Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A warm weekend in NJ, and my 3 outside boxies were eating and active, but will soon bed down for the winter. Here is a photo, the male in front has just reached maturity. he will be five years old mid-October, and he was raised from egg. The two females I have had for about 4.5 years. The darker one seems very old, her shell is very smooth. She has never layed eggs, but the young male is now interested in her. The other, more yellow female, has layed eggs but they have been infertile. Hopefully that may soon change. They are so active now, it is hard to believe that soon i won't see them for several months!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/Woodnative/IMG_4010.jpg

I'm going to to miss my turtles too but I need the break! I wait of my turtles hand and foot, lol!

Is there something in your pen that is abrading the shell of the female too quickly? Or was she always like this? Does she like to hide in small places where wood or rocks abrade her shell? It's happened to my turtles too. It's not a big deal but it will thin her bright keratin layer. Tess

>>A warm weekend in NJ, and my 3 outside boxies were eating and active, but will soon bed down for the winter. Here is a photo, the male in front has just reached maturity. he will be five years old mid-October, and he was raised from egg. The two females I have had for about 4.5 years. The darker one seems very old, her shell is very smooth. She has never layed eggs, but the young male is now interested in her. The other, more yellow female, has layed eggs but they have been infertile. Hopefully that may soon change. They are so active now, it is hard to believe that soon i won't see them for several months!
>> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/Woodnative/IMG_4010.jpg

Hello! I think I posted the wrong photobucket link, as thought the pic would show right in the post.
I found the older female in my yard four summers ago, already worn and she hasn't changed much since then. Odd story, as I have a small suburban yard and there are not feral boxies, but she was there one morning outside my boxies pen eating food I had removed the evening before but had not thrown away yet. This surprised the heck out of me. I will never know where she came from. However, my wife mentione that a couple weeks before a neighbor had said she "found a couple turtles on the road and now didn't know what to do with them, did she want them?" My wife did not see them but said "No!". I wonder if this person than released them, or they escaped, and this one found its way over by the food. She has never laid eggs, but other than that and being worn smooth, seems very healthy. I wonder if she is too old to lay eggs??? Funny, as the young male I raised from egg (almost 5years old!) has just started showing male behavior and I have only seen him on her.