I just witnessed what had to have been two of my Boxies mating. The female is barely over 4 inches, and it's late July... should I even expect any fertile eggs? She wouldn't even lay them until late September which is around the time I take them into hibernation. Plus the female looks like a Desert and the male is something else. Southern I think.
Mating this late?
- Thread starter D_Waffs
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I know female boxies store sperm in their bodies so you may get some, I think we will have a later summer this year, so anything is possible. I do know some hybrids exist but those I have seen where usully like western and eastern mixed, I can't say about desert and southern
The different species of box turtles DO interbreed, however, I think your female is a little too small yet. There might not have been actual copulation occurring.
If she did successfully reproduce, she will lay her eggs about a month after fertilization. Many box turtles mate this late and even later than this. It's not unusual for hatchlings to stay buried throughout the winter and emerge in the spring.
-Matt
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