The Eastern Box Turtle
These woodland turtles are common from southern Maine to Georgia and west to the Mississippi river. They are terrestrial, meaning that they live mostly on dry land, but during hot dry weather they can often be found cooling off in streams, ponds or puddles. Sometimes they may soak in mud or water for days at a time with just their eyes and nose sticking above the surface of the water. When frightened, the box turtle will pull its head and legs and tail in and "box" itself up into its shell. The lower shell, or plastron, is hinged, so that the front and rear parts can be brought up against the inner surface of the dome-like upper shell, or carapace, and closed tight thus keeping out the danger. Often you will find a Box Turtle with scratch or chew marks on its shell where an unsuccessful predator tried to get in.
The box turtle's coloration is extremely variable. The basic color of the carapace may be light brown to black, but both the carapace and the skin are often marked brightly with beautiful oranges and yellows that actually blend in very well with the forest floor providing the turtle with good camouflage. Male Box turtles will almost always have more flattened shell and a distinct flare to the trailing edge of their carapace. Females typically have a more highly domed shell with little or no flare on the rear edge of the carapace. The eyes of the male are usually red to orange and the females are often brown to orange. Male box turtles have more sharply curved claws on their back feet. These are used for holding onto the female during mating. Female box turtles rear claws are more shovel-like which help them dig their nest chambers. Male box turtles also have longer, thicker tails than females. Adult box turtles lengths range from 4.5 to 6 inches in lenght in mature turtles.
Box turtles feed on insects, slugs, snails, fruit, worms, berries, carrion and vegetation, as well as on mushrooms known to be poisonous to humans (there are historical accounts of people dieing after eating Box turtle meat tainted with mushroom toxins.) They will spend the hottest part of the day under rotting logs, dead leaves and other cover on the forest floor but often, in the late summer, they can be found in berry patches eating the berries that have fallen or are close to the ground. Often these berries have natural yeasts on them and once inside the turtles warm belly they may ferment thus making the turtle delirious with "homemade" berry "wine!" Occasionally I have found Box turtles in Blackberry patches just sitting and seemingly waiting for the berries to fall...Box turtles are very patient creatures...we can learn allot for the Box turtle. So remember, next time you are picking berries and you encounter a Box turtle...drop him a few and he will thank you. The Box turtle in the photo below is eating a big juicy slug-YUM!
NATURE NOTE: The Box turtles habbit of eating lots of berries in the late summer is not just a belly full of berries for the happy turtle...it is also a means of seed dispersal for the berry bush. Here is how it works. 1: The turtle eats lost of berries and wanders on. 2: The berries slowly digest in the turtle's gut over the next few days to weeks. 3: Eventually the turtle poops out the seeds--and some "fertilizer" with them. 4: Soon a new berry patch grows in the woods or field. The bush grows, berries form and the circle begins again. So you can thank the Box turtle for many of those tasty Blackberries, Raspberries and Blueberry patches that you love so much.
Life History
Box turtles grow slowly and usually reach sexual maturity at between 7 and 10 years old when they are about 5 to 6 inches in length. After mating, female Box turtles can retain sperm for several years, continuing to produce fertilized eggs, without any contact with a male turtle. Once mature, a female box turtle will lay around up to 6 eggs in the spring in a shallowly dug nest that she digs and then covers entirely with her back feet. The female turtle then leaves the nest and never looks back. She does not guard the eggs and she does not worry about them. Her job is done until the next nesting time. The eggs incubate in the ground until hatching a couple of months later. As with many reptiles, eggs that incubate at warmer temperatures hatch as females and the cooler become males. Eggs that aren't eaten by predators such as raccoons, foxes, and skunks will usually hatch in the late summer to early fall or may hibernate in the nest until the next spring. When a baby Box turtle first hatches from its egg it is a tiny 1.25 inches long! That's only a little smaller than the tiny box turtle in the photo below.
