Terrapin sp. - North American Box Turtle

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Intermediate Care
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Woodlands Species
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Diurnal
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Egg Layers
North American Box Turtles are a hinged-shell terrestrial land turtle that come in an array of beautiful shell patterns and colorations.

There are 6 sub-species of Common Box Turtle; Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina), Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri), Gulf Coast Box Turtle, (Terrapene carolina major), Three Toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis), Mexican Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina mexicana), and the Yucatan Box Turtle (Terrapene Carolina yucatana).

The Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata) and the Desert Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata luteola) are two other species of box turtle commonly found in the hobby. 

Less common are the Spotted Box Turtle (Terrapene nelsoni) and Coahuilan Box Turtle (Terrapene coahuila)

Box turtles should always be obtained from a good captive bred source and never taken from the wild. If you can no longer keep your box turtle, always find them a suitable new home and never return them to the wild - they will not survive.


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An ornate box turtle
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Companion Card Available
Bring Home Your New Pet

When you bring your new turtle home, you should already have a quarantine enclosure set up and ready to go. Place fresh water in the enclosure, mist the enclosure and offer food, but be aware it is completely normal for them to refuse food for the first couple days, or even longer. You should keep this new pet separate from any other pets you may have for 90 days, to ensure there is nothing it could spread to your other animals.

Monitor its eating and fecals as they may be strange for up to a couple weeks, but this is due to a new diet, supplements, and environment. It is recommended you do not handle your new tortoise for the first 24-48 hours and keeping it to a minimum until it has started eating on its own.

​Always keep in mind, your new animal is in a new enclosure, with new decor/dishes/hides, and new faces watching them. They need time to become acclimated to it all. After this quarantine process, they can be safely introduced to their permanent enclosure if it is not already. Be sure to wash your hands before handling any other pets during this time.

Enclosure

Box turtles are a smaller species of terrestrial turtle, but they are extremely active and need plenty of space. 

A 6' by 4' by 2' enclosure is advised for a single adult box turtle, and more space will definitely be utilized by this active species. Most box owners custom-build a suitable enclosure. They can be housed outdoors in warmer climates, but be sure your outdoor enclosure is safe from predators and keep in mind that these turtles are extreme diggers and escape artists, so perimeters need to have a solid bottom or be dug deep into the ground to prevent escape. 

Young box turtles can be kept in modified large Christmas tree plastic storage totes, but such enclosures will not house them for long, so plan for the needs of an adult tortoise when you purchase. 
Substrate

Loose substrates are best for box turtles. They not only help maintain humidity, but they allow for natural burrowing behaviors. Substrates should be minimum 6" deep. Some recommended substrates are top soil mixed 50/50 with coco-coir or sphagnum peat moss. Substrates can be misted daily in the A.M. to help keep humidity percentages higher, and should be spot cleaned daily. Be sure your top soil contains no additives, fertilizers or perlite and is 100% organic. Adding plants to your enclosure not only provides enrichment, but helps with humidity. Check into bioactive enclosure building!
Compatibility

Box Turtles are not social in the wild except to breed, and should be kept alone. They are fine as a single pet, and it is advised to keep them alone unless you are experienced and can separate incompatible pairs into their own separate enclosures. 
Heating

Box Turtles are diurnal and active during the day. They love to bask, and need a basking spot of 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit. A deep dome housing with a halogen flood bulb is the best basking setup. Be sure to use a heat temp gun to monitor temps. Different subspecies can have slightly different heating needs, so research more on your specific type of box turtle for further info.

Ambient temperatures can range from 70-75 degrees and night time drops are fine. If night time temps drop below 65, you will need a heat emitter bulb that emits no light to keep the temperatures safe for your turtle. 
Lighting

Box Turtles require full spectrum lighting for 10-12 hours a day. Reptisun 5.0 T5 or Arcadia 6% tubes are known to provide some of the best full UVB for your turtle. Bulbs only last about 6 months before they need to be replaced as they become less efficient over time. If possible, your turtle should be able to get within 10-12" of the light to receive the best benefits. These fixtures should span as much of the length of their enclosure as possible.

