You obviously are excited by box turtles, and it is cool that they are found so abundantly in your area, but you should consider the implications of just collecting them out of the wild.



The two you caught could have very well mated in the wild and produced offspring, helping maintain the population. The male could have gone around and mated with many females for 50 years to come! What I am saying is that, by confining these turtles, you are hampering their prosperity in the wild. That is why many turtle enthusiasts buy captive-bred turtles from one another.



I'm all about reasonable compromise. If you are willing to stop collecting specimens after this point, good. If you are willing to perhaps release newly-hatched babies into the wild, even better. With the wild populations under distress because of the pet trade and vehicles, consider being reasonable and doing your best to help your local turtles thrive.

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