Because they are very small baby box turtles are very hard to find so we don't know much about them. If you ever find a box turtle smaller than 3 inches in length then you should count yourself very lucky. These tiny little turtles spend most of their time hidden in leaf litter and brush on the forest floor feeding mostly on tiny insects, worms and other invertebrates.
The box turtle is a very long lived animal that lives up to 30+ years old with many living over 50 years! There are even some reports of box turtles living over 100 years!
If you find a box turtle in the forest PLEASE leave it there. Please do not take it to a pond, creek or river--box turtles are woodland turtles and if tossed into a creek, river or pond they will most likely drown. Please do not take box turtles home as a pet--they do not do well in captivity because they have elaborate food and housing requirements and CAN NOT live in a 10 gallon aquarium/terrarium or box--this is a jail cell and a death sentence to a box turtle.
The Future of the Box Turtle?
Adult box turtles still seem to be fairly common but there is good reason for us to be concerned about their future. Since Box turtles are slow to mature, have few offspring and are slow movers they are particularly vulnerable to harm from the world of Humankind. The main problems faced by the Box turtle are habitat loss, destruction and fragmentation caused by the activities of humans.
Turtles that survive humankind's onslaught of development and growth often die while trying to cross roads in search of mates, food, water or a new home. Due to the increase in residential, commercial and road development box turtles may be forced to wander out of their ever shrinking isolated habitats into lands used by humans. Here they are at a far greater risk from death directly related to the activities of humans such as being hit by cars, mowers, tractors and other farm equipment. Many box turtles die in backyard fishponds that don't have escape ramps or in leaf piles that are raked up and later burned without being checked for sheltering wildlife.
Another problem the Box turtle faces is the pet trade. Taking just one Box turtle from the wild to be sold or used as a pet can be decimating to local populations. Although a female Box turtle will lay hundreds of eggs over her long lifespan, less than a handful these will survive to be a reproducing adult turtle! In a healthy habitat this small number of offspring will survive to replace their aging parents and the population will stay stable. However, if the adults are removed either by being taken as pets or killed due to human activities, the number of breeding adults will drop and the entire population will soon suffer.
Box turtles also possess a strong homing instinct that causes them to want to be near their home where they were born. Because of this fact a Box turtle that has been moved far from its home will instinctively try to walk home. This will put it in great danger as it crosses roads, rivers and fields, encounters predators, diseases and other unknown dangers. If you have a pet box turtle that you found and decide to release it back into the wild please take it back to the exact spot where you found it. If this is not possible then please donate it to a nature center(like Earthshine Lodge), a wildlife park or zoo. It is because of all of these reasons that if you are looking for a pet turtle that you should choose a captive-raised animal only.
If you find a Box turtle crossing a road, move it to the side of the road that its head is pointing toward--because it really does know where it is going. If the area where you find the turtle has obviously been destroyed by construction and development then its habitat is probably lost. You will need to take the turtle to a nature center or Wildlife Park or it will most likely not survive.
Information on the Eastern Box Turtle from Davidson College Herpetology Box Turtle page
and
Field Trip Earth Eastern Box Turtle Population Study by Jessica Foti with the North Carolina Zoological Park
Check out Earthshine's Box Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation facility!
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
The box turtle's coloration is extremely variable. The basic color of the carapace may be light brown to black, but both the carapace and the skin are often marked brightly with beautiful oranges and yellows that actually blend in very well with the forest floor providing the turtle with good camouflage. Male Box turtles will almost always have more flattened shell and a distinct flare to the trailing edge of their carapace. Females typically have a more highly domed shell with little or no flare on the rear edge of the carapace. The eyes of the male are usually red to orange and the females are often brown to orange. Male box turtles have more sharply curved claws on their back feet. These are used for holding onto the female during mating. Female box turtles rear claws are more shovel-like which help them dig their nest chambers. Male box turtles also have longer, thicker tails than females. Adult box turtles lengths range from 4.5 to 6 inches in lenght in mature turtles.
