My juvenile/sub-adult box turtle

lisa127

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I have a juvenile 3 toed box turtle named Peanut. I adopted her back in March of 2012. At that time she was 7 months old as she hatched in August 2011. Her parents were long term pets that originally came from the wild in an area where the three toed and gulf coast boxies overlap. Both her parents had three toes on the back feet and looked primarily three toed, but they were large and a bit darker in color. Mom was 7" SCL and dad was 5.5" SCL. Therefore, it was determined that while they were three toeds, they must have gulf coast in their blood somewhere down the line. The fact that my boxie (their offspring) has 4 toes on the back feet probably supports this thinking. Other than the 4 toes on the back feet, mine looks very three toed.

Except, like her parents, her size. Honestly, in most cases I have stopped telling people her age as no one wants to believe me. They think I must be mistaken. Regardless of the fact that I know who the parents are. And that when I received my boxie in March of 2012 at the age of 7 months she was just over 1.5" SCL. Now in November of 2013 my boxie is 5.5" SCL. She has caught up to her dad! Today was weigh in day for everyone at my house. She weighed 506 grams. I want to assure everyone that her growth is very smooth and beautiful. If you'd like, I can post a pic. She has grown wonderfully. Not abnormal in any way. But she is huge. I really would like her to slow down. It's really actually beginning to worry me. I mean, who has a 27 month old box turtle that is as large as a full grown adult? I keep telling myself that genetically she can only grow so large anyway. I mean, she is a box turtle.....

Just wanted to share, get your thoughts, share the fact that this really does worry me as I've yet to hear of a boxie so large as so young an age.
 

Leopard Tortoise Lover 16199

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Are you sure that's the same TURTLE?! I mean, almost 4 inches in a year is A LOT. Maybe they come from a new species or something! Could you post a pic? I've never heard of that before!!
However, Gulf Coast boxies are the biggest subspecies. Plus, females always tend to be larger. So maybe since she's just part Gulf Coast and female and is growing at an amazingly fast rate, she is this size. I remember seeing a pic of Peanut on the forum sometime.. she's really cute!! :) Where did the parents come from? Maybe it would be a clue in solving this.
 

lisa127

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Well, it's almost 4 inches in a year and a half actually. March '12 to November '13. Her parents came from Louisiana.
Here are pics of Peanut taken today
1109131345_zps8af39cab.jpg

1109131344a_zps42b43162.jpg

1109131343_zps86263193.jpg

1109131344_zpsc2bd35c1.jpg

I'm sorry that they are blurry.

And here is a thread on the story of Peanut's parents:
http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/index.php?showtopic=142377&hl=+gulf++coast++three++toed


I also want to say that I'm not 100% sure she is female, but it is looking that way to me.
 

diamondbp

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I totally believe it. In my experience all hatchlings grow at VERY different rates. Those parents definitely have some gulf coast blood in them. In the future I want to study box turtles from the Slidell area. I love intergrade areas and the genetic dynamics involved. It's the same way in the Baton Rouge area.
 

lisa127

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Peanut doesn't look very gulf coast though, does she? Other than her size.

Maybe I should start saying I have a 3 toed/gulf coast hybrid instead of a 3 toed box turtle.
 

diamondbp

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If the pictures were clearer I could say with more certainty .

One of my life goals us to write a book on the box turtles of southeast Louisiana . I could tell tons of very interesting stories on the "complex" down here.
 

lisa127

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I've had a couple of gulfies in my life and she looks nothing at all like them. Granted mine were the black ones found in Florida. I think even her parents look more gulfie than she does. But she is just so big! I'm wondering how big she is going to wind up being as an adult. I'm thinking about mom's size.


I was just looking at this site
http://www.geocities.ws/onias_2000/TurtlesofLouisiana.html
If you scroll down to the box turtle section and look at the pics of the boxies, Peanut's parents look exactly like that gulf coast. You would almost call them Louisiana gulf coast box turtles with only 3 toes. Peanut however looks like a combination of the two pics....gulfie and three toed. I think....

Nothing at all like the panhandle gulfies I had.
 

diamondbp

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Lisa that site is completely inaccurate. That is a 3toed they have pictured as a gulf coast. You can even see the 3 toes.
If you can get clearer pictures I promise I'll narrow it down for you. Box turtles of southeast LA are my passion and my specialty . There is only two people that I will admit know more than I do about them and they are both really old men who used to travel all throughout LA and they LIVED in the woods 24-7. Their stories are PRICELESS lol
 

lisa127

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Ok, well that clears up my confusion then!....lol Because like I said, I had panhandle gulfies and they looked nothing like that!

It's difficult for me to get better pics. I have a crappy cell phone and that is it. I have nothing else to take pics with. I honestly believe that both Peanut and her parents are 3 toed/gulf coast hybrids though. There is just no other explanation for her size and the size of her mom.
 

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