Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i recently caught a wild box turtle, and plan on keeping it. i have had snakes and lizards for over 10 yrs. but never a turtle. anyway, my question is do i have a boy or girl. i have read you can tell by the eyes, one has red, the other has brown. i dont have another to compare it to. i can see both colors in there.

all ive got it to eat is white grapes and big earthworms. wouldnt eat tomatoes or carrots. any advise would be greatly appreciated. i do mist it twice daily, have a heat light on one end, and way on the other, lots of moss with an undertank heat pad.

again thanks for helping the newcomer to turtles, i plan on keeping it for years since i found him the day i proposed to my best friend and fiance.

First, before deciding to keep the turtle, please make sure that it is legal to do so in your state: several states have laws which make it illegal to posess a box turtle, and some states require that a permit be obtained in order to legally keep one.
Box turtles are protected in this way because of drastically diminishing populations and rampant habitat destruction. If it turns out you live in one of thestates that prohibits collection of wild native turtles, the most humane thing for you to do will be to return it to the spot where you found it.
Below is a link to a website that has good comparison photos and graphics to help you determine the gender of the turtle.
Click on the heading 'sexing' if the link doesn't take you to that page.
Regards
Stephanie
Link