Box turtles feed on insects, slugs, snails, fruit, worms, berries, carrion and vegetation, as well as on mushrooms known to be poisonous to humans (there are historical accounts of people dieing after eating Box turtle meat tainted with mushroom toxins.) They will spend the hottest part of the day under rotting logs, dead leaves and other cover on the forest floor but often, in the late summer, they can be found in berry patches eating the berries that have fallen or are close to the ground. Often these berries have natural yeasts on them and once inside the turtles warm belly they may ferment thus making the turtle delirious with "homemade" berry "wine!" Occasionally I have found Box turtles in Blackberry patches just sitting and seemingly waiting for the berries to fall...Box turtles are very patient creatures...we can learn allot for the Box turtle. So remember, next time you are picking berries and you encounter a Box turtle...drop him a few and he will thank you. The Box turtle in the photo below is eating a big juicy slug-YUM!
NATURE NOTE: The Box turtles habbit of eating lots of berries in the late summer is not just a belly full of berries for the happy turtle...it is also a means of seed dispersal for the berry bush. Here is how it works. 1: The turtle eats lost of berries and wanders on. 2: The berries slowly digest in the turtle's gut over the next few days to weeks. 3: Eventually the turtle poops out the seeds--and some "fertilizer" with them. 4: Soon a new berry patch grows in the woods or field. The bush grows, berries form and the circle begins again. So you can thank the Box turtle for many of those tasty Blackberries, Raspberries and Blueberry patches that you love so much.
Life History
Box turtles grow slowly and usually reach sexual maturity at between 7 and 10 years old when they are about 5 to 6 inches in length. After mating, female Box turtles can retain sperm for several years, continuing to produce fertilized eggs, without any contact with a male turtle. Once mature, a female box turtle will lay around up to 6 eggs in the spring in a shallowly dug nest that she digs and then covers entirely with her back feet. The female turtle then leaves the nest and never looks back. She does not guard the eggs and she does not worry about them. Her job is done until the next nesting time. The eggs incubate in the ground until hatching a couple of months later. As with many reptiles, eggs that incubate at warmer temperatures hatch as females and the cooler become males. Eggs that aren't eaten by predators such as raccoons, foxes, and skunks will usually hatch in the late summer to early fall or may hibernate in the nest until the next spring. When a baby Box turtle first hatches from its egg it is a tiny 1.25 inches long! That's only a little smaller than the tiny box turtle in the photo below.
Because they are very small baby box turtles are very hard to find so we don't know much about them. If you ever find a box turtle smaller than 3 inches in length then you should count yourself very lucky. These tiny little turtles spend most of their time hidden in leaf litter and brush on the forest floor feeding mostly on tiny insects, worms and other invertebrates.
The box turtle is a very long lived animal that lives up to 30+ years old with many living over 50 years! There are even some reports of box turtles living over 100 years!
If you find a box turtle in the forest PLEASE leave it there. Please do not take it to a pond, creek or river--box turtles are woodland turtles and if tossed into a creek, river or pond they will most likely drown. Please do not take box turtles home as a pet--they do not do well in captivity because they have elaborate food and housing requirements and CAN NOT live in a 10 gallon aquarium/terrarium or box--this is a jail cell and a death sentence to a box turtle.
The Future of the Box Turtle?
Adult box turtles still seem to be fairly common but there is good reason for us to be concerned about their future. Since Box turtles are slow to mature, have few offspring and are slow movers they are particularly vulnerable to harm from the world of Humankind. The main problems faced by the Box turtle are habitat loss, destruction and fragmentation caused by the activities of humans.
Turtles that survive humankind's onslaught of development and growth often die while trying to cross roads in search of mates, food, water or a new home. Due to the increase in residential, commercial and road development box turtles may be forced to wander out of their ever shrinking isolated habitats into lands used by humans. Here they are at a far greater risk from death directly related to the activities of humans such as being hit by cars, mowers, tractors and other farm equipment. Many box turtles die in backyard fishponds that don't have escape ramps or in leaf piles that are raked up and later burned without being checked for sheltering wildlife.
