Box turtle ID? Dog found small turtle

LaceDawg9

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Joined
Jul 6, 2022
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12
Location (City and/or State)
Texas
Hey there! My boyfriends dog has developed a really fun skill…she brings us any box turtles that she finds in the back yard. She proudly plops them down in front of us and then trots back into the woods (leaving behind a startled, but otherwise unharmed turtle at our feet). Typically she only finds adult turtles, but she brought us this teeny tiny turtle! I was curious if anyone could tell what species and age this turtle is! I have done a lot of googling (which we all know is not the most accurate source of information) and cannot determine what species it is! I have included a picture, but the turtle has grey/blue eyes, 3 back toes (from what I can tell), and 5 front toes! It has some yellow coloration on the shell as well. It fits in the palm of my hand, and is maybe 2 inches long!

We are just curious as to what species this little fella is and how old! We are in Houston, Texas and have never seen a box turtle this small outside before! Thanks for your time!
 

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zovick

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Hey there! My boyfriends dog has developed a really fun skill…she brings us any box turtles that she finds in the back yard. She proudly plops them down in front of us and then trots back into the woods (leaving behind a startled, but otherwise unharmed turtle at our feet). Typically she only finds adult turtles, but she brought us this teeny tiny turtle! I was curious if anyone could tell what species and age this turtle is! I have done a lot of googling (which we all know is not the most accurate source of information) and cannot determine what species it is! I have included a picture, but the turtle has grey/blue eyes, 3 back toes (from what I can tell), and 5 front toes! It has some yellow coloration on the shell as well. It fits in the palm of my hand, and is maybe 2 inches long!

We are just curious as to what species this little fella is and how old! We are in Houston, Texas and have never seen a box turtle this small outside before! Thanks for your time!
Do you know what species the adult Box Turtles that your boyfriend's dog has found are? Most likely the young one is the same species as the adults which have been found in your yard. The baby might possibly be two or three years old at 2" in length. I don't believe it is much more than that, though.

Given your location, I would expect the most likely species there would be the Ornate Box Turtle or a possible intergrade of the Ornate Box with the Three-toed Box Turtle. However Gulf Coast Box Turtles may also be found in your area. The adults of that sub-species are quite large and generally lacking much of a pattern on their shells. Many of them are black or horn colored.
 
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LaceDawg9

New Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2022
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Texas
Hey there! It appears that most of the box turtles that we find in the area are Ornates, but I was unsure if that was what this little fella is! Can Ornate box turtles have three back toes, or does this mean he is most likely a mix between an ornate and three-toed? I am just curious as I like to know what turtles we find!
 

Ricky j

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Joined
May 13, 2023
Messages
80
Location (City and/or State)
Wisconsin
Hey there! My boyfriends dog has developed a really fun skill…she brings us any box turtles that she finds in the back yard. She proudly plops them down in front of us and then trots back into the woods (leaving behind a startled, but otherwise unharmed turtle at our feet). Typically she only finds adult turtles, but she brought us this teeny tiny turtle! I was curious if anyone could tell what species and age this turtle is! I have done a lot of googling (which we all know is not the most accurate source of information) and cannot determine what species it is! I have included a picture, but the turtle has grey/blue eyes, 3 back toes (from what I can tell), and 5 front toes! It has some yellow coloration on the shell as well. It fits in the palm of my hand, and is maybe 2 inches long!

We are just curious as to what species this little fella is and how old! We are in Houston, Texas and have never seen a box turtle this small outside before! Thanks for your time!
Looks like an ornate box turtle to me
 

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