FAQs

1. How long do box turtles live?

They can survive up to 100 years in the wild, but most wild box turtles live for an average of 50
years. In captivity, they can live almost if not as long as they would in the wild, 50 years.

2. How is a box turtle different than an aquatic turtle or tortoise?

Aquatic turtles live in the water and tortoises live on land. Box turtles, however, are terrapins so
they live on land and in water. Therefore, both land and water (such as streams, creeks, and
lakes) are important in a turtles home range. Their feet are partially webbed, but also have long
claws (especially females) so they can dig into land for nests.

3. Are there different species of box turtles?

There are many different species of box turtles, all in the same genus, Terrapene. The most
common is the Terrapene Carolina, Linneaus, and this species includes many subspecies that live
all around North America. There is another species, the aquatic box turtle, Terrapene Coahuila
and they are endemic to Coahuila, Mexico. The third known species is the Terrapene nelsoni, or
the spotted box turtle. Lastly there is the western box turtle, Terrapene ornate.

4. Can I get a disease from holding box turtles?

It is possible, but unlikely. They carry salmonella bacteria and if they are exposed to eyes,
mouth, or an open wound, then the disease may contaminate. It is always wise to wash your
hands before and after holding or touching box turtles.

5. Do box turtle have territories and do they defend them?

Box turtles have home ranges, but they do not defend them and sometimes turtles will overlap
home ranges. They are very loyal to their home ranges and will try to spend their entire lives in
their home range.

6. What is the preferred habitat of the Eastern Box Turtle?

These box turtles, the Terrapene carolina carolina, live in the Eastern United
States, ranging from Eastern Kansas and Oklahoma all the way to the Atlantic Coast. They can
also be found from southern Florida all the way up to southern Maine. They prefer living in
deciduous forests, in which trees and shrubs shed their leaves every year. Box turtles can also be
found in grasslands and pastures.

7. What does a box turtle eat? Eastern box turtles are omnivorous and eat a variety of plants
and animal based foods. Younger box turtles of ages 1-6, tend to be more carnivorous. As they
mature into adults, they become more herbivorous. A few examples of acceptable animal based
foods are small insects such as worms, slugs, crickets, grasshoppers, and even small snakes.
They also eat many flowers, berries, vegetables, mushrooms, and occasionally fruits. Their
ability to consume poisonous mushrooms is the reason why box turtles should not be eaten by
humans.

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8. How do you sex a box turtle? There are a few ways to determine the gender of box turtles.
For eastern box turtles, males tend to have more color on their shells and red eyes. Their nails are
also thicker and more curved than the females. Females also have longer back nails in order to
dig holes for their eggs. Males plastrons are more concave while females have flat plastrons to
facilitate the reproduction process. Females also have more dome shaped shells to create more
room for eggs.

9. How do box turtles mate? Eastern box turtles tend to mate during the spring and summer.
Mating can be aggressive as the male mounts the female. The males first circle the females and
then start to bite the females to get them to open the back of their shells. Once the rear end of the
shell is opened, the male locks his feet underneath the shell. Next the male turns over on his
back and positions the concave part of his plastron to the females carapace. Then the copulation
process starts as the male penetrates and fertilizes the female. Copulation can sometimes last for
up to three hours.

10. When does a box turtle reach sexual maturity? Box turtles reach sexual maturity ranging
from ages 5-10 and the females typically take longer. They also become full grown adults around
the age 10 as well. Many box turtles are looking to mate right after they come out of hibernation
and are also more likely to mate after it rains.

11. How many eggs does a box turtle lay & how often? Females are not capable of laying eggs
until they are about 10 years of age. When Female box turtles decide to lay their eggs, they dig a
hole about 2 inches deep with their back feet to store the eggs and then cover the hole. They can
lay around 2-10 eggs at one time. The eggs will hatch in about 70-90 days. The female can lay
fertile eggs for up to four years after mating once. This way, the female can choose the right time
to begin her pregnancy. In a lifetime, one box turtle can produce several hundreds of eggs.