Another problem the Box turtle faces is the pet trade. Taking just one Box turtle from the wild to be sold or used as a pet can be decimating to local populations. Although a female Box turtle will lay hundreds of eggs over her long lifespan, less than a handful these will survive to be a reproducing adult turtle! In a healthy habitat this small number of offspring will survive to replace their aging parents and the population will stay stable. However, if the adults are removed either by being taken as pets or killed due to human activities, the number of breeding adults will drop and the entire population will soon suffer.
Box turtles also possess a strong homing instinct that causes them to want to be near their home where they were born. Because of this fact a Box turtle that has been moved far from its home will instinctively try to walk home. This will put it in great danger as it crosses roads, rivers and fields, encounters predators, diseases and other unknown dangers. If you have a pet box turtle that you found and decide to release it back into the wild please take it back to the exact spot where you found it. If this is not possible then please donate it to a nature center(like Earthshine Lodge), a wildlife park or zoo. It is because of all of these reasons that if you are looking for a pet turtle that you should choose a captive-raised animal only.
If you find a Box turtle crossing a road, move it to the side of the road that its head is pointing toward--because it really does know where it is going. If the area where you find the turtle has obviously been destroyed by construction and development then its habitat is probably lost. You will need to take the turtle to a nature center or Wildlife Park or it will most likely not survive.
Information on the Eastern Box Turtle from Davidson College Herpetology Box Turtle page
and
Field Trip Earth Eastern Box Turtle Population Study by Jessica Foti with the North Carolina Zoological Park
Check out Earthshine's Box Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation facility!
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
NATURE NOTE: The Box turtles habbit of eating lots of berries in the late summer is not just a belly full of berries for the happy turtle...it is also a means of seed dispersal for the berry bush. Here is how it works. 1: The turtle eats lost of berries and wanders on. 2: The berries slowly digest in the turtle's gut over the next few days to weeks. 3: Eventually the turtle poops out the seeds--and some "fertilizer" with them. 4: Soon a new berry patch grows in the woods or field. The bush grows, berries form and the circle begins again. So you can thank the Box turtle for many of those tasty Blackberries, Raspberries and Blueberry patches that you love so much.
Life History
Box turtles grow slowly and usually reach sexual maturity at between 7 and 10 years old when they are about 5 to 6 inches in length. After mating, female Box turtles can retain sperm for several years, continuing to produce fertilized eggs, without any contact with a male turtle. Once mature, a female box turtle will lay around up to 6 eggs in the spring in a shallowly dug nest that she digs and then covers entirely with her back feet. The female turtle then leaves the nest and never looks back. She does not guard the eggs and she does not worry about them. Her job is done until the next nesting time. The eggs incubate in the ground until hatching a couple of months later. As with many reptiles, eggs that incubate at warmer temperatures hatch as females and the cooler become males. Eggs that aren't eaten by predators such as raccoons, foxes, and skunks will usually hatch in the late summer to early fall or may hibernate in the nest until the next spring. When a baby Box turtle first hatches from its egg it is a tiny 1.25 inches long! That's only a little smaller than the tiny box turtle in the photo below.
Because they are very small baby box turtles are very hard to find so we don't know much about them. If you ever find a box turtle smaller than 3 inches in length then you should count yourself very lucky. These tiny little turtles spend most of their time hidden in leaf litter and brush on the forest floor feeding mostly on tiny insects, worms and other invertebrates.
The box turtle is a very long lived animal that lives up to 30+ years old with many living over 50 years! There are even some reports of box turtles living over 100 years!
