2 Eastern Box Turtles in my science building!

[Seejai]

I am the happiest biology major ever, today. I am obsessed with tortoises (I have one baby sulcata and am currently trying to get a neglected russian) and there have been 2 box turtles in the anatomy lab (I'm wildlife bio, I try to stay away) for a year and I didn't know!

They are being taken care of pretty well (they were donated about a year ago), other than their enclosure being on the small side and one with a really long beak.

They are about 20 years old and my professors said I could come visit, feed, beak-trim (which could be interesting, my baby sulcata hasn't needed this) whenever I want to. Just thought I'd share my joy! I'll post some pics next time I visit them.

 

[spikethebest]

very nice.

 

[surie_the_tortoise]

thats great

 

[mctlong]

Are they classroom pets or scientific specimens?

 

[terryo]

Pictures would be good.

 

[Seejai]

Are they classroom pets or scientific specimens?

Class room pets, we don't experiment on them or anything! I guess a man going into assisted living donated them last year.

 

[mctlong]

Are they classroom pets or scientific specimens?

Class room pets, we don't experiment on them or anything! I guess a man going into assisted living donated them last year.

Thats great to hear! I was worried that you were getting attached to a animal that might end up on the wrong side of the scalpel. Glad to hear thats not the case!

So.... where are the pics!!?

 

[luvpetz27]

I have easterns and love them to death! Could you get pics of them?

 

[Seejai]

I'm trying to from the app on my phone but it won't work!

 

[Seejai]

Here are some! Clearly some SERIOUS beak trimming needs to happen. We tried filing, but that seems really time-consuming. Can it be clipped?

I was trying to entice them with a mealworm haha

 

[turtlemann2]

Well these definatly are very cool but just so you do know, you do NOT have two eastern box turtles (teripine carolina carolina) spelling is not correct. but you do have two female three toed box turtles (terripene carolina tringus) which is a sub sp. of the eastern box sect.

Id look into getting that beak filed down ASAP

 

[Seejai]

Well these definatly are very cool but just so you do know, you do NOT have two eastern box turtles (teripine carolina carolina) spelling is not correct. but you do have two female three toed box turtles (terripene carolina tringus) which is a sub sp. of the eastern box sect.

Id look into getting that beak filed down ASAP

I think there is one female and one male, because I've heard they "do it" a lot But I'm not sure, I don't even know how to tell the difference. I was too distracted by the fact that they have HINGES to even start.

 

[fbsmith3]

My two females mounted each other in their indoor enclosure. I think its a dominant think when they feel constricted. Defiberly Three toe box turtles. The most accurate way of sexing is plastron and tail. Forget eyes and behavior.

 

[Seejai]

My two females mounted each other in their indoor enclosure. I think its a dominant think when they feel constricted. Defiberly Three toe box turtles. The most accurate way of sexing is plastron and tail. Forget eyes and behavior.

Could be that, they don't have a very large enclosure (2 by 4 maybe?). I'll check next time I visit them.

 

[Gangreene]

They are not easterns