Three-Toe Box Turtle

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JEAE21

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 19, 2007
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CA
Hi I just saw a picture of the Three-toed box turtle and thought they are cool looking turtles, and I wanted to know a little about them?

Are they commonly available in the pet trade?
And is the care of the Three-toad Box Turtle, the same with other Box Turtles? (Housing, feeding, etc.)

My friend told me that Box Turtles are aquatic turtles that don't need water but does this go with the Three-toed too?
Can I take Box Turtles out inthe sun everyday?
 
No box turtle is aquatic. You don't need to take them in the sun. You need to keep them OUTDOORS if you live in the right area. They need high humidity, lots of shade and sun, lots of space, and lots of maintenance. If you live in a very cold area, you shouldnt be keeping one unless you've got some fancy and expensive indoor setup. They do like a small, shallow pool to wallow in like a tortoise, but they don't need a pond by any means.

They are also illegal to collect from the wild, and some states ban them completely or require permits. I beleive its illegal to transport them between states and countries without permits.

If you've never kept turtles or other reptiles, its probably not a good choice. If you are open to suggestions of other herps and turtles I'd be glad to help, as is everyone else. If your'e still interested in a box, ask any and all questions, none should be unanswered before you get a turtle.

Keep in mind they live 150+ years and will need to be included in your will.

Cheers :)
 
Many of the Asian box turtles (mostly genus Cuora) are at least semi-aquatic. These turtles are not related to the North American box turtles.

However, the Coahuilan box turtle, Terrapene coahuila, is a fully aquatic North American box turtle. They are found only in a very small area of Mexico.

...just as a response to the statement that no box turtle is aquatic.

And, three-toed box turtles can make pretty good pets if you can give them enough space to roam. Outdoor pens are good as long as they are very secure. The care is about the same as that of other subspecies of T. carolina.
 
lovespunaround, are you saying that the three-toed box is available? what state are they native too? Can I buy one in CA?

Do I HAVE to keep it outside? I'm in CA and it's getting cold these days..
Can I keep it like an aquatic turtle..without the water and take it outside everyday for a sunbathe?

Vicious_Fish: I love youe setup! and I would like to build one for a box turtle or a tortoise but my backyard has the dangers of: racoons, opossums, coyotes, bobcats, jackrabbits(they might dig through the enclosure), mountain lion, and golfballs. Maybe I can try it if I can get a cover for it, but then the enclosure wouldn't get sunlight..

Yes Loconorc I am still interested in the box turtle and the other 4 turtles...
 
Yeah, three-toed box turtles are occasionally available, at least where I live. I know California has some pretty intense regulations about wildlife, exotic pets, etc. So look into that. They're native from the Gulf Coast area up the Mississippi River Basin to around Missouri.

I saw Vicious Fish's thread and that looked like a good setup to me. If it's getting colder where you live, you can overwinter them indoors if you have the space, and then put them back outside in the spring.
 
JEAE21;1144362; said:
Vicious_Fish: I love youe setup! and I would like to build one for a box turtle or a tortoise but my backyard has the dangers of: racoons, opossums, coyotes, bobcats, jackrabbits(they might dig through the enclosure), mountain lion, and golfballs. Maybe I can try it if I can get a cover for it, but then the enclosure wouldn't get sunlight..
Click to expand...

The danger is no different than any other outdoor enclosure. To resolve the digging, you might have to submerge some of the fence into the ground.
 
TheBloodyIrish;1144394; said:
The danger is no different than any other outdoor enclosure. To resolve the digging, you might have to submerge some of the fence into the ground.
Click to expand...

Yeah my enclosure is about 4-5 inches under the ground. It could be deeper but my turtles aren't much of diggers. When I bred N.A. Wood Turtles their enclosure was buried over a foot deep. I was suprised at how much digging they did, not to mention they are excellent climbers.

You can put a top on a set up like mine, just use the same wire that I have around the pen for the top. Sun can get in but most predators can not.
 
haha, YEAH!! I've seen videos of turtles climbing enclosure on youtube..
I even witnessed my mud turtle do pull-ups to get out of his tank...the water was filled a little too much, and the dock...

Yeah, I like the fence top idea.. I can keep a tortoise in this enclosure too then huh? Like a small russian; hey would the russian get along with box turtles?

And also, in the picture from the link, I see cave in the middle, but should the whole enclosure be exposed to the sun, or just like half of it?

If I decide to keep the box turtle or tortoise indoors, can i use those undertank heaters? (for like snakes)

And both tortoise and box turtle love sunlight right?
 
You could keep a tortoise like a Russian in a setup like mine. But I'm not a fan of mixing species so I would choose one of the other.

Yeah I have a little bridge/cave in the middle for my turtles to get out of the sun. An outdoor set up should always have a place with shade at all times. You don't want to bake your turtle. And yes, nothing beats natural sunlight to jump start a turtle after a cold night!

Because the winters here get too cold for Gulf-coast and 3-toed box turtles, I brought them indoors when I had them. I used ceramic heat lamps to keep them warm. I never bothered with heat pads.

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