Large Male EBT

[Vynindis]

Ok guys, so my daughters friends had a large male Eastern Box Turtle. They were keeping him in like a 9x18 inch cardboard box so I took him.

If you remember, I just got my first turtle a few months ago when I rescued a female. Well, I don't have the money to set up another enclosure but I won't just abandon the male. Everytime he sees Petra (the female) he goes after her. I don't know if he's trying to have sex with her or just attacking her. His penis isn't out, so I think he's just attacking her.

I set up hides and blind spots to distract them from one another. That does pretty good most of the time but today she barged into his hide box and, of course, got attacked for it.

The enclosure isn't really large enough for two turtles, I just know he's better off with us than he was with those kids. At least he's fed properly and in the right environment. Still, these two can't be happy with living together so I'm looking to find someone who can handle him.

I live in Milton, WV and I've tried the animal rescues in the area. None can come get him and I don't have a car. I figured checking here was the best possible option. Maybe someone would like to have rescue him or maybe help me figure it out.

He's well loved by all of us, it's just that she was here first and it was her home that got invaded, you know? He had a small hole in his carapace when we got him which I've since cleaned daily and healed. I believe those kids were HORRIBLE to him. He's pretty comfortable around humans now though after proper diet and care.

He's gorgeous is the thing. The males are so stunning, I had no idea. He's absolutely MASSIVE compared to her too, which I know isn't good. She's on the 4 inch size (full grown I believe) and he's on the very large sales of males. High carapace, about 6 inches long (maybe large) and his body in general is just huge. Awesome looking little (not so little) guy.

But any suggestions, a rescue, or a place that does rescues would be much appreciated guys. I'll keep the little guy as long as I can. I'll get some pics up later for you guys to check him out. He's quite a beautiful turtle.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

When box turtles mate, the males do not flash or display in advance. They climb on & hook up, sometimes for hours. The foreplay can be rough, intimidating the female into standing still. So it could be aggressive mating behavior or just aggression. Are you sure of their genders?

You live in the perfect place for an outdoor habitat. Can you enlarge or subdivide one?

 

[Angel Carrion]

If you can't enlarge and/or split one in half so they're separated, or build a new one, what are your plans/thoughts?

Maybe someone here on the forum that is knowledgeable of box turtles and lives close would be willing to take him?

I would offer to take the male, but as it is I already have two males and don't have enough room to make another enclosure for him. If all else fails, I'd be willing to take the female and add her to my female enclosure after quarantining the recommended time.

 

[Vynindis]

You know Angel, I'm not really sure yet what I'm doing. Thanks for the feedback though guys.

Also, John, I am POSITIVE on sex and species. I know sometimes it can be confusing but I have the most obviously male and female turtles around haha.

I guess why I posted is just to get some advice, maybe do something cheap for him (maybe outdoor, not sure yet) or maybe someone here is close and might take him. I don't think I'm willing to give Petra (the female) up. Ender (the male) is absolutely awesome but she was my first, that'd break my heart to give her up. Then again, I want what's best for these two wonderful little creatures so that is a possibility.

I have them in a 40 gallon tote (it seemed to be about what's recommended for one turtle and that was what I had) with a light, a couple hides, a nice big ol' water dish for them to soak in. For substrate all I have is sphagnum peat moss in there for 'em. I put grass in there for them to burrow with their hides. I know I should get some cypress mulch for a top layer but for right now I have just the peat moss in there.

With the size of that though, if I split it down the middle then they don't have a large enough enclosure. Only having half the room would make it pretty tiny.

I'll take a picture or two though and see what you guys think about splitting it.

Real quick, about mating... isn't it the wrong time of year for that? Should I let that happen? I think that's what it is now that I know they don't fan their penis prior the mating. From everything I've read, both of their behaviour is consistent with mating. She walks over to him too sometimes, then just sits there all coy like and hides from him. It looks so bad on her though.

Again, thanks a lot you guys. This forum is a goldmine for turtle info and now that I have, I just love them. Turtles literally changed my life. This has been one of the happiest discoveries of my life.

 

[Angel Carrion]

A male turtle will mate with a female every chance he gets. That's one of the reasons it's recommended to have a ratio of at minimum two females to one male (though at least 3 female to one male is best). That way he isn't focusing on just one female, because it is possible for a male to mate a female to death.
Do you possibly have a second tote you could set up next to that tote so they could share the light?

 

[Vynindis]

I have a smaller tote, maybe I could put the female in there and they could share the light.

I took some pictures that I'll post here in a bit. I know we all LOVE pictures of turtles

You'll get a better idea seeing my set up and all that I figure.

 

[leigti]

A 40 gallon tote really isn't even big enough for one. If you would prefer to rehome the female and keep the mail that could work out. Most people are looking for females to help solve the problem that you are now having.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Yeah definitely don't set either up in anything smaller. Honestly they should have at least 12-13 square feet of floor space each when kept indoors.

