Everything you need to know about the Eastern Box Turtle! And some surprising facts!

Рет қаралды 9,624

Күн бұрын

An encounter in the forest with an Eastern Box Turtle is often one of our first memorable experiences interacting with wildlife Box turtles are slow moving, endearing creatures that never bite! Adults and children alike enjoy watching them and learning about them. In this video you will learn how to identify them, how to decide if they are a male or female, where they live, what they eat, how they reproduce, how long they live, how to age them, why not to keep a wild turtle as a pet and some surprising facts about there time in ponds or bodies of water!

Пікірлер: 82

@brianquilty687 Ай бұрын

Turtles have always been my favorite reptile. This was one of your best videos ever !!

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Awe! Thank you! Yes, turtles are endearing!

@JeffreyCotle Ай бұрын

@brianquilty687 please be kind to them. I work for the Pennsylvania game commission. And we always move them off the road. And here in Pennsylvania they are doing all right.

@brianquilty687 Ай бұрын

@@JeffreyCotle We don't have any box turtles where I live in Canada but if I did I would definitely be kind to them. They are incredible creatures.

@BSPIVEY100 Ай бұрын

I just helped a nice big box turtle cross the road. This biggest one I've ever seen. I'm 70 years old and was still excited to see it. It brought back memories.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Cool! 😎

@jeffbrund Ай бұрын

I’ve pulled over out here in the East TN back roads to get two box turtles off the road and one small snapper. 👍

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

😄👍👍👍👍

@CoachRick-sn9oy Ай бұрын

Once again; A superb presentation, by a highly respectable educator, the kind that every youth should enjoy for a mentor at some time in their young learning experience. I will wager good money that you see LOTS of comeback students! I'm confident that you have inspired thousands for a lifetime, and saved countless of God's creatures from unnecessary termination. Thank you, Frank!

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

So appreciate your kind and supportive words. It means a lot to me!

@LindsayStraw Ай бұрын

Eastern box turtles are my favorite critters to encounter in the wild! I'll watch any video about them, but your voice really communicates the joy you have for these creatures, which made this especially delightful (along with the great footage)!

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Awe! Thank you so much! 🙂

@Mr688895 Ай бұрын

Great video. When I first moved to Virginia back in the late 80’s I lived right next to Sower’s Mill Damn in Floyd County. The diversity in reptiles was great. Thank you for doing these videos and bringing awareness to these wonderful creatures.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

@@Mr688895 cool place! Did you see hellbenders in the water there?

@Mr688895 Ай бұрын

@@natureatyourdoor Never there but I was surrounded by them growing up. My aunt was a herpetologist at the University of Wisconsin. I spent alot of time fishing in the Little River. I live in Fort Chiswell now in the mountains and have found an amazing diversity of lizards, salamanders, and snakes plus I have 6 snakes and two turtles of my own.

@harlowchandlerjr.6371 Ай бұрын

Also interesting is the relationship of box turtles and mayapples.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Ah! I didn't know! Makes sense! Thanks for sharing!

@IndianaCharlie812 Ай бұрын

Very interesting. Thanks for all the information. Great video

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@my2cents945 Ай бұрын

Very informative, thanks for sharing. Stomping around the PA forests for over 50 years, I've only come across them about 6 or 8 times.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Always exciting to see one!

@jimrodarmel8512 Ай бұрын

Living so close to the Mississippi here in La Crosse, we occasionally see turtles crossing roads to get to good egg-laying sites further inland, and further into human habitat. One or two seasons ago, we saw a mom turtle (don't remember if it was a box) heading into our yard from the direction of the river, and then heading back in the other direction a short time later. I was trying to stay hands-off, heeding wildlife experts' advice that trying to "help" them could get them disoriented, but after a passing motorist tried to "rescue" her from the road by placing her back on OUR side, I decided it would be better to assist after all, and I took her back to the side of the road she was trying to get to. Hopefully she recognized the terrain and navigated back to the river from there; I don't think there were any other roads in her way. She did seem to be going the right way before I lost sight of her.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your observations and experiences!