If you find a box turtle in the forest PLEASE leave it there. Please do not take it to a pond, creek or river--box turtles are woodland turtles and if tossed into a creek, river or pond they will most likely drown. Please do not take box turtles home as a pet--they do not do well in captivity because they have elaborate food and housing requirements and CAN NOT live in a 10 gallon aquarium/terrarium or box--this is a jail cell and a death sentence to a box turtle.
The Future of the Box Turtle?
Adult box turtles still seem to be fairly common but there is good reason for us to be concerned about their future. Since Box turtles are slow to mature, have few offspring and are slow movers they are particularly vulnerable to harm from the world of Humankind. The main problems faced by the Box turtle are habitat loss, destruction and fragmentation caused by the activities of humans.
Turtles that survive humankind's onslaught of development and growth often die while trying to cross roads in search of mates, food, water or a new home. Due to the increase in residential, commercial and road development box turtles may be forced to wander out of their ever shrinking isolated habitats into lands used by humans. Here they are at a far greater risk from death directly related to the activities of humans such as being hit by cars, mowers, tractors and other farm equipment. Many box turtles die in backyard fishponds that don't have escape ramps or in leaf piles that are raked up and later burned without being checked for sheltering wildlife.
Another problem the Box turtle faces is the pet trade. Taking just one Box turtle from the wild to be sold or used as a pet can be decimating to local populations. Although a female Box turtle will lay hundreds of eggs over her long lifespan, less than a handful these will survive to be a reproducing adult turtle! In a healthy habitat this small number of offspring will survive to replace their aging parents and the population will stay stable. However, if the adults are removed either by being taken as pets or killed due to human activities, the number of breeding adults will drop and the entire population will soon suffer.
Box turtles also possess a strong homing instinct that causes them to want to be near their home where they were born. Because of this fact a Box turtle that has been moved far from its home will instinctively try to walk home. This will put it in great danger as it crosses roads, rivers and fields, encounters predators, diseases and other unknown dangers. If you have a pet box turtle that you found and decide to release it back into the wild please take it back to the exact spot where you found it. If this is not possible then please donate it to a nature center(like Earthshine Lodge), a wildlife park or zoo. It is because of all of these reasons that if you are looking for a pet turtle that you should choose a captive-raised animal only.
If you find a Box turtle crossing a road, move it to the side of the road that its head is pointing toward--because it really does know where it is going. If the area where you find the turtle has obviously been destroyed by construction and development then its habitat is probably lost. You will need to take the turtle to a nature center or Wildlife Park or it will most likely not survive.
Information on the Eastern Box Turtle from Davidson College Herpetology Box Turtle page
and
Field Trip Earth Eastern Box Turtle Population Study by Jessica Foti with the North Carolina Zoological Park
Check out Earthshine's Box Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation facility!
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
Box turtles grow slowly and usually reach sexual maturity at between 7 and 10 years old when they are about 5 to 6 inches in length. After mating, female Box turtles can retain sperm for several years, continuing to produce fertilized eggs, without any contact with a male turtle. Once mature, a female box turtle will lay around up to 6 eggs in the spring in a shallowly dug nest that she digs and then covers entirely with her back feet. The female turtle then leaves the nest and never looks back. She does not guard the eggs and she does not worry about them. Her job is done until the next nesting time. The eggs incubate in the ground until hatching a couple of months later. As with many reptiles, eggs that incubate at warmer temperatures hatch as females and the cooler become males. Eggs that aren't eaten by predators such as raccoons, foxes, and skunks will usually hatch in the late summer to early fall or may hibernate in the nest until the next spring. When a baby Box turtle first hatches from its egg it is a tiny 1.25 inches long! That's only a little smaller than the tiny box turtle in the photo below.
Because they are very small baby box turtles are very hard to find so we don't know much about them. If you ever find a box turtle smaller than 3 inches in length then you should count yourself very lucky. These tiny little turtles spend most of their time hidden in leaf litter and brush on the forest floor feeding mostly on tiny insects, worms and other invertebrates.
The box turtle is a very long lived animal that lives up to 30+ years old with many living over 50 years! There are even some reports of box turtles living over 100 years!
