Box Turtle Care

Turtles are great pets if you love exotic animals. They are inexpensive and fun to watch and can make excellent companions for single owners or even entire families. The American box turtle is also called Common box turtle and is a native to Mexico and United States. It is a terrestrial animal and belongs to the family Emydidae. It is often found in wooded areas along moist banks of rivers and streams which are warm and marshy. Even though turtles make unique pets, they need a lot of care and attention. So, scroll down to know all about box turtle care and their diet.

Box Turtle Facts

Before we get to the tips of taking care of a box turtle, you need to know some facts about it. It's very interesting to know that your pet can have such unique and exotic facts.

• Box turtles belong to the genus Terrapene and spend most of their time on land and enter the water only when they have to soak themselves.
• There are two main North American species of box turtle viz. the Eastern and the Ornate Box turtle which have a total of six sub species, each belonging to different regions of North America. Another popular species of box turtles is the Asian Box turtle which belongs to the genus Vuora.
• The average life span of these turtles is 40 years but they can live to about 100 years, their age can be determined, roughly, by counting the growth rings on their upper shell. Pet turtles, however, live for about 20 years.
• It is an omnivorous animal without teeth and survives on insects, berries and worms.
• It protects the soft areas of its body by tightening it's lower shell against the upper shell and completely encases itself in times of danger. The upper shell is usually rounded and higher, which grows up to 7 inches thick and painted in many colors by nature.
• The box turtle's shell is not completely hardened till they are seven years of age.
• The female box turtles can store sperms from one mating for about four years and lay eggs for several seasons without mating.
• Predators of box turtle include skunks, dogs, raccoons, rodents, etc.

Pet Care for Box Turtles

To have a pet box turtle around the house can be fun in its own way. If you have kids, they can be great friends even though a turtle may not be as expressive as a dog but, it too knows the owner's emotions. Take a look at some tips for grooming your pet box turtle.

• You can keep your box turtle either indoors or outdoors. They can be kept in large aquariums, tubs or a terrarium. They should be provided with a source of heat and plenty of space to roam around.
• A small pool or a pond and a consistent source of humidity wouldn't hurt them as they are naturally used to damp environment.
• Just to make sure that the inner area of your turtle's home doesn't dry out, the bottom can be lined with wet leaves, compost, rotten logs, etc if you are keeping the turtle outdoors.
  The optimal outdoor cage temperature for the box turtle is 75 degrees F and the bedding should be changed at least once a week.
• A major part of box turtle care involves supplying humidity to your pet as they need extreme humidity in their houses. You can do this by misting the turtle daily and adding some potted plants to its environment. These levels can range from 60 to 80% as those turtles living below this range are prone to injury, illness, disease and even death.
• Light is another major factor which you need to take into consideration, during box turtle care. Most reptiles need direct sunlight for survival and so do these turtles. If your pet is indoors then you need to set a bulb which will provide at least 85 degrees F heat to the turtle at all times.
• Box turtle food includes a regular diet of fruits, insects, worms and vegetables. You should dice or chop fresh fruits and vegetables when you feed your turtle. They even enjoy treats like tomatoes, strawberries, apples, green grapes, etc. Snails and crickets are some of their favorite food items.
• They have to be fed twice daily and their food should be kept on a flat rock as they can sharpen their beak and toe nails with it too.
• You need to make sure that you feed them foods rich in calcium as they require it for their shell growth.
• A healthy and well nourished box turtle will have clear eyes, soft skin, smooth shells and no bumps, bruises or cuts.
• You need to take your pet turtle to a veterinarian once in two weeks for regular health checks.

With those tips for box turtle care, I am sure you would want one of them for yourself. So, if you are convinced that this is your kind of pet, go buy yourself a box turtle to flaunt your unique pet animal.