@deepost2604 Ай бұрын

I live in VA on 3 acres. In July I saw a mating pair of box turtles and took a photo. Then a few days later there was a third that was a good bit smaller. It was hiding in the Rudbeckia that I was clearing. They must be enjoying my land because I keep brush heaps and most of the land is undisturbed woods. There’s a listing of native plants supporting box turtles. I planted many berries bushes to support birds, but it turns out the box turtles feast on berries as well. If there are baby box turtles around, I haven’t seen those. 🐢

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

I have never seen a baby box turtle either!

@charlesmangum2100 Ай бұрын

Touch and observe, only. A snapping turtle, leave alone, period.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

@charlesmangum2100 😁 have you seen my how to safely pick up a snapping turtle to move to a safe location video! Check it out and weigh in on that! Let me know what you think! 🙂

@charlesmangum2100 Ай бұрын

@@natureatyourdoor I'll let you move it.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

@@charlesmangum2100 🤣😅😂

@ellentaylor8200 Ай бұрын

Wonderful video! My new favorite!

@springertube Ай бұрын

Fabulous critter! When I was a kid in Northern Virginia in the early 60s, we would see them all the time when we were exploring in the woods. I made a "farm" for them in our backyard to save as many as I could from habitat (and of course their direct) destruction by graders for new housing developments nearby. When we had to move due to my father's reassignment, we relocated our "turtles" (tortoises) to less threatened areas. Interesting factoid, at least in my experience, if you face them into a tree and go off and do your other adventures in the woods, including finding more of them, and come back they'll still be there faced into the tree! I don't think they have much of a sense of reverse! As this video creator suggested, very gentle and even affectionate souls. Tide for my favorite reptile... the other discovered in our eventual move to the Southwest being the desert horned lizard, aka "horny toad"-- same thing, character-ful, gentle souls.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your very interesting observations and experiences! 😀

@tcschenks Ай бұрын

When I was a kid back in the mid to late 70s, there was a box turtle that used to show up in our yard every year. That was back in the days when every single yard on the blockdid not have a fence around it. It would be impossible today.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

I had same experience in late 60s!

@whoaskedforthis Ай бұрын

thank you

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

@@whoaskedforthis you are welcome!

@6996katmom Ай бұрын

Turtles are very fascinating. My favorite animal besides cats of any size, if a frog. Is it true that the fireants took out most of the horned toads?

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Wow...interesting I don't know. I will have to look that up!

@carmennunnally5776 Ай бұрын

They are so pretty 😍

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

And so varied! Everyone is different! Like unique finger prints...no two alike!

@rogervandusen8361 Ай бұрын

I have only encountered very few box turtles during years of hiking in upstate NY. In contrast have seen hundreds of snappers and sliders.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Yes! They say the Native American impacted box turtle populations through harvesting of shells for many reasons in New England.

@NanaWilson-px9ij Ай бұрын

That's sad.

@brentmiller9789 Ай бұрын

good stuff!

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Thank you! 😀

@sb7984 Ай бұрын

I'm holding my box turtle right now! I've had her for 35 YEARS! When my nephew was seven, he found and kept her. She was sick and wouldn't eat, so I nursed her back to health and asked if I could have her. Box turtles are a big responsibility. Temperature is very important. If they don't like their conditions, they go on hunger strikes, get weak and die! They need exercise, interaction, and a big aquarium. They are expensive! Canned food, eye drops, shell lotion, heat lamps, reptile bark, special bulbs, big aquariums, vet bills ,etc. So leave them in the wild or you might have a dead turtle and a sad kid. That being said ...I love my turtle, and she loves me. She fusses for me to hold her. Plays tug of war and bite the beard. Likes classic rock music, swims in a big pot for exercise on bath day. I try to hold her for a few hrs every day. Her name is'' Cordelia'' but mainly call her ''Turtle Pants''. A fun pet but not an easy one! PS. .... If you already have a box turtle, I recommend Zoomed box turtle canned food. It's about $3.50 a can (4 feedings) and a steady feeding schedule. My turtle eats every 2 1/2 days. Mine won't eat dry food. Lettuce doesn't have enough nutrition and bananas is like giving them candy every day. Special box turtle food has fruits, vegetables, fish meal, vitamins, proteins etc. Also, a bulb that gives both UVA and UVB rays about $30 to $60. Bulbs give them vitamins, so does the eye drops and lotion. also a aquarium thermometer. and carefully trim the beak and toenails.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Thanks for your share and expertise!