12. Why do I never see baby box turtles? Baby box turtles have a very high mortality rate.
Because of their small size and weak shells, they can be easily eaten by racoons, birds, and many
other predators. They are also very susceptible to the cold and if they do not hibernate well
enough, they can freeze to death. Out of the several hundreds of eggs that one female box turtle
lays, only a few of those will reach adulthood.

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13. Can box turtles swim and do they need water? Box turtles are clumsy swimmers, however,
they do enjoy wading in shallow water. Sometimes they will soak in deeper water, which cools
them down and rehydrate them. Although, if you put a box turtle in a bucket of water, it would
most likely drowned. But, they do still need water, they use water for drinking, supply of food,
and waste, which makes water a key component to their survival.

14. What are the parts of the shell called? Box turtles shell consists of two parts, the top shell is
called a carapace, and the bottom shell is called a plastron. The carapace (the top shell) has 5
different types of shells. Centrals are the large scales along the spine. The scales next to the
centrals, located along the perimeter of the shell, are called costals. Marginals are the scales
along the edge of the carapace. The scale above the head of the turtle is called the nuchel, and the
two scales located above the tail are called the supracaudals. The plastron (the bottom shell) also
consists of 6 types of shells. The two scales under the neck are called gular scales. The humeral
scales are the two scales next to the gular scales. Under the humeral scales are the pectoral
scales, and in the middle of the plastron are the abdominal scales. Also, below the abdominal
scales are the femoral scales, and finally, the scales located below the femoral scales are the anal
scales.

15. How strong are a box turtles five senses? Box turtles have a good sense of smell both on
land and in water, they also have very well binocular vision, which means they can only see what
is right in front of them, but they see it very well. They also see color. However, box turtles can
not hear well, they have an auditory nerve that enables them to hear low frequency sounds. but

not much. They are also very sensitive to touching and feel things easily, also, they also do not
have any taste buds, meaning they eat most anything they can catch.

16. Is box turtle activity impacted by the weather, temperature, or winter? Box turtles tend to be
most active when it is warm outside, so their active months vary depending on the temperature.
During the winter, the box turtle hibernates, due to the cold weather. They also enjoy being
active after it rains, in wet weather, early in the morning. The box turtles ideal temperature
during the day is between 70 degrees fahrenheit and 90 degrees fahrenheit, however at night they
can live in temperatures from about 65 degrees fahrenheit to 70 degrees fahrenheit.

17. What eats box turtles or their eggs? Box turtles are at the greatest risk of being eaten when
they are babies due to their soft shells. These predators include: snakes, skunks, rodents, dogs,
and raccoons. However, most of these predators are only able to eat box turtles while they are
eggs or babies because of how soft their shells are. Once box turtles have grown into their hard
shell they are mainly eaten by dogs and larger mammals.

18. What are the primary threats to box turtles besides natural predators? As the world continues
to grow more and more turtle habitats are being developed, killing many box turtles due to their

desire to stay in their home range. Most box turtles are killed during the construction. Capturing
box turtles for pet trade, destroys turtle populations in an area as members of the gene pool are
removed causing inbreeding, and a lack of available partners for remaining turtles. If a female
box turtle is removed from an area, future progeny are also removed from the area causing
population numbers to decline. Also, another threat to box turtles is crossing the street, they can
get hit by a car or simply get stuck in the road and die from heat.

19. Are box turtles good to eat?

Box turtles are not good to eat because they can be fatal. Because fungi are included in
their diets, box turtles have been known to eat poisonous mushrooms, which in turn makes them
poisonous when eaten. The mushrooms do not affect the turtles, however, and simply prove as a
defense mechanism.

20. Do box turtles make good pets?

Because of their docile behavior box turtles can be good pets, however in many states a permit is
required to own/capture one. Additionally, they are not domesticated, so when they are sick or in
need they hide it to prevent looking like easy prey. The life span of a box turtle decreases to only
a fourth as long due to the stress of being apart from the location where they were born and not
having all of their needs met.

