New owner help

KaylaSmith

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Mar 14, 2016
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Location (City and/or State)
Southeast Iowa
I recently rescued what I was told was a male eastern box turtle & female three toed box turtle. I was told one is 2 years old and the other 5. It appears to me they are both female three toeds?
I was also told they were kept together in a 40gal tank. Well you may have seen in my other thread I created a 4ft by 8ft outdoor enclosure and planned on keeping them together outside. Its still cold here in southern Iowa so I've done a makeshift small tub for each of them for now but when I put them together to soak the larger one gets territorial and almost tries to mount the smaller one? Should I be concerned keeping them outdoors together? 20160410_120009.jpg 20160410_115957.jpg 20160410_120009.jpg 20160410_115957.jpg 20160410_120200.jpg 20160410_120200.jpg
 

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JoesMum

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Hello and welcome.

Yes you should be concerned. Pairs of tortoises never work well. One will become dominant and bully the other mentally, physically or both.

They are loners that don't want, need or particularly like company.

Groups of 3 or more may work in a very large enclosure, but there are no guarantees.

On top of this species should not be mixed as there is a risk of pathogens tolerated by one species making another sick.

I don't know enough about box turtles to tell you what species you have, but in any case I would advise you to keep them separately both indoors and out.
 

Bducks16

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You do have a three toed and a eastern box turtle. Since the bigger one is bullying they should be separated. The red on the neck and eyes indicates the eastern is male. The plain colored neck and no color to the eyes on the three toed is female.
 

KaylaSmith

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You do have a three toed and a eastern box turtle. Since the bigger one is bullying they should be separated.
So the smaller light colored shell is an eastern? They both have three toe claws on the back feet so I was confused on what classified a three toed hehe.
 

KaylaSmith

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Darn.. I had thought you could keep multiples and since he had said they were together in a 40 gal tank you do not think they could co-exist together in the outdoor enclosure being 8ft long? I suppose I could split it in two or try to rehome one, I wasn't looking to get two turtles anyways I just saw his post recently and he could no longer care for them and had wanted to not separate them.
 

Bducks16

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The lighter colored one is three toed and female. Some three toed have four toes and some other species of box turtles can have three toes.
 

Bducks16

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Darn.. I had thought you could keep multiples and since he had said they were together in a 40 gal tank you do not think they could co-exist together in the outdoor enclosure being 8ft long? I suppose I could split it in two or try to rehome one, I wasn't looking to get two turtles anyways I just saw his post recently and he could no longer care for them and had wanted to not separate them.
My three toed and gulf coast box turtles coexist together. They are active and climb over eachother all the time. It's not bullying they just try to get over the obstacle instead of going around lol.
 

KaylaSmith

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We've added a few more plants and a little "house" with a pile of leaves to one corner since these photos but like I mentioned earlier it's cooler than usual right now so I'm keeping them just in rubbermaid totes separated as temporary housing.
 

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KaylaSmith

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Location (City and/or State)
Southeast Iowa
My three toed and gulf coast box turtles coexist together. They are active and climb over eachother all the time. It's not bullying they just try to get over the obstacle instead of going around lol.
Okay great to know! I think I will just try them out for a few hours at a time in the outdoor enclosure when it gets warm and see if it's really bullying or they just want some space. I would love to not have to divide up the enclosure!

It's funny though because he told me the smaller light colored turtle was a male eastern hehe. They are both very personable and awesome though so they were definitely well cared for!
 

Eric Phillips

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I'm not sold the dark one is a full Eastern. Looks like a more hybrid to me.
 
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