Having the correct type of UVB is important to their development and health and lack of UVB can have serious effects. Be sure to have lights on a timer to offer a natural day and night lighting cycle.
Cage Decor

Large, flat rocks under the heat light will provide a suitable basking area for your tortoise, and they like tight hides they can wedge themselves under at night and when in need of shade. Safe, edible live plants are great decorations, but box turtles are very active and curious and will try to chomp on anything in their enclosure, so be sure whatever you put in there is safe and edible. They appreciate enrichment of low logs and rocks to climb over, but take care that anything they can climb on is not too tall that they will flip themselves on to their backs and be unable to get back up. 

Slate tiles are great for feeding on, as they allow your turtle to grind their beaks down while eating.
Check out the safe, edible plants companion cards page for a list of what you can include in your enclosure!
Humidity

Box turtles are a woodlands turtle, but their humidity needs are high. Aim for a 60-80% humidity in their enclosures. This can be achieved by building a greenhouse inspired top for their enclosure, misting daily or running a fogger. Avoid running foggers or misters in the P.M. hours when the temperatures are lower to avoid respiratory infections. Dry periods are necessary as well, you do not want a constant source of high humidity, so allow the humidity to drop at night and bring it back up during the active, warm daytime hours.
Water

Box turtles love to soak, but they cannot swim, so water dishes need to be deep enough for them to climb into and drink and soak, but not so deep they will struggle to get out of or drown. Paint trays are a commonly used water source for these turtles. Their water needs to be cleaned often, as they will soil it quickly!! Be sure to change and disinfect their water bowls daily.  

You can also soak your turtle in a warm water bath weekly to help keep them hydrated. Baby turtles especially need to be soaked daily to keep them healthy. Adults can be soaked weekly. 
Supplements/Minerals

To ensure proper bone and shell development and overall health, food should be sprinkled with calcium at each feeding. Once a week, sprinkle food in a supplement vitamin powder instead of calcium. Cuttle bone should be available at all times. If your turtle is housed outdoors, you may use calcium without D3.
​Feeding

North American Box Turtles are omnivorous, meaning they eat both protein and plant matter. One of the most difficult part of owning a turtle is understanding their dietary needs. This is a very basic guide - further research is recommended.

Feeding requirements change as your turtle ages. Baby turtles (hatchling to 5 months old) should be fed daily, while juveniles to adults can be fed every other day.

A basic rule of thumb for food offerings for a box turtle is 60% animal matter, 20% vegetables, 10% leafy greens, and 10% fruits.

Animal matter consists of live insects such as crickets, nightcrawler and earthworms, calcium worms, super worms, pill bugs, wax worms, butterworms, dubia roaches, silkworms, crayfish, feeder fish and snails. Some non-live options are cooked chicken and shrimp and hard boiled eggs with shell.

Vegetables should consist of carrots, okra, winter and summer squashes and sweet potato.

Leafy greens include dandelion greens, mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, red leaf lettuce and romaine. 

Safe fruits include mango, papaya, berries, grapes, cantaloupe, apricots, kiwi and honeydew.  

Do not feed tomato, citrus, cabbage, spinach, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, corn, peppers, celery, peas or green beans as these items can cause calcium binding issues.

Mazuri Pellets are an excellent addition to their diet, especially for young turtles. Pellets can be soaked and added to their salads 2-3 times a week. 

Turtles also love edible weeds and flowers. A great resource for a list of safe and unsafe plants and flowers can be found here. 
Handling

Box turtles are usually very docile and easy to handle, but every turtle personality is different. They cannot climb well, so sitting on the floor and holding your turtle in your lap and letting them explore around you is the best way to handle them. Pick them up by supporting their entire body under your hands.
Lifespan & Size

Box turtles have an average lifespan of well over 30 years. This is a pet to put serious consideration into before you purchase, as they will be with you for a while if properly cared for. Their size can vary a bit but average adult size is 5-7".