Box turtle I.D?

[RedfootsRule]

I was recently given three box turtles, and I'm not sure what kind they are. I think two are ornate and the third is a florida/eastern? I'm not really sure, but the two that look more alike are breeding and I think the female might be gravid, so if I'm going to have baby's on my hands, I would like to know what kind they are .
I know they have a little bit of shell-rot, but other then that they seem to be very healthy. I'm treating it with povidone-iodine and clotromazine.

 

[fbsmith3]

I am soo jealous. look like Ornate, but I have a weird feeling they are ornate hybrids.

I have Three toed Box turtles, so I'm not expert, I do find them absolutely beautiful and I am so glad they are in the right hands now.

 

[RedfootsRule]

Oh, and I forgot to mention. The 5th picture is the plastron of the one I suspect to be an eastern or florida. It also has a much more highly domed carapace (not sure how easy that is to see from the pics).

---

They are very beautiful, and I'm glad to have them. Have always wanted to try my hand at breeding boxies, and it looks like I'll get the chance with these . Just hope I can get that shell-rot cleared up, but it doesn't seem to bad. I really have no clue about their history though, so I don't know where they came from...

 

[jojodesca]

I think you have 2 ornate and one florida.....the shell patterns are very similar, however the pattern of the last photo is more Florida boxie..and also fro the tail this is a male....the plastron is also a good indicator..which ones have concave belly?

also ornates tend to have a more "green" type of face......

 

[RedfootsRule]

Yeah, I'm almost sure there are 2 ornate and one florida also from doing some searching but I wanted more opinions...Yes, the last one is a male, the other one that looks similar to it is a female. I'm really hoping they are ornates though..

 

[jojodesca]

1st and 2nd pic of the plastron are ornate.....the 5th pic of plastron is florida....males will mate with anything tho..they are no picky between species..

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Agreed. Two ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata) and one Florida box turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri).

 

[RedfootsRule]

So we're al in agreement . Well, thats good because the two that are mating are the ornates, I'm not sure if the florida is a female or male...Can't wait to have some baby box turtles though .

 

[Moozillion]

WOW- All 3 are stunning!!!

 

[Hunahpu]

What gorgeous shell patterns! I'm sure you'll have very pretty babies.

 

[jojodesca]

on the one we all think is florida..what does the tail look like??..long and skinny or short and fat...also eye color and is there a concave belly??

 

[RedfootsRule]

UPDATE

Today, I treated them all for the shell rot. I swabbed the area with diluted povodine iodine and then rubbed in clotromazine, and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes. The male ornate was the worst, the female ornate not to bad, and the female florida (found out the florida is a female, tiniest tail I've ever seen ) with just a little bit on the plastron. The male was quite unhappy and decided to bite my thumb, causing me to drop him about a foot from shock (ouch!). Don't worry he's completely fine, back to struggling right afterwards.
I took all their weights, and I noticed something odd. The male, the biggest of all of them, weighs 8.3 ounces. The female ornate (the one he mates with) is about a half-inch smaller, and weighs 9.5 ounces! Also, her limbs/tail and head all protrude slightly further from the shell then seems normal, but its not fat (I've had many fat tortoises ). Does this mean she's gravid? Right after I put them back in the cage (literally, 10 seconds after) the male courted the female (really disturbed by the treatment, wasn't her?). He came up to her, circled her back end, sniffing her tail, and nipped the air at her when she moved. He then tried to mount her, and she ran, causing a brief chase, after which the male cornered her and mounted her. I'm going to take the females weight every day, so if there is a sudden drop in weight I'll know she laid eggs.

 

[jojodesca]

Do you have them in an outdoor enclosure? inside?...when you see her digging that will be a good sign she is about to lay....however I wouldnt let the male mate with your Florida..you dont want to intermix species....and males will mount everything in sight they can.....

 

[RedfootsRule]

Yes, there in an outdoor enclosure. Well obviously I know that part =P (I BREED red foots) I just wanted to know if there was a way to tell before she lays. I'm just going to weigh her daily, because I don't know if I'll catch her in the act of digging or not. I don't really think there is anything to worry about them hybridizing, is there? I know eastern's and florida's have been crossed, so I wouldn't think it could hurt them..Either way though, the Florida isn't quite large enough to breed yet so I don't think they will.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

In that you are allowing different types to interbreed, the type doesn't really matter now does it? Just make sure you identify the cross to anyone you may give the babies to.

 

[african cake queen]

hi, they are pretty cool looking. just love them.

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

I'm very very jealous right now ;-)