 

[Vynindis]

That is what I've heard so the current set up is temporary. I know they need quite a bit of room so I'm thinking of building something for them. Probably and outdoor enclosure since you guys say my area is real good for them. I mean hell, they're from the area so that has to be best for them. If I knew where either came from I would've just taken them home but kids are gonna be kids. Plus, trying to help turtles is definitely a good thing.

Here are some pictures of them and just the current set up in general. I had them outside earlier and got some pictures of them just chilling in the grass. The one picture from the enclosure is him trying to track her down while she's in her hide box. After he (of course) trampled through his fresh water and got it dirty (AGAIN!)

I guess I'm just looking for advice on a cheap way to take care of them well, if that's possible. Like I said, I'm pretty poor so I can't really spend money. I can here or there and I'm just kind of piecing everything together for them.

Sorry I ramble so much (the old lady gets onto me for it haha) but thanks for reading and helping me guys. I appreciate it SO much!

Anyway... turtles!

ENDER



PETRA



ENDER






PETRA

 

[Yvonne G]

He's a beauty. I hope you're able to figure out a way to make a bigger area for them and keep him. I have used cinder blocks in the past to make box turtle pens.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Wow. They're gorgeous!
Do you have any random pieces of wood? Paving stones? Old bookcase? Old dresser? Anything like that? All can be used to make a decent sized enclosure.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Or, how many empty totes do you have? Some people cut a big hole in the sides and connect them that way

 

[johnsonnboswell]

I use cinderblocks for the outside enclosure. Raised garden beds work. Just remember that they are good climbers, so don't provide them with steps.

Angel's suggestion about linking totes is good.

 

[Vynindis]

The tote idea is great actually. I have a few more I could connect to it, make it like L shaped. The way I've set up blind spots for the too, he doesn't usually try to attack her.

Money might be a problem for me but the good thing is that space isn't. These turtles are as important to me as anything so I don't care much about what something looks like for them or how much space they're taking up. Whatever they need is what they're gonna get. I have a pretty large room, I'm planning to connect a few totes and have about half the floor space of the room be their enclosure.

I also like the cinder blocks if I do outdoor. If I have A LOT of neighbors though, so I worry about their kids messing with the turtles. As I've found out recently, kids like to grab turtles. That's unfortunate too. Caring for them isn't something I think a kid can do.

 

[Neal]

What a great looking EBT!

Whatever you do, please make sure he gets in a breeding groups somewhere.

 

[Vynindis]

What a great looking EBT!

Whatever you do, please make sure he gets in a breeding groups somewhere.

He really is amazing looking. I think EBTs are possibly the most beautiful turtle (there are some aquatics with the ridgebacks that'll give 'em a run for their money though) in the world. Honestly, my first thought when I saw him was "I gotta breed this thing with Petra!" but I'm not sure that'll work. He's so much bigger than her but maybe when the time comes, I can breed them. They're both awesome looking.

When do they usually lay eggs? Spring, right?

 

[Vynindis]

One more question for you guys...

Like I said, they're in pure sphagnum peat moss (it's really fine but I keep it moist and packed down, I stir it daily and remove the feces, etc) and when it's feeding time, it gets on their food. That stuff gets everywhere actually. Is that safe for them? They don't just eat it pure but they do get it on their food and eat it. The male has a habit of knocking his food off his rock and eating off the substrate. Can this hurt or impact them?

 

[Eric Phillips]

Just a suggestion, but you might consider looking into the FREE section on Craigslist in your area. It's always good for scrap materials wood, blocks, landscaping items, old dresser drawers that can be converted into an indoor enclosure. You can call a lumber yard and see if they have any scrap they are getting rid of for next to nothing. Don't limit your options due to money, when there is a will there is a way. I think you have a great looking pair who would get along just fine in bigger space. Good Luck.

 

[Vynindis]

Thanks Eric! I was worried people here would tell me just to just give them up but you guys are super helpful.

I don't want to give either of them up and I think (like you said) they'd get along fine in a bigger area.

I agree with the idea of where there's a will, there's a way. The will is DEFINITELY there. Me and my wife take super good care of them (best we can). They require a lot of effort but one of us is always home with them. We change the water 5-6 times a day, stir the substrate daily, mist them a couple time s a day (and the substrate to keep humidity up). I just keep reading and reading (so does my wife) to learn to take better care of them. This forum is a goldmine if you search around it.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Just be careful if you do decide to breed them. As I said in one of my first posts, a male can breed a female to death, or serious injury/illness from the stress. I read a thread a few weeks ago from someone that saved a female that had been housed alone with a male and the male was constantly mating her to the point that her cloaca had been damaged and had an infection and was inflamed. She needed help pooping because it hurt so much.
The only way I could see you safely housing them together was if either you made a HUGE enclosure for them that was so big they would have almost no contact with each other, or you got two more females to divert his attentions so he doesn't stress one out too much.

People tend to put screens or covers of some kind on outdoor enclosures to protect their torts/turtles from predators/random kids/cats and dogs.

I'll add some pictures of enclosures. One of them is two totes connected so you can see how it looks/works.














If you use the tote connecting method, I suggest using at least four totes total to make an equally long equally wide area. Long combined with too narrow will make it more difficult for her to escape him if need be.