21. What is the box turtles status (threatened - endangered)?

Box turtles are not officially listed as endangered, however many conservationists believe they
are threatened. This is due to pet trade, which leads to many turtles being taken from the wild to
be sold, and loss of habitat due to increased development, urban areas, and forest demolition.
Because they are not officially endangered, they face such threats and providing protection is
more difficult.

22. If I find a box turtle in my yard should I rescue it and move it to the local forest preserve?
Because box turtles have very strong bonds with the area they live in, they will do anything they
can to return to it. This is why if found, box turtles are best left alone, by moving it, the turtle
will attempt to return to its home, which will then put it in a more vulnerable state. For example,
it may attempt to cross a road on its journey home and get hit by a car. If it is completely
necessary to move the turtle, move it as short a distance as possible, in the direction it was
moving. However, if the box turtle is in no danger and is not harming ones yard, it should be left
alone.

23. What is telemetry?

Telemetry is a process of communication by reporting information remotely that allows

information to be passed from unreachable places to receiving equipment. When used for
wildlife, instrumentation tags can be attached to animals to track them individually. It can give
information such as speed, location and temperature to give researchers insight on their behavior
and environment.
24. How do professional researchers attach transmitters to box turtles?
Professional researchers capture the box turtle from the chosen area of study. Once they obtain
the box turtle, they attach a small radio transmitter to the top of the shell, the carapace. This
prevents a large amount of interference in the turtles survival and lifestyle. If done improperly, it
could reveal the turtle to predators, prevent mating, or disable it as a result of the transmitter
catching on something while passing under or beside it. The best method of attaching it is with
an adhesive.
25. If I have box turtles living around my home, what can I do to protect or improve their
wellbeing?
The best thing one can do to allow a box turtle to thrive is by leaving it alone. To make a
habitat more favorable, leave wood and leaf debris on the ground, check your yard before
mowing to be sure a turtle is not in harms way of the mower, allow insects and fungi to grow as a
source of food, allow thick brambles to grow, and leave mature trees and soft soil so the box
turtles have somewhere to escape the cold weather.

26. Why do box turtles have such high-domed shells? Does this give them any disadvantages?
High-domed shells are a characteristic of tortoises, and are shared by all land
turtles. These shells are hard and used for protection. In fact, box turtles can retract all limbs and
head into their and then close the shell in the front and the rear with a hinge. Once their shell is
closed, it is impossible to open without harming the turtle. So, their high-domed and hard shells
pose no disadvantages, only advantages when trying to protect themselves.

27. How did the box turtle get its name? The common box turtle gets it name from the structure
of its shell, which is made up of high domed carapace (the top shell) and large hinged plastron
(the lower shell). The box turtle can hide in its shell for protection, similar to a box, which
protects items, which is how the box turtle got its name.

28. How do humans affect the ability of survival of box turtles, knowing their qualities including
that they are a land species and and slow moving?

Due to the ever-growing population of humans, our impact on nature, therefore on box turtles,
has increased greatly. My building roads that interrupt a forest, we create the possibility of a box
turtle finding itself in the middle of the road, susceptible to getting hit by a car, dying of heat, or
getting trapped by the curb. Additionally, destroying a box turtles habitat for construction will
cause it to stay nearby due to their attachment to their homes, which will in turn force them
closer to a more urbanized area that contains more threats. If a human moves a box turtle without
the proper strategy for returning it, they might leave the turtle far away from its home. This will
lead to the turtle travelling a long distance, possibly across roads or into yards, and making it
more vulnerable to predators. We greatly affect the survival of box turtles, but there are many
things we can do to decrease our impact on their status of being a threatened species.

29. Do box turtles live alone or in groups?

Box turtles are mostly solitary animals. They dont show much hostile behavior when around
other box turtles, except for when mating. If someone were to have multiple box turtles as pets, it
would be ideal to keep them separated. Most females will get along with each other, but males
tend to be more aggressive around each other. It is most important to keep the males and females
separated because the males will want to mate.

30. Do box turtles fight?

Yes, occasionally, box turtles do fight. This fighting is to show their dominance to female box
turtles by fighting their competitors. They fight by biting and wrestling each other until one is
flipped onto its back. Sometimes box turtles will also fight over food.