don't feel stupid for asking questions, it's all part of becoming a good steward. and especially don't feel stupid for asking questions about reptile laws, since they seem to get more and more confusing by the year. the best box turtle to keep in ohio would be the eastern box turtle (terrapene carolina carolina). this species is native to ohio and so will do nicely when kept outdoors (as all boxies must be when they are large enough). also, it will make the job of setting up a natural enclosure that much easier. in short, it is perfectly legal to keep eastern box turtles in ohio so long as you obtain a permit ($25 per year...i just reapplied for mine the other day). with this permit, you can keep an unlimited number of captive bred turtles, though you should probably start with one or two. you should seriously attempt to obtain captive bred box turtles. as a matter of fact, there are some for sale on the kingsnake classifieds right now (this is not an endorsment as i have no prior knowledge about the seller...just making you aware that the classifieds are generally a fine place to find captive bred box turtles). otherwise, you might need to wait around until the 2006 hatchlings start showing up in late summer.
also, a PIT is indeed a subcutaneous micro chip used for ID purposes. in ohio, you muct have one of these chips implanted for all turtle with a shell lenght of over 4 inches. when the time comes, you can have a vet do this for you. hope this helps.
