Box turtles are friendly creatures and are known to hail from the North American region.Box turtles are from the Emydidae family. The scientific name of the box turtles is Terrapene. Box turtles unlike any other turtles make up the best pets.Like other turtles, box turtles also dig down holes in the ground during the winter season. This is a characteristic of animals that brumate. Also, box turtles need a lot of water to keep their life processes healthy and good. Box turtles need natural fresh sunlight and also UVA and UVB light to be healthy.Did you know that the eastern box turtles are active throughout the day and they tend to enjoy being in the sun? While they are active during the day, they are resting in shallow forms in the night. Some box turtles can even live for more than a 100 years.Box Turtle LifespanTurtles, as everyone must have read in early childhood, live for a range of 200-300 years. So many wonder, does every turtle out there lives for hundreds of years?Well, it is not always true. Box turtles live for a range of 25-35 years. But this is not all. This world is full of exceptions. Hence, some box turtles also live for a hundred years. Box turtles, when they are in captive space, can live for 40 years, but generally, it is said that box turtles when kept as pets are known to have an average life span of 20 years.Can you tell how old a box turtle is?Generally, the guesses are done by counting the rings (scutes) of the turtle. For example, if you can count up to or sees a box turtle that has 14 rings then one can say that the box turtle is seven years old.So logically, the rings on box turtles help to determine the age. Two rings on the box turtle represent one year. Many also think that only wild turtles would have rings. But this is not true. It is completely a myth. The truth is box turtles, anywhere in the world, whether living in the wild or kept as a pet, certainly have rings.It is the bodily characteristics and also the specific characteristics of the box turtles. Also, these rings would be present on the top of the turtle’s shell. The box turtles’ age can also be guessed by the length of the turtles. However, this would not give us the accurate age of the turtle as some turtles might have slow growth, too.Male Vs Female Box Turtles Life ExpectancyIt is to be noted that it doesn’t matter if a box turtle is male or female. The life expectancy remains the same for both males and females, or it can differ by four to five years.If a box turtle has long and thick tails, long front claws, red or orange eyes, or concave plastrons, then the box turtle is called a male box turtle. Female box turtles are easier to identify. Female box turtles generally have flat or convex plastrons, thin tails, dark red or brown eyes, short eyes, and so on. So in this way, one can surely identify or distinguish between a male and a female turtle.Different Box Turtle And Their LifespanBox turtles are mostly of four different types and most hail from the North America. Eastern box turtle, three-toed box turtle, Florida box turtle, and gulf box turtles are the four different types of box turtles that are found.These different types of box turtles are based on the geographical locations in which these box turtles are found. Eastern box turtles are expected to live for a 100 years or more. The three-toed box turtles are known to be living for around 70 years or more. Florida box turtles are known to have a lifespan of around 50 years or more. The gulf box turtle lives until the 100 too. These turtles are also known to have lived for a total of 138 years.Currently, only six species of native box turtles have been discovered where they are further distinguished into 12 types. The desert box turtle lives for 10-50 years, whereas the native Eastern box turtle lives for around 100 years. The ornate box turtle leads a life of 32-37 years, the Florida box turtle lives for 50 years, the three-toed box turtle lives for 20-30 years while the Gulf Coast box turtle can have a lifespan of 100 years. The Mexican box turtle can live up to 50 years and the Yucatan box turtle lives up to 100 years in the wild.Do health issues affect a box turtle’s lifespan?Talking about the lifespan of the box turtles would surely lead to talks of health issues which box turtles can have.The box turtles’ lifespan can be affected by health issues too. Box turtles are the living creatures just like others. Box turtles can be susceptible to many issues like abscesses, shell infections, respiratory diseases, some vitamin deficiency, shell fractures, or parasite attacks too. These are some of the common problems or health issues that a box turtle faces during its lifespan. Hence, these issues would not hamper the lifespan unless and until it becomes lethargic.Do turtles live longer in captivity or the wild?Wild box turtles have much longer lifespans if they reach the maturity stage.The box turtles in captive status need to be taken care of properly so that the box turtles would have the maximum life expectancy. Though box turtles are of low maintenance and easy to take care of, it is also possible that many caretakers can make a lot of mistakes while taking care of these turtles. Hence, proper care and maintenance would lead to a happy and healthy turtle that would have a longer life.Box turtles must be cherished and treasured. Today, the animal hunters or the turtle sellers are treating the box turtles in a very ill-mannered. There are many box turtle conservation acts to prevent harassment or destruction of these amazing species.Did You Know…Turtles are marine reptiles that remain underwater.Most people confuse turtles with tortoises. The main distinction between them is