How to Care for Box Turtles?

How to care for box turtles? Box turtles are quite popular and can be ideal pets for first – time turtle owners. One of the things to keep in mind if you want to keep them is their environment. These creatures need enough exposure to real sun. If your pet can’t have enough sun, you have to provide an artificial light source for them to stay healthy. It’s also essential to provide them with the right diet.  

How to care for box turtles? They make popular pets because box turtles are generally docile pets that don’t need a lot of maintenance. And although they have quite an exotic look; most people like them because they or more specifically their shells, come in various designs and colors.  How to care for box turtles? They are very docile which means that it’s very safe to pick them up and will not be aggressive. However; it’s also important to note that you shouldn’t pick them up all the time or tempt your fingers at them because they may nip at it. Unfortunately, they may not be suitable for very young children. You can still keep them but just make sure that it’s out of children’s reach. 

Non – Aquatic Turtles

How to care for box turtles? When it comes to understanding Box Turtle behavior; keep in mind that they are not an aquatic species – they spend most of their time on land; but they do need to soak in water from time to time.  Overall; this is a gentle and friendly species, but one should never underestimate their wild instincts – and they will bite should they feel threatened.  Most are pretty docile and it is generally safe to pick them up; but avoid handling them or picking them up too often.  Turtles are not fond of being handled too much, and they can lash out if stressed.  Much of the stress that captive Box Turtles breed experience in conditions of captivity include: drastic changes in the environment; and improper or poor captive conditions. 

Box Turtles are so called because of their distinctive behavior of retracting inside their shell; and completely closing up using the movable hinge on their lower shell.  No flesh is left exposed when this happens; and the Box Turtle has literally boxed itself up usually in response to one form of perceived threat or another.  In general, Box Turtles would far prefer retreating into their shell to protect themselves rather than aggressively biting or lashing out against threats.

Don’t Let Children Handle Them

It is never recommended for young children to handle Box Turtles – or if they should do so; the children should be closely supervised to ensure that no harm is caused to either child or turtle.  Children can often be brusque in their handling of small creatures, and they can end up harming the turtle.  Box Turtles are living, breathing creatures – they are not toys; and their temperament does not really necessitate a need for games. On the other hand, you should also ensure that children do not engage in unsafe practices such as kissing a turtle or putting their hands; or fingers to their mouths after handling one.  Proper hygiene should always be practiced around turtles in order to keep down the chances of transmission of bacteria that can be harmful to humans.

Protect Them at All Times

How to care for box turtles? Compared to other household pets, turtle species like the box turtles have a different kind of muscle structures. Their protective shell are the replacement for bone structures; and as we all know this allows the animal to hide under its own shell if it’s being threatened by predators. The dorsal shell or the top shell is known as the carapace; while the bottom or ventral part is known as plastron. A turtles shell is covered by scutes which are the bony plates. The scutes are usually being shed in large patches; and not like snake species where they shed their skin in one piece. The common misconception is that the number of scutes on their shell has something to do with how old a turtle is; it’s just not true.

Their protective shell are the replacement for bone structures, and as we all know this allows the animal to hide under its own shell if it’s being threatened by predators. The dorsal shell or the top shell is known as the carapace; while the bottom or ventral part is known as plastron. A turtles shell is covered by scutes which are the bony plates. The scutes are usually being shed in large patches; and not like snake species where they shed their skin in one piece. The common misconception is that the number of scutes on their shell has something to do with how old a turtle is, it’s just not true.

How to care for box turtles? The chest muscles of turtle species are also well – developed. And despite many differences in a turtle’s muscle structure, they are extremely strong. Turtles also lack teeth but some species have strong beaks that they sometimes use to bite if they are being threatened. These species also have no diaphragm; and they breathe through moving their membranes that encloses their internal organs including their head and legs.

Lifespan

How to care for box turtles? There are many hatchlings that die due to exposure during their first winter. The average life expectancy for box turtles in the wild seems to be around 50 years. As a matter of fact, there’s anecdotal evidence that suggests that some specimens can either live to be over a hundred! If you want your pet to live this long, you have to control what to feed box turtles. Poor ownership tends to decrease when they’re in captivity.

A well – cared for turtle that’s born in captivity must at least be able to live with their wild counterparts. It’s also important to know that turtles excrete uric acid; as part of their main waste while mammals including humans excrete urea. This allows the turtle to adapt to desert environments where water supply may be limited. Turtles also have a urinary bladder while other reptiles do not. They also have a receptacle which is also known as cloaca. This is the receiving compartment of their reproductive, urinary and gastrointestinal systems. The cloaca empties externally through the vent on their tail’s surface.