Eastern boxies, anyone?

[crissyshine]

Does anyone keep eastern box turtles?

Mine is a 4.5 year old male.
He's starting to get pretty aggressive (opening his mouth at me, I know he doesn't think I'm food) and at my sister when she has to feed him when I'm away. It may be him just being mad at me because other people are feeding him and it's not me.
She is scared he will bite but I reasuree her that he won't. I have never been bitten.
I don't know if turtles can understand the things you tell him but I always reprimand him if I hear he's been bad (trying to bite or purposely not eating) when I'm away. He always looks at me like he's saying ok and responds to my voice or my face and no one else's.

Does anyone else's turtle(s) do this? Is this a common attitude?

 

[Yvonne G]

The only ones that have been aggressive towards me are the ornata.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

The only time I was bitten was when I broke up a rumble between my old gulf coast male and a younger eastern male. I picked up the GC from the wrong angle and he glommed on to the meat of my hand and hung on. Ouch. No damage beyond a bruise, though.

I have seen my turtles open their mouths often, but never in aggression. The mating biting is different, very directed.

 

[Ciri]

I had a male desert box turtle who would try to bite me. This didn't start until after I'd had him a couple of years. It seemed that it was a territorial issue for him – he didn't want me in his space. If I set down his food, or changed his water, he was okay only as long as I walked away right afterwards. I tried to discourage him, but nothing worked. However, I think it is a good idea to use your voice to try to discourage that behavior, as sometimes that can work.

 

[crissyshine]

I had a male desert box turtle who would try to bite me. This didn't start until after I'd had him a couple of years. It seemed that it was a territorial issue for him – he didn't want me in his space. If I set down his food, or changed his water, he was okay only as long as I walked away right afterwards. I tried to discourage him, but nothing worked. However, I think it is a good idea to use your voice to try to discourage that behavior, as sometimes that can work.

That sounds like my turtle too. I move around his substrate once and he came out of his hide like "don't do that!"
I told him to stop and he'd better not bite me and he turned and went back in his hide. I think he realized who I was.
But he doesn't eat if I'm watching either, so I have to do what you do (put the food down and walk away)

 

[Ciri]

None of my box turtles like to eat when I'm watching. They also don't like it when someone removes weeds from their home space. Sometimes they stand on our feet to try to get us to stop. It sounds like yours is listening to you.