that tortoises are reptiles that spend most of their time on land, while turtles are adapted to sustain underwater and come ashore only annually to lay eggs on sandy beaches. There are about 356 species of turtles that sustain in both fresh water and saltwater.American box turtles are mostly found in the eastern part of the United States where they make their living in ponds, meadows, fields, and woodlands. Each of these habitat ideas has plenty of water where turtles can live. They need continuous access to water for drinking, soaking, and paddling. They mainly live on land and prefer warm locations. A location with ample access to freshwater is very much important for box turtles.Turtles usually have a long lifespan because of their slow growth rate. Also, as they have a slow metabolism rate, they can survive longer without any diet food or water. Their tough shells and thick armored skin protect them from predators, which is one of the greatest natural survival instincts in the animal kingdom.Like every other living organism on this planet, a turtle’s health issues also affect its lifespan and way of living. Diseases like shell diseases, respiratory disorders, abscesses, metabolic bone disease, organ failure, and so on are commonly responsible for the early deaths of turtles. These diseases reduce the lifespan of a turtle by 40-50 years, so this reptile that could’ve lived for 100 only lives for 60 years and so.If we take proper steps, we can contribute to turtle conservation and save them all. Treatments are available for these diseases and if provided in time, they could skip some critical situations and make out alive healthy, and in good shape.The most frequently visible wildlife creatures are Eastern box turtle. It has an arch-shaped home covering almost its whole body. These reptiles develop creases and wrinkles with time. Its mouth is curve-shaped and has webbed toes. The shells of these turtles discriminate from each other in slight shapes or colors.There is a fun fact about them, after complete mating with males, females can lay eggs throughout the year. For finest mating, turtles bask in sun to get some warmth of sunlight. Usually, they reach the mating maturity after four years or five. Turtle’s ability to produce relatively small number of eggs are tremendous.This species variates in their consuming behavior from wildlife to another environment change. Box turtle species in wildlife are omnivores while in a normal environment they feed on insects. The largest subspecies are known as gulf common box turtle have brown shells with yellow stripes. These species with yellow stripes are found generally in damp algae areas.These turtles have complicated diets with special housing facilities. They survive in temperature range up to 85 F (29.44 C). Common box turtle and Terrapene Carolina turtle’s diet food is made up of 60% vegetables, fruits like humans diet and 40% feeding are on dead insects or small animals.Among six live subspecies, common box turtle also known as Terrapene Carolina is found in US and Mexico. Its shell is hanged with a hooked and elongated jaw.It is an earthbound species that consume plants and insects. They hibernate themselves in cold temperatures. The maintenance of their body temperature is up to 89.6 F (32 C) with the saliva that is massaged all over their body to keep them cool. If there are parts where box turtle couldn’t reach with saliva, they urinate on them.Extra care should be provided if you have a gulf coast box turtle or Terrapene Carolina as a pet. To keep an eastern box turtle free from illness, you can warm your pet turtle 80 F (26.6 C). Speaking of illnesses, shell infections, shell fractures, vitamin deficiency and respiratory diseases are some of the common conditions faced by a pet and subspecies. Most pet turtles carry the disease like Salmonella asympotomatically. Even the eastern box turtles do not show any signs of illness in this case. It is presumed that the pet turtles, box turtles and their subspecies tend to naturally carry Salmonella germs.The pet turtle species do not like to be handled and it can cause them stress. But when it is your pet, it is important to have regular interactions with them. You can find the them retreating into their shell space when they are stressed. This is applicable to males and females. Eastern box turtles are usually considered happy and healthy when they have clear eyes and no discharge and you should note that they don’t get back into their shell consistently.Also, remember to add variety of worms, eggs, fruits and veggies to their diet and make sure they have the vitamin intake properly. They would also need sufficient light. If you see the turtle being lethargic or having a runny nose and swollen eyes, it is best to immediately consult a veterinarian. While this is not common for all turtle diseases, it is always wise to consult a veterinarian for any queries.It is easy to consider a cute reptile like a turtle to maintain as a pet. But actually doing it takes understanding about everything - like the head, legs, shell, its plastron and its carapace, their habitat, diet and so on. If it is an adult, you would need to invest extra care time. From the list, plastron is the flat part of a turtle’s shell and the top part is a carapace.There is so much to learn even about the shells. For example, Cape tortoise Homopus signatus, has a shell length of 3.1 in (7.8 cm). While learning about their habitat, you might as well learn more about the diet forms to keep them safe. For example, including too much protein can severely impact the legs of this reptile.
Box turtles are friendly creatures and are known to hail from the North American region.
