your Box turtle: http://www.anapsid.org/box.html.

Description: Common Box Turtle

Why is a box turtle called such? A hinge in the middle of the plastron allows them to tightly lock their head, limbs, and tail inside their shells, forming a “box”. In the wild, box turtles are usually seen early in the day, or after rain. They often retire to swampy areas during the hot summer months. They are fond of slugs, earthworms, wild strawberries, and mushrooms poisonous to man — which habit has killed many a human who has eaten their flesh. New York Indians are responsible for eliminating this turtle from much of the area between Ohio and New England. They ate Box Turtle meat, used the shells for ceremonial rattles, and burried turtles with the dead. A few specimens are known to have lived more than 100 years, having served as “living records,” with fathers and then sons carving their names or other family records on the shell.

Common box turtles are found in most areas of the United States east of central Oklahoma and south of central New York. With a number of subspecies, such as the Eastern, Gulf Coast, Three-toed, and Florida Box Turtles, they offer a great diversity of appearance. Some varieties of box turtle are protected by state laws, and are thus not available in stores. Adult box turtles have been known to grow upto as much as 4-8 1/2″ (10-21.6 cm).

Physical Appearance:
Individual common box turtles vary widely in appearance. Some are very brightly colored, while others are an overall brown color. Adults average from four to eight inches in length. A major physical feature is the plastron (mentioned earlier), hinged at the front, which the turtle can close tightly against the carapace, closing himself up within his shell.

Character:
Box turtles are thought to be a highly intelligent reptile. While they are somewhat shy in the wild, they are easily tamed. In captivity they live an average of 50 years, with some known to live 100 + years! During periods of cooler weather when temperatures drop below 60 degrees F, they are likely to hibernate.