Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got a new ornate box turtle. She is inside for the winter, but in the spring I plan on making her an outside pen.

I was wondering, would wild turtles hang around trying to mate with her? You know, like when your cat is in heat, the neighborhood tom cats hang around your house waiting for their "chance"?

No, not per se. Males don't seem to respond to much of anything but visual contact.
If there are wild males circulating in the area where you set up an enclosure for your girl, they may indeed catch sight of her and try to gain access.
In observing the behavior of my Easterns, I have noticed that the females are not receptive at all times, or, for that matter, to just any male, whereas the males are always ready and will try with just about any other turtle they see, male or female.
Stephanie

I thought for sure you'd say yes to this.
Turtle and tortoise seem to be very olifactory oriented. I firmly believe that they can smell when a female is ready. I'm guessing that this keys the male onto when the female is 'ready'. To the point... I believe yes.
Ed

Interesting! I guess time will tell. It would be kinda cool if it happened!

I have a large enclosure, with several easterns of different ages etc., and the mature males will chase anything that they see move. This could be a mature female or male, or an immature female or male, it doesn't seem to make any difference. And they will mount and get their feet stuck, without any cooperation from the object of their attentions, unless she's in the mood.
The males seem to emerge from hibernation in ready mode, and stay that way until fall.

I do agree that they have a great sense of smell, I just haven't seen any indication that that is the predominant sense used in finding a mate, or that females emit a particular scent at a particular time to attract males. Given their ability to store sperm, such a signal may be redundant, making them opportunistic in more ways than just their eating habits.

I see thesis material here...

Regards
stephanie

odds are that if you have mutiple females the male will mount certain iindividuals and not others. In most cases the male will 'sniff' the female before proceeding. Now, this is not a certainty but it is interesting to note.
Ed

Yes, I have noticed that "sniffing" occurs as part of the mating ritual. It (sniffing) also has occurred before a mature male has chosen to mount an immature male, another mature male, an unreceptive, a receptive mature female, or immature female. In other words, smell, or anything else for that matter, doesn't seem to be the lure at all. The males seem to be perpetually horny and very persistent.
I don't want to give the impression that I am firmly convinced that olefactory signals don't come into play at all. I'm just sharing my observations. Maybe males just can smell another turtle, head in that direction, and try to mate.
Mine have been known to completely ignore females when the females were resting (ie. not moving), then sprinted after them once they moved, including disturbing one as she was starting to dig a nest.
Maybe the females emit an odor during the courtship phase as a signal that they're receptive.
Regards
Stephanie

Have you given any thought to the idea that there is a decision making process involved. That is... hummm, another male. I'll show him who's in charge. (maybe?)
Ed

That may very well be the case, but we'll never know for sure.

Perhaps the need to prove oneself is universal for males of all species.

LOL ... kinda like human males...huh?