I believe that one of the box turtles I am fostering may actually be an Ornate BT?
Thanks!
Thanks!
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Ornate box turtle?
- Thread starter lynnedit
- Start date
It looks like one too me. In fact I transported one that looked a lot like that, except it had the red eyes up to Kristina spring of 2012
I think this one is a female based on the tail, etc. She is adult size, I believe (need to measure her length tomorrow).
She is a lively little thing!
Not quite the same care as Easterns so I wanted to be sure.
She is a lively little thing!
Not quite the same care as Easterns so I wanted to be sure.
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2013
- Messages
- 314
She looks definitely ornate! How beautiful. Also, the ornates I've noticed have a lot of whitish coloring on the face. If she were an Eastern, the pattern would be thicker.
Beautiful! She looks happy did you name her yet?
I'm fostering her and an Eastern female right now. So they don't have names, but I am getting attached!
Previously they lived together, along with a few other BT rescues. So they have been exposed to each other. (currently I am keeping them separately, however).
My understanding is that their care (Eastern vs Ornate) is different, but as long as there is variety in the enclosure, would it be acceptable to house them together in the long run (since they have already lived together)?
I also understood that Ornates are more difficult to keep?
Previously they lived together, along with a few other BT rescues. So they have been exposed to each other. (currently I am keeping them separately, however).
My understanding is that their care (Eastern vs Ornate) is different, but as long as there is variety in the enclosure, would it be acceptable to house them together in the long run (since they have already lived together)?
I also understood that Ornates are more difficult to keep?
I knew you were fostering so I was curious if you were thinking about a name because you know what they say once you name a pet it's all over lol .
They would be fine together. There is not a huge amount of difference in their care, one is western and one eastern and they share the entire middle part of the US. Ornate love the water just like Easterns and their feeding habits are about the same.
Thanks, Stephen.
Amy and lisa127, she is adorable; great personality, very spunky and active. Spends most of the day basking and soaking, but races over if I do anything at all with the food dish. She also loves it when I dig in the dirt, and tries to help me find earthworms.
I did read that Ornates tend to be a bit more carnivorous than the Easterns?
TortsNturtles; YES, I am thinking about a name, lol.
Amy and lisa127, she is adorable; great personality, very spunky and active. Spends most of the day basking and soaking, but races over if I do anything at all with the food dish. She also loves it when I dig in the dirt, and tries to help me find earthworms.
I did read that Ornates tend to be a bit more carnivorous than the Easterns?
TortsNturtles; YES, I am thinking about a name, lol.
lynnedit said:
lol....I have a three toed/gulfie hybrid who acts the same way! And if I am digging in her enclosure, when I'm done she goes and digs in the same spot. I guess maybe she thinks I left her some yummy worms or something?
lynnedit said:
The main difference from what I have read and what I have experienced is, Ornates will stay carnivourous longer into adulthood than easterns and require more protein as adults. That would have no impact on raising them together as the Eastern would either eat some of the protein and not be really effected in any way by it, or not eat it. If you are raising them in an outdoor garden, this is a non-issue as they will hunt their own food. Water, humidity, temps...all almost exactly the same with Easterns being a bit more temp tolerant to lower temps. Some people would be against raising together because of them breeding with each other but you have 2 little girls so I would say that is highly unlikely, lol. I have a garden full of Three Toed, 3 males and 4 females and there is one female Ornate and one that looks like she is a bit of several species. She is HUGE like a Gulf Coast but has patterns like an Ornate. All 9 get along fabulously with each other. We plant tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers wild throughout the garden and provide berries and other fruit once a week. If they want to eat bugs, they hunt them down at their leisure.
Great information, Stephen, thanks!
So are your box turtles free in your garden? (If so, how wonderful.) If not, what size enclosure do you have? (maybe there is a thread with pics?).
So are your box turtles free in your garden? (If so, how wonderful.) If not, what size enclosure do you have? (maybe there is a thread with pics?).
Yes, pictures please!!! Its also a good excuse to see more box turtle pictures.
lynnedit said:
My adults are all free outdoors. I have nine adults that live in a garden at my Uncle's house. He also has 2 four year olds (one Gulf Coast and one Beautiful Three Toed/Ornate mix) that are going to go free in the garden this spring. We are making a juvenile area for them. My Juveniles will go in there as well as soon as I can bear to part with them. The Juvenile area will be about 5 x 7. The main garden is about 20 x 25 and wild grown with weeds, grass, tomatoes and other turtle friendly foods. The babies and juveniles I keep indoors at my house. I currently have 5 hatchlings, 1 yearling and 6 juveniles. The break down is 2 Gulf Coast, 3 Ornate and 1 three toed Juvenile and 3 three toed and 2 ornate hybrid hatchlings. The yearling is also three toed. I am going to re-design the juvenile table tonight and transfer the hatchlings into a bigger habitat. Once I am done I will take pictures and post them here. The garden is 30 miles away so I will post old pics if I can find them.
oh! So that's the breed of box turtle I save from the road! My parent's live about 1/2 mile from the San Pedro River in AZ, which is a riparian zone and I would see them in the middle of the road on my way to/from their house... come to a screeching halt, pick them up and place them about 3 yards off the road. I generally would put them on the side they were facing.. hoping it was actually their destination!
I never knew what kind they were, other than they were box turtles and looked nothing like my three-toed!
I never knew what kind they were, other than they were box turtles and looked nothing like my three-toed!
Sounds like you are doing the right thing for them!
She is adorable with lots of personality.
She is adorable with lots of personality.
