housed together?

[laura13617]

hello

have a quick question for anyone who can help me out...

i will be adopting some box turtles in the next month. i have a temporary outdoor enclosure ready for them until i get their permanent one built. my question is can i house eastern's with 3 toed? and what should the male to female ratio be for them to be happy?

your help and knowledge is greatly appreaciated

 

[shellfreak]

yes, you can house them together. i think our boxie pro "Terryo" houses different sub species of box turtles in same enclosure. they have similar habitats and needs. just be careful about spreading diseases/sicknesses. if they are all healthy and have been living together currently then no worries. but before you introduce them all i would touch base with a vet to make sure all fecal samples are negative. you dont want them to transfer worms, etc to each other. regardless of being different species the males will try to breed. i was always told a good ratio is 1 male for every 3 females. it reduces the stress on the females if there is only one male. if there are more then one male, make sure you have alot of hides, and places for the females to escape the horn dog boxies...

 

[chadk]

I house them together. Their care is the same basically, and they overlap in where they would be found in the wild, so no concerns about mixing species...

Usually one male to many females is fine. I actually have more males than females, but plenty of room and hiding areas, so I have had no issues with that arrangement. But I'm looking for a few more females...

 

[Kristina]

I have a male Eastern housed with a male and female Three Toed. No problems

 

[laura13617]

thanks for the info shellfreak, chad and kristina im excited to adopt some boxies and want to make sure i'm prepared for them when i bring them home. im making a worm farm to help feed them right now!

 

[dolfanjack]

My problem with housing different sub species is if they breed thier could/would be hybrids. In it self that not a health concern but with habitat lost and declining numbers many hobbist believe keeping blood lines pure is in the best interest of the species. Ultimatly the desicion will be yours.

 

[terryo]

I have 4 Easterns, two Three Toed's, and a pretty old Ornate all together. My boxie garden is pretty big, and there are lots of hiding places, but I still have to feet the Ornate seperately. The others are all about the same age...juvies...but the Ornate is old, and she is a little pushy when it comes to food. All mine were CB, so I had no health issues.

 

[Jerseynox]

i hope so i keep mine together they seem happy (both males )