Eastern babies

[Yvonne G]

So last year, as I've already told you, the red ants ate all my baby box turtles. This year I'm taking precautions. I've got them outside on a table, and the table legs are in little cups of water. Also, none of the table or tubs are touching the surrounding fence or poles. I've seen pictures of ants using each other as a bridge to get across an open space. I'll just have to keep my eyes open for that phenomonon.

My four new eastern babies (Terrapene carolina carolina):

Yvonne

 

[Crazy1]

Yvonne they are cute as buggs. Looks like you have taken all the precautions you can re ants. Good luck to you and your new little boxies.

 

[Jacqui]

Box turtles are such tiny little guys when they come out. The top one looks so much more different then his siblings or is that just a trick of the camera?

Pretty creative with the table legs! Hopefully you out wit the ants this year.

 

[Yvonne G]

Box turtles are such tiny little guys when they come out. The top one looks so much more different then his siblings or is that just a trick of the camera?

Pretty creative with the table legs! Hopefully you out wit the ants this year.

No, its not a trick of lighting or lens. The top one hardly has any color at all, and is blacker. My box turtle species have their own habitats with the exception of the male ornata and the male luteola, which are kept together, so I KNOW that my eggs that I dug out of the Eastern's habitat are Eastern eggs. I had two clutches from two different females. The black baby was from a different clutch. This is the second year for eastern babies, but the previous batch didn't make it. I'm really hoping I can keep these alive! I love the easterns. I adopted two males from Julie at Turtle Rescue Long Island a couple years ago. I had one male, and then I got three females as rescues.

Yvonne

 

[Jacqui]

Hope you didn't think I was implying he wasn't all Eastern. So much color variations among adult Easterns that they often look like they should be totally unrelated even. Am looking forward to seeing future pictures of how their colors and patterns develop as they age. Sometime, if you would be so kind, when your trying to get out of doing your chores again (just recalling another thread of yours ) could you take shots of the adults?

 

[Yvonne G]

Sometime, if you would be so kind, when your trying to get out of doing your chores again (just recalling another thread of yours ) could you take shots of the adults?

Sure...they're beautiful!!

Yvonne

 

[egyptiandan]

They look great Yvonne. Hopefully you've foiled the ants this year.

Danny

 

[Isa]

Very cute babies Yvonne

With the precautions you took, I am almost sure the ants won't be able to go on your tort table. Good work!

 

[Yvonne G]

Sometime, if you would be so kind, when your trying to get out of doing your chores again (just recalling another thread of yours ) could you take shots of the adults?

It was 103 degrees by the thermometer in the shade on the side of my house, at 10a this a.m.!! And with all the smoke in the air from the fires, its really humid. I have an evaporative cooler, and it doesn't work in the humidity! Argh!

Here's the male Eastern:

And here's one of the females:

This is another female...I couldn't find the 3rd one:

I adopted these two from TRLI, and before Julie got them they didn't have a very good life. The little one's back legs are splayed out, but he gets around ok.

Yvonne

 

[terryo]

They are all beautiful. That little guy just breaks my heart. Thank God for you.

 

[Jacqui]

Thanks for braving the not so wonderful climate to take the photos. Always nice when folks can change around the bad life a turtle has into one much better for them.

 

[jlyoncc1]

They are beauties. I love my boxies. They have so much personality. I love watching them!

 

[Yvonne G]

I was feeding the box turtles this a.m. and realized I think I've made a mistake in sexing them. The male that I thought was male, surely is male because he has a slight indentation on his plastron and his skin is VERY colorful. Then I thought I had three females, but this a.m., one of the females really looks like a not-very-colorful male! I would appreciate your input on this one, Dan:

He/she wasn't cooperative. Either closed up in his shell or really bookin' it across the pen. I hope these pictures are good enough for you to sex the turtle.

Yvonne

 

[egyptiandan]

Hi Yvonne,
It's a very nice looking female You still have 1.3

Danny

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Yvonne,
It's a very nice looking female You still have 1.3

Danny

Thanks, Dan: I WAS sure I had 1.3 until this a.m. when I noticed that the female with the chewed on shell's eyes had turned red. Then I wasn't so sure anymore!

Yvonne

 

[Redfootedboxturtles]

Alot of wild box turtle females will have a chewed on shell in the front like that. Its from breeding. The male will bite at the front so the the front flap stays shut giving more room to breed.