If you find a box turtle in the forest PLEASE leave it there. Please do not take it to a pond, creek or river--box turtles are woodland turtles and if tossed into a creek, river or pond they will most likely drown. Please do not take box turtles home as a pet--they do not do well in captivity because they have elaborate food and housing requirements and CAN NOT live in a 10 gallon aquarium/terrarium or box--this is a jail cell and a death sentence to a box turtle.
The Future of the Box Turtle?
Adult box turtles still seem to be fairly common but there is good reason for us to be concerned about their future. Since Box turtles are slow to mature, have few offspring and are slow movers they are particularly vulnerable to harm from the world of Humankind. The main problems faced by the Box turtle are habitat loss, destruction and fragmentation caused by the activities of humans.
Turtles that survive humankind's onslaught of development and growth often die while trying to cross roads in search of mates, food, water or a new home. Due to the increase in residential, commercial and road development box turtles may be forced to wander out of their ever shrinking isolated habitats into lands used by humans. Here they are at a far greater risk from death directly related to the activities of humans such as being hit by cars, mowers, tractors and other farm equipment. Many box turtles die in backyard fishponds that don't have escape ramps or in leaf piles that are raked up and later burned without being checked for sheltering wildlife.
Another problem the Box turtle faces is the pet trade. Taking just one Box turtle from the wild to be sold or used as a pet can be decimating to local populations. Although a female Box turtle will lay hundreds of eggs over her long lifespan, less than a handful these will survive to be a reproducing adult turtle! In a healthy habitat this small number of offspring will survive to replace their aging parents and the population will stay stable. However, if the adults are removed either by being taken as pets or killed due to human activities, the number of breeding adults will drop and the entire population will soon suffer.
Box turtles also possess a strong homing instinct that causes them to want to be near their home where they were born. Because of this fact a Box turtle that has been moved far from its home will instinctively try to walk home. This will put it in great danger as it crosses roads, rivers and fields, encounters predators, diseases and other unknown dangers. If you have a pet box turtle that you found and decide to release it back into the wild please take it back to the exact spot where you found it. If this is not possible then please donate it to a nature center(like Earthshine Lodge), a wildlife park or zoo. It is because of all of these reasons that if you are looking for a pet turtle that you should choose a captive-raised animal only.
If you find a Box turtle crossing a road, move it to the side of the road that its head is pointing toward--because it really does know where it is going. If the area where you find the turtle has obviously been destroyed by construction and development then its habitat is probably lost. You will need to take the turtle to a nature center or Wildlife Park or it will most likely not survive.
Information on the Eastern Box Turtle from Davidson College Herpetology Box Turtle page
and
Field Trip Earth Eastern Box Turtle Population Study by Jessica Foti with the North Carolina Zoological Park
Check out Earthshine's Box Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation facility!
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
The box turtle is a very long lived animal that lives up to 30+ years old with many living over 50 years! There are even some reports of box turtles living over 100 years!
If you find a box turtle in the forest PLEASE leave it there. Please do not take it to a pond, creek or river--box turtles are woodland turtles and if tossed into a creek, river or pond they will most likely drown. Please do not take box turtles home as a pet--they do not do well in captivity because they have elaborate food and housing requirements and CAN NOT live in a 10 gallon aquarium/terrarium or box--this is a jail cell and a death sentence to a box turtle.
The Future of the Box Turtle?
Adult box turtles still seem to be fairly common but there is good reason for us to be concerned about their future. Since Box turtles are slow to mature, have few offspring and are slow movers they are particularly vulnerable to harm from the world of Humankind. The main problems faced by the Box turtle are habitat loss, destruction and fragmentation caused by the activities of humans.