@rabbithomesteading3797 Ай бұрын

I love box turtles! I see less and less over time though and is sad.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

We need more box turtles! 😄

@rabbithomesteading3797 Ай бұрын

@@natureatyourdoor I seen one laying eggs and left it be. I put a big bottomless wire cage over the nest a few days later so raccoon or what ever would not get them. After probably literally a year of me watching I finally thought I missed them hatching or they are bad so dug them up. All bad. IDK why but it wasnt from me. Just something in nature may be messing them up fertilization or something.

@thatrogersmith Ай бұрын

@@rabbithomesteading3797 I had a nest predated on this year. Bout killed me to think of all of the nutrients and work she put into it. If I find another one I’m definitely going to try your enclosure idea! Thanks for that!

@JeffreyCotle Ай бұрын

Hi Frank. From Pennsylvania buddy Jeff. Awsome you gotta love box turtle. Tommy went to Maine with us. He's pretty cool also. He's a painted turtle. We saved him along time ago. God bless. Your buddy Jeff. Check your mail box😊

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

@@JeffreyCotle will do!

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

@user-wo2iw3kt8o I just checked email ..oh gosh.

@comfortablynumb9342 Ай бұрын

I recently worked at a house where the lady has a pair of box turtles in her yard. She said she's seen them mating. I explained to her about the male's shell, and I picked up the female to show her. I didn't see the male or the babies.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Cool! The female will lay eggs underground somewhere close by!

@johnfahey7215 Ай бұрын

If you find a turtle crossing a road, yes, carry them across the road in the direction they’re originally going, But pick them up with one hand on each side and hold them out at arms length. they will void urine in some quantity when frightened! 👍😀

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

😆😉

@alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi3723 Ай бұрын

It got one hell of a beak

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

@@alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi3723 ha! It really does!

@thatrogersmith Ай бұрын

My understanding is that eastern box turtles don’t develop the hinge/ability to fully close up inside of their shells until they’re of 4 or 5 years old. Is that correct?

@rabbithomesteading3797 Ай бұрын

Ive never heard that but interesting if true.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

I do not know! Interesting. I do know that the little ones have a high mortality rate!

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Yes!

@debraaurandt4228 Ай бұрын

❤🐢

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

😄

@kennyfryman3634 Ай бұрын

I haven’t seen one for years. I wonder if all the raccoons eat all the eggs. Never see a grouse or pheasant any more either.

@natureatyourdoor Ай бұрын

Your observations suggested a lot of habitat changes for sure!

@joecamel919 28 күн бұрын

I have a couple box turtles. One big male named Mojojojo. I did not name him that. And a female named Robin they both love together in an outdoor enclosure. I feed them mostly fruit lettuce insects and quail. My mom also has a box turtle but i dont take responsibility for that.

@natureatyourdoor 23 күн бұрын

Cool! 🙂

@joecamel919 15 күн бұрын

@@natureatyourdoor yer supposed to disagree with me.

@natureatyourdoor 15 күн бұрын

@joecamel919 hey...I encourage the company line but I am pretty easy going with my viewers and non judgemental! Enjoy your turtles!😁

@joecamel919 14 күн бұрын

@natureatyourdoor I'm not good now. I just took in a blind turtle found in the wild. I do have a permit for wild caught turtles. But a blind turtle is a whole new can of worms. He is eating but it's a real challenge. I'd compare it to a claw game you play blindfolded.

@natureatyourdoor 14 күн бұрын

@@joecamel919 you got this! You will be successful with a blind turtle. Did you notice one of the box turtles that "modeled" for me in my videos had only one eye?