Terrapene ornata is the most western species of North American box turtle and the most tolerant of a dry climate. The color and pattern of other N.A. box turtles may differ from this one. Some are solid brown. Some have yellow blotches. Many species interbreed. Most species are less than 5″ long (shell length).
The following information is about the care of box turtles (genus Terrapene) native to parts of the United States. Box turtles from Asia are also sold in pet stores; some of these are unlike ours in spending much of their time in shallow water and require somewhat different care. The N.A. box turtle is not native to Nevada but can be kept here in the average irrigated yard. A shallow shadded water dish and areas of moist soil are necessary. Many of the provisions needed for the box turtle (BT) are the same for desert tortoises. Water and yard security, for example. For this reason, you will be referred to the sections in the Tortoise Group booklet, Desert Tortoises Adoption and Care, available free at local veterinarians’ and libraries. Be prepared for a hungry box turtle to appear for feeding around 6:00A.M and/or late afternoon during hot weather. They are creatures of the day and are less tolerant of hot weather than desert tortoises.
WHERE TO GET A BOX TURTLE? When you buy from most pet stores, the owners just order more which have been captured from the wild. Box Turtles populations in the U.S. are becoming depleted.
You can help by getting your box turtle from Tortoise Group (free) or from someone who no longer wants theirs. Most of the box turtles that we offer for adoption have been found wandering in the street. Because these turtles are not native to Nevada, we assume that they were purchased at pet shops and have escaped from improperly secured yards. Be a responsible pet owner and help to reverse this trend.
ATTENTION, PARENTS: Too often, parents purchase a box turtle for their children not realizing what is involved in the care. Pet shop owners may not give enough information and the end result is death or escape of the turtle. The parent should reinforce a responsible attitude about proper care and the importance of anticipating the needs of a pet before purchase.
ATTENTION, TEACHERS: Because you are influencing thousands of lives, please keep in mind our recommendation that box turtles not be kept in the class room (or indoors anywhere). These turtles should live out of doors in your yard or that of a student and be brought to class for a day visit, on occasion.
If you can no longer keep your BT, Tortoise Group will provide a good home for it.
KEEP ALL SIZES OF BOX TURTLES OUTSIDE FOR ALL SEASONS. This is for the turtle’s health, both mental and physical. Box turtles are very active, need a lot of space. They like to move over your entire yard, hunt for insects and grubs. BTs need sunshine that does not come through window glass. We believe that keeping a BT in a terrarium is cruel. They are also more enjoyable to watch outside.
DO NOT USE PESTICIDES OR HERBICIDES. Dead and dying insects may be eaten by unwary BTs.
YARD SECURITY AND REMOVAL OF HAZARDS. See the Tortoise Care Booklet. Making your yard escape proof is a must. If handled properly, swimming pools and dogs should not be a problem.
SHELTER. Several shelter types should be available throughout your yard. The different types provide a range of temperature and moisture options and females need places to escape the often persistent sexual advances of males. Shelter types include shrubs in the shade, damp, loose soil or mulch in a shaded place where the BT can twist down vertically until the soil almost covers the shell, and an underground burrow. Another favorite shelter is a mound of grass clippings several feet across and at least a foot deep. Add clippings in very thin layers letting them dry before adding more. This can be in shade or sun. There should be at least one, 2-3ft long underground burrow per BT. See diagrams and instructions in the tortoise care booklet under BURROW and the dimensions at the end of this Information Sheet.
Box turtles live in many states where snow covers the ground in winter. Digging to avoid freezing temperatures is natural to the BT. In the desert, protection from the summer heat is also vital. A burrow of the correct dimensions will protect the BT year-round. Expect to have to dig the burrow because the soil may be too hard for the BT to do it. The burrow may be dug where the soil is damp but not soaking wet.
Box turtles naturally lose a lot of moisture through the skin and lungs and may die of dehydration in the Las Vegas area at any season. The snugness of the burrow design that we recommend is critical to the turtle maintaining the proper temperature and moisture conditions. Do not build the burrow where the BT may extend the burrow off your property where you have no control over your neighbors watering, or digging.
WATER. Provide permanent, fresh, shaded, shallow water in which the BT can stand. BTs need to drink and soak, frequently. Read about setting up a water dish in the Tortoise Care Booklet under WATER.