Turtles that survive humankind's onslaught of development and growth often die while trying to cross roads in search of mates, food, water or a new home. Due to the increase in residential, commercial and road development box turtles may be forced to wander out of their ever shrinking isolated habitats into lands used by humans. Here they are at a far greater risk from death directly related to the activities of humans such as being hit by cars, mowers, tractors and other farm equipment. Many box turtles die in backyard fishponds that don't have escape ramps or in leaf piles that are raked up and later burned without being checked for sheltering wildlife.
Another problem the Box turtle faces is the pet trade. Taking just one Box turtle from the wild to be sold or used as a pet can be decimating to local populations. Although a female Box turtle will lay hundreds of eggs over her long lifespan, less than a handful these will survive to be a reproducing adult turtle! In a healthy habitat this small number of offspring will survive to replace their aging parents and the population will stay stable. However, if the adults are removed either by being taken as pets or killed due to human activities, the number of breeding adults will drop and the entire population will soon suffer.
Box turtles also possess a strong homing instinct that causes them to want to be near their home where they were born. Because of this fact a Box turtle that has been moved far from its home will instinctively try to walk home. This will put it in great danger as it crosses roads, rivers and fields, encounters predators, diseases and other unknown dangers. If you have a pet box turtle that you found and decide to release it back into the wild please take it back to the exact spot where you found it. If this is not possible then please donate it to a nature center(like Earthshine Lodge), a wildlife park or zoo. It is because of all of these reasons that if you are looking for a pet turtle that you should choose a captive-raised animal only.
If you find a Box turtle crossing a road, move it to the side of the road that its head is pointing toward--because it really does know where it is going. If the area where you find the turtle has obviously been destroyed by construction and development then its habitat is probably lost. You will need to take the turtle to a nature center or Wildlife Park or it will most likely not survive.
Information on the Eastern Box Turtle from Davidson College Herpetology Box Turtle page
and
Field Trip Earth Eastern Box Turtle Population Study by Jessica Foti with the North Carolina Zoological Park
Check out Earthshine's Box Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation facility!
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
The Future of the Box Turtle?
Adult box turtles still seem to be fairly common but there is good reason for us to be concerned about their future. Since Box turtles are slow to mature, have few offspring and are slow movers they are particularly vulnerable to harm from the world of Humankind. The main problems faced by the Box turtle are habitat loss, destruction and fragmentation caused by the activities of humans.
Turtles that survive humankind's onslaught of development and growth often die while trying to cross roads in search of mates, food, water or a new home. Due to the increase in residential, commercial and road development box turtles may be forced to wander out of their ever shrinking isolated habitats into lands used by humans. Here they are at a far greater risk from death directly related to the activities of humans such as being hit by cars, mowers, tractors and other farm equipment. Many box turtles die in backyard fishponds that don't have escape ramps or in leaf piles that are raked up and later burned without being checked for sheltering wildlife.
Another problem the Box turtle faces is the pet trade. Taking just one Box turtle from the wild to be sold or used as a pet can be decimating to local populations. Although a female Box turtle will lay hundreds of eggs over her long lifespan, less than a handful these will survive to be a reproducing adult turtle! In a healthy habitat this small number of offspring will survive to replace their aging parents and the population will stay stable. However, if the adults are removed either by being taken as pets or killed due to human activities, the number of breeding adults will drop and the entire population will soon suffer.
Box turtles also possess a strong homing instinct that causes them to want to be near their home where they were born. Because of this fact a Box turtle that has been moved far from its home will instinctively try to walk home. This will put it in great danger as it crosses roads, rivers and fields, encounters predators, diseases and other unknown dangers. If you have a pet box turtle that you found and decide to release it back into the wild please take it back to the exact spot where you found it. If this is not possible then please donate it to a nature center(like Earthshine Lodge), a wildlife park or zoo. It is because of all of these reasons that if you are looking for a pet turtle that you should choose a captive-raised animal only.
If you find a Box turtle crossing a road, move it to the side of the road that its head is pointing toward--because it really does know where it is going. If the area where you find the turtle has obviously been destroyed by construction and development then its habitat is probably lost. You will need to take the turtle to a nature center or Wildlife Park or it will most likely not survive.
