Eastern Box Turtles Still Wandering

Len B

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Messages
4,986
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Md - Northern Neck Va
around in mid November. We've had a mild fall season this year, in fact we haven't had temperatures below 40F yet. My eastern box turtles live wild and as natural as I can make it for them. Today I saw this guy across the yard, Picture 008.jpgHe is not hard to see with his bright colors. So I looked around a little and spotted 3 more. Anyone else have eastern box turtles still active ?
 

jeff kushner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2020
Messages
2,688
Location (City and/or State)
North of Annapolis
That's some serious yellow head'ege!

I'm a bit North of you, up near Annap and we've had 3-4 nights below 40F....but it was very nice this past w/e, in the 60's. I am surprised though, I would have thought them deep by now.

cool!

jeff
 

Maro2Bear

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
14,712
Location (City and/or State)
Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA
And I’m just west of Jeff and north of Len. We’ve had an incredibly mild Autumn. Not sure if we even had a slight frost yet. Last week was incredible really with middle 70s. Ive been slowly pruning off my banana leaves and feeding to our Sully. Usually by this time i have it all cut back & hauled into the garage for the Winter. Leaves are still nice & growing.

Down on the ground where those boxies are is still pretty nice. Sooo. Some colder evening temps soon.
 

PJay

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2016
Messages
1,168
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
I've seen wild box turtles active in N. VA during this mild autumn as recent as last week. Forecasted to be in the 20's a couple of nights this week. Hopefully they are tuning in to the weather forecasts.
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
It's been in the 40's with daily rain. Mary Knobbins has been ready at her doggie door every morning recently, so then she runs outside, checks her perimeter, then eats fallen leaves for a while, and goes back inside. Yesterday it was just pouring and I looked out the window, and there she is grazing, she acts like she doesn't even know it's raining. She never stays out very long tho. I think she's pretty intelligent but she is not social and generally acts like she doesn't like me...lol
but there's just something wrong with seeing a Sulcata in a pouring rain.
 

jeff kushner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2020
Messages
2,688
Location (City and/or State)
North of Annapolis
As an aside, I have a lot of lizards here, mostly Skinks. I went to get the mail yesterday afternoon, it was around 48F and on the edge of the sidewalk and yard was one of my girls, a 8-10" brownish female skink. I reached down and she was barely able to move. I have no idea how she ended up exposed and cold but I picked her up all the while she was trying to escape but couldn't move very fast so it was hand over hand over hand then cradled her in my arm while I opened the garage door. I have a lot of skinks that normally hang out in the garage (but have no spider webs or bugs)in the summer and it felt 10F warmer in the garage so I set her down in the corner. When I checked on her later, with a plan to take her in for the winter if needed...she was gone. Apparently she got warm enough to move to a safer location. Good thing, this morning the temp is 33F as I type this, she would not have been happy outside!

jeff
 

PJay

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2016
Messages
1,168
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
Happy to see you still have box turtles and dandelions keeping you company. We had overnight temps in the 20's recently. Is it warmer there near the water?
 

Len B

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Messages
4,986
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Md - Northern Neck Va
Happy to see you still have box turtles and dandelions keeping you company. We had overnight temps in the 20's recently. Is it warmer there near the water?
Yes, the river is 2 miles wide here and the water isn't real cold yet. But in spring it works just the opposite it takes longer to warm up because of the cold water.Right now it's 59F
 

jeff kushner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2020
Messages
2,688
Location (City and/or State)
North of Annapolis
I never would have guess they would be out this past weekend! Saturday was beautiful but yesterday didn't break 55F and was 49 when Kerry and I took a walk up the street at Downs park next to the Bay. There's a freshwater pond that drains to the bay there and we looked for 20 minutes for any of the resident population, nada.....in fairness there was no sun to draw them out.

Very nice pics, as always!!

jeff
 

Len B

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Messages
4,986
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Md - Northern Neck Va
We had rain last night and it's looked like it could rain at any minute all day, the temperature reached 71F but has dropped to 65 in the last couple hours. Spotted 6 eastern box turtles out and about. Picture 001.jpgPicture 002.jpgPicture 003.jpg There are 2 in this pic, one is hard to make out Picture 004.jpgand the last is Tiny, the smallest hatchling I've had here.Picture 005.jpg
 

Sarah2020

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Mar 16, 2020
Messages
1,604
Location (City and/or State)
London, UK
Amazing colours and perfect environment they blend in with autumn leaves. Beware full of the puppies... dogs can crush the shells or flip them upside down.
 

Len B

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Messages
4,986
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Md - Northern Neck Va
The box turtles that I put in the winter pen wont be up until next spring. I filled it with leaves today. We've had 2 nights below freezing and everybody in there has dug in and not been seen for 2 days now . We have a chance of a nor-easter soon with cold temps so I covered them with a layer of leaves. This is something I do every year, just a little later than normal this year.Picture 014.jpgPicture 015.jpg
 

jeff kushner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2020
Messages
2,688
Location (City and/or State)
North of Annapolis
Very cool...no pun.......I have a question for you Len, how do you keep them from being taken by predators? I live in a neighborhood and mine began disappearing very soon after they moved in so I had to abandon the outside home.

jeff
 
Top