FOOD. Insects, sow bugs, snails, crickets, they can find on their own if you have damp areas in your yard. You can add another important food, live earthworms, available from a bait store. Two a day will leave them motivated to seek food on their own. Bristly or highly colored caterpillars may be poisonous. Supplemental foods include Meal worms (a beetle larva) which can be purchased at most pet supply or tropical fish stores. Powdered calcium, from a health food store or from Tortoise Group, should be added to the bran in which mealworms are kept to provide adequate calcium to the turtle. Tortoise Food, the formulated, pelletized food that Tortoise Group sells for desert tortoises is a complete and balanced food, good for box turtles too. Soften pellets and mix with a little shredded fruit or vegetable and a very little amount of soft commercial chicken or beef based cat food. Commercial cat and dog foods tend to be too high in fat and too low in fiber. Do not give hamburger. The lawn or a plastic lid are good feeding surfaces.
An adult BT may be very set in its preferences in food and may not accept your offerings right away. In fact, when you first get the BT home it may be shy and hide for several days. It will soon learn to come to the door and beg. A varied diet helps to assure adequate nutrition. Continue to offer a variety of foods even if the first type of food that you offer is accepted. The Tortoise Food will ensure a complete diet.
HANDLING. When you can touch the turtle without it hiding in its shell, you may pick it up by holding firmly to the sides of the shell with your thumb and middle finger. Until it becomes used to handling, watch out for waving legs and scratching claws. This may startle you and cause you to drop the turtle. Handling by children should be discouraged or at least supervised so that neither the child nor the turtle is injured. Until the turtle gets used to being handled it may try to bite, or scurry away. Work at this, slowly.
BEHAVIOR. Desert Tortoises and BTs do not usually interact in any obvious way. There seems to be no reason why the two species cannot share your yard. Box turtles hibernate from about early October until March or April. An underground burrow is the place for this. Once active, box turtles are early risers. The cooler temperatures are preferred. When the air temperatures reach 90 degrees F. and more, your BT may stay out of sight for days or weeks at a time. Do not be too concerned if you do not see the turtle. When active, the BT may spend much of the time walking around the edges of the yard. Be sure that the path against the fencing is clear of large rocks. The BT will tend to climb them and may fall over. See HAZARDS in the Tortoise Care Booklet.
BTs will breed in Las Vegas. During copulation, or at least mounting in the attempt, the male normally ends up on his back as he holds on to the edges of the female’s shell with its long curved hind nails. Do not be alarmed if you find the male in this position. If you find them coupled in the sun on a hot day, you should carefully move them together to a shaded place.
Egg laying occurs in spring and early summer and often takes place at night. The female may lay her eggs in the lawn or other damp place, digging the nest hole with her hind legs. BT eggs, unlike tortoise eggs, must have some moisture to survive. After the 4-6 eggs are buried, the female pays no attention to them. In 70 to 80 days the young emerge. You may want to mark the nest site and be on the look out. Beware, if you build an enclosure to catch the hatchlings. There must be a shaded area within the enclosure because if the hatching takes place when you are not there the young may die of the heat.
Expect the hatchlings to have different coloration than adults. Many are dark green with a yellow stripe down the center of the carapace (upper shell) and dark patterns on the plastron (bottom shell). This depends upon the species. The young are independent and should live out of doors but may die of dehydration if the distance between damp places for food and shelter are too far apart. You may want to set up an enclosure just for the hatchlings. See the description of a separate enclosure for tortoises in the desert tortoise care booklet. This will work well for the first year or two if you provide food. If left free in the yard that is adequately moist and pesticide-free, a hatchling may fend for itself for two or three years before you see it.
The above information is a start as the least that BT owners should be prepared to offer. Call us at Tortoise Group if you have questions.
Dimensions for Adult Box Turtle Burrows and Special Reminders
See booklet, Desert Tortoises Adoption and Care
- For the roof use plywood that is 3/4″ thick. Thinner material will progressively sag from the weight of the overlying soil particularly after rains; as a result the box turtle may be trapped or crushed.
- Just before you cover the burrow channel with the plywood and cover it with soil, loosen soil along the entire length of the floor to a depth of 3″ and remove the rocks. This is very important if you are digging through caliche. It will allow the BT to dig its way out as it grows or if the roof sags.
- Do not use blocks or boulders to support the roof. BTs tend to dig under them and cause them to settle on the BT or tip over and obstruct the channel.