I have clover and dandelion as general ground cover in my enclosure though I can't say I've ever witnessed any of my easterns eating it. Other that that I have blueberry and raspberry bushes and I usually plant a cherry tomato plant in the spring as well just to let the fruit drop to the ground.
Colleen, three toeds aren't native to PA but they are to parts of the midwest that experience colder winters I believe. Is this the first winter you've considered allowing them to overwinter naturally outdoors?
I can only speak for mine, but their personalities do vary greatly. I have a male and female that are fairly adventurous and active throughout the day on most days and three females that are usually active only in the morning but tend to tuck into leaf litter or hides throughout most of the day.
Thanks guys for both responses. I've considered adding a wood turtle to my existing eastern box turtle garden but i worry about their size compared to my bogs and the overall depth of the water. I have just over a foot of depth with muck bottom which has been fine for an adult musk turtle and...
This morning I noticed a stream of fluid shoot quickly from the nose of our male Eastern Box while he was eating. It only happened once, but it was a quick, straight stream, almost like a sneeze. I watched him for about 20 minutes afterward and didn't notice anything usual about his behavior...
This is our first year where we've witnessed eggs being laid and it has been my intent not to intervene and allow them to hatch naturally. I am concerned though.....between our bog and reading the adults can be aggressive toward hatchlings if they aren't discovered and separated right away.
Here are some pics from the latest update to our Eastern Box Turtle pen. The latest adventure was to connect the existing garden pen with another garden area that was recently fenced in via a "tunnel" that runs under the path between them. The point was to give them some extra space and give...