Information on the Eastern Box Turtle from Davidson College Herpetology Box Turtle page
and
Field Trip Earth Eastern Box Turtle Population Study by Jessica Foti with the North Carolina Zoological Park
Check out Earthshine's Box Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation facility!
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
Turtles that survive humankind's onslaught of development and growth often die while trying to cross roads in search of mates, food, water or a new home. Due to the increase in residential, commercial and road development box turtles may be forced to wander out of their ever shrinking isolated habitats into lands used by humans. Here they are at a far greater risk from death directly related to the activities of humans such as being hit by cars, mowers, tractors and other farm equipment. Many box turtles die in backyard fishponds that don't have escape ramps or in leaf piles that are raked up and later burned without being checked for sheltering wildlife.
Another problem the Box turtle faces is the pet trade. Taking just one Box turtle from the wild to be sold or used as a pet can be decimating to local populations. Although a female Box turtle will lay hundreds of eggs over her long lifespan, less than a handful these will survive to be a reproducing adult turtle! In a healthy habitat this small number of offspring will survive to replace their aging parents and the population will stay stable. However, if the adults are removed either by being taken as pets or killed due to human activities, the number of breeding adults will drop and the entire population will soon suffer.
Box turtles also possess a strong homing instinct that causes them to want to be near their home where they were born. Because of this fact a Box turtle that has been moved far from its home will instinctively try to walk home. This will put it in great danger as it crosses roads, rivers and fields, encounters predators, diseases and other unknown dangers. If you have a pet box turtle that you found and decide to release it back into the wild please take it back to the exact spot where you found it. If this is not possible then please donate it to a nature center(like Earthshine Lodge), a wildlife park or zoo. It is because of all of these reasons that if you are looking for a pet turtle that you should choose a captive-raised animal only.
If you find a Box turtle crossing a road, move it to the side of the road that its head is pointing toward--because it really does know where it is going. If the area where you find the turtle has obviously been destroyed by construction and development then its habitat is probably lost. You will need to take the turtle to a nature center or Wildlife Park or it will most likely not survive.
Information on the Eastern Box Turtle from Davidson College Herpetology Box Turtle page
and
Field Trip Earth Eastern Box Turtle Population Study by Jessica Foti with the North Carolina Zoological Park
Check out Earthshine's Box Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation facility!
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
Box turtles also possess a strong homing instinct that causes them to want to be near their home where they were born. Because of this fact a Box turtle that has been moved far from its home will instinctively try to walk home. This will put it in great danger as it crosses roads, rivers and fields, encounters predators, diseases and other unknown dangers. If you have a pet box turtle that you found and decide to release it back into the wild please take it back to the exact spot where you found it. If this is not possible then please donate it to a nature center(like Earthshine Lodge), a wildlife park or zoo. It is because of all of these reasons that if you are looking for a pet turtle that you should choose a captive-raised animal only.
If you find a Box turtle crossing a road, move it to the side of the road that its head is pointing toward--because it really does know where it is going. If the area where you find the turtle has obviously been destroyed by construction and development then its habitat is probably lost. You will need to take the turtle to a nature center or Wildlife Park or it will most likely not survive.
Information on the Eastern Box Turtle from Davidson College Herpetology Box Turtle page
and
Field Trip Earth Eastern Box Turtle Population Study by Jessica Foti with the North Carolina Zoological Park
Check out Earthshine's Box Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation facility!
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
Information on the Eastern Box Turtle from Davidson College Herpetology Box Turtle page
and
Field Trip Earth Eastern Box Turtle Population Study by Jessica Foti with the North Carolina Zoological Park
Check out Earthshine's Box Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation facility!
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
Field Trip Earth Eastern Box Turtle Population Study by Jessica Foti with the North Carolina Zoological Park
Check out Earthshine's Box Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation facility!
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE