Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, after trying to shrink the photo with Picasa 2 with no foreknowledge of how to use it, I think I can now show you a pic with my buddy T. Herman, found in the GR, MI area. This is a pic of him right after we release hime near where he was found.

What a beauty!!
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PHRatz

Thanks - wish I could take credit for his appearance.

There's a little bit of a story behind this guy. One Sunday in late July, I get home from the afternoon church service and find a message on my answering machine from my brother's girlfriend, saying something like, "We were going to church, saw a turtle along the side of the road, thought of you, and put it in the car" (the church they were going to starts later than the one I went to). Unfortunately - and I really wish they hadn't done this - this was a very hot day, and they did not park the car in the shade nor leave the windows open. Then I get a message from her again after church, saying "He pooped all over the car! We're riding with the windows down". Apparently from the heat or anxiety of being confined to a car, he got diarrhea. They didn't know what kind he was; my brother guessed a painted turtle.

I never thought much of box turtle before. I know my friend, the sherriff's deputy, has a soft spot for them. He told me that when he patrols the rural parts of the county, in some times of the year he sees a box turtle attempt to cross the road. He then stop, sometimes even turning on the overhead lights, and helps the critter across the road. Well, I always thought of myself as a person who was into the mostly-aquatic types of turtles. I know many of you here would not approve, but I kept in a 20L tank with a layer of sand on the bottom and mowed grass on top. I don't really have a place for an outdoor pen.... after keeping this box turtle for a couple weeks, I grew VERY attached to the guy. He seemed to be analyzing the environment and deep in thought, unlike my mostly aquatics who just sit and keep an eye out for danger.

Eventually I found he would eat strawberries, mealworms, and crickets. Then eventually he stopped eating altogether. So we released him and snapped a bunch pics in the process.

Since I put him back in the woods, I have "pined" for another box turtle. I got a baby 3-toed a littlemore than 2 weeks ago, and you guys have been very helpful. Also since letting T. Herman go, I have seen a lot of pics of ebt's on the web, and I think the bright yellow with a clear inferface between yellow and black, make him a real beautiful fellow.

Not the best pic for this, probably, but would any of you estimate his age?

Oh, and the name: When my brother and his girlfriend first took him to her home after church, she named him Timothy. Well, I sorta liked Timothy, but really wanted to name him Herman. So we usually referred to him as T. Herman or Timothy Herman.

Bill, aka biowarble, aka wjboelema

The yellow really makes his eyes look super red. He still has growth rings showing so I would think a young adult 15-25ish. You're lucky to have seen them in Michigan. I never have (in the wild) and have lived here since the mid 70s.

Holy toot! The things you learn about people! lol! I too live near Grand Rapids! (Lowell to be exact!) I'm glad you released T. Herman. We need more of his genes around here!

Yes, they do live around here. I'm not too good at spotting them, but my sons used to find them now and then. Last summer hubby and I were walking in the woods, and we found 2 males within 30 feet of each other. (Actually, hubby found them, he had to practically put my hand on them before I could see them! lol!)
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.12.0 chickens
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

Technically, I don't live in Grand Rapids, but the suburb of Wyoming. T. Herman was found in Ada.

You live in Michigan? Where?

I personally have never seen them in the wild, but as I said, my friend patrols rural parts of the county and sees them a lot certain times of the year.

Just a few mile north west of Lowell. Between Ada and Lowell.
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.12.0 chickens
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

Oh, he had odd habits, too.

The food dish was on the other side of the tank relative to the bathing/soaking pool. In the mornings I would find mealworms that had been apparently taken from the food dish and dropped in the water.

Also, during soaks, he would stick his tail end up while his head was still in the water.

Any other of you have box turtles do this?

I had a male box turtle when I was a kid "Bubba" who did the head stand every single time I soaked him. Additionally, his reproductive organ would emerge.

Its not unusual for a male box turtle to 'fan' its penis while soaking. I have a couple here that do it regularly, and even observed an 18 month old headstarted male do it.

I know...I just found it funny that this guy did it EVERY SINGLE TIME! I mean, give it a rest Bubba!

>>I know...I just found it funny that this guy did it EVERY SINGLE TIME! I mean, give it a rest Bubba!

Good grief!
I've never seen this behavior from any of my box turtles, only the western painted. And he stopped doing that so much once he passed puberty. Ya'll have some rowdy males there don't ya? LOL

Mr. Chip hasn't done this at all since he's been here.. maybe it's because he doesn't ever see the girls?
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PHRatz

"Mr. Chip hasn't done this at all since he's been here.. maybe it's because he doesn't ever see the girls?"

T. Herman had no females in site, and did it anyway. I thought I was seeing his tail, but I didn't know I might see his male organ.... weird.

>>"Mr. Chip hasn't done this at all since he's been here.. maybe it's because he doesn't ever see the girls?"
>>
>>T. Herman had no females in site, and did it anyway. I thought I was seeing his tail, but I didn't know I might see his male organ.... weird.

Maybe he was just so relaxed that he felt comfortable with flashing people.
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PHRatz

LOL!

"T. Herman had no females in site, and did it anyway. I thought I was seeing his tail, but I didn't know I might see his male organ.... weird."

First, I am a stickler for accuracy and correcting dumb mistakes... that should have been "sight", not "site".

Like I said, I thought I was seeing T. Herman's tail. Do they even have tails? They're in the same family as red-eared sliders and painted turtles, and those two types of turtles have tails.

I've seen pics of box turtles online, but I don't usually look close at that part of the turtle. Come to think of it, I should check to see in my baby 3-toed has a tail, not sure whether I have.

If they do have tails, how do you distinguish between the tail and the penis?

Bill, aka biowarble

Box turtles, like all reptiles, have tails. The tail is external and the penis is internal (unless, as per the following pic, they get a little over excited...).
Cheers!

I really can't make out what I am seeing in that pic....

Yes, I looked at my baby 3-toed yesterday, and he/she definitely has a tail.

But where was T. Herman's tail when I was seeing his penis? The tail is far longer, and I don't remember seeing it.

Bill

Is a penis display in Chelydra serpentina, it should be quite evident in the photo. Here's a close-up so you can see both the tail and the penis - it's very much the same in Box Turtles:

Cheers!
P.S. There's always the chance that T. Herman had lost his tail at some point in his life (tails, limbs, etc. are often torn off by predators)

Thanks!

One of the ones here used to do it all the time, too: I started calling him 'Johnny Wadd' after a while.

>>One of the ones here used to do it all the time, too: I started calling him 'Johnny Wadd' after a while.

LOLOLOL
That's a good one.
That's funny right there I don't care who ya are.
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PHRatz

Ya know, I wasn't sure if anyone would get that one...

Only perverts who watch turtle porn get it! (evil grin)
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.12.0 chickens
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

>>Only perverts who watch turtle porn get it! (evil grin)

Have you seen that website with the turtle porn pics with the song Low Rider from War playing in the background?
Hmmmm it's been years since I saw that I wonder if it's still online?
Dang it.. I clicked the link I'd saved & it's not there.
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PHRatz

Is the displaying of the penis by box turtles really a display in the sense that an ostrich uses his beauty to attract females? Or is something else going on here

I don't think that anyone has really determined why male box turtles will do this.
I also don't think that it is necessarily a display, since often it is done in the abcense of females, or even other box turtles.

Since reptiles often get debris stuck in their cloaca after retracting their penis/hemipenes, and this debris can become a problem with respect to infection, etc., and the description of this activity in this thread indicates it being done in water, it could be a matter of hygiene. What better place for an induced prolapse of the penis than in water? As mentioned, there are reports in captivity of male reptiles getting debris stuck in their cloaca and some have perished due to infection or tearing. Turtles that evert their penis in water may have a selective advantage over other individuals that don’t and perhaps this is why this automatic response is observed.

That's a good point.

one more of him.... for some reason I like his oustretched neck. Another thing: the yellow "scales" on his front legs - is this common? The yellow scales are one of his striking features?

Ok, that does it! I'm getting a new camera! Everyone here takes great pics 'cept me! (sniff)
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.12.0 chickens
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

Actually, I can't take credit for taking the picture or owning the digital camera used to take them.

The camera belonged to my brother's camera, and my brother, who has a photography degree, took the pictures.

Bill