Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been taking care of domesticated Florida Box Turtles for the last three or four years. A boy and a girl, and a few hatchlings that I keep in a tank. I keep the two bigger ones in an enclosure on the side of the house, which is about 3 feet in width and 6 1/2 in length. My friend found a wild Florida Box turtle, and brought it over. So I got a few questions...

1) If its a male, will the two males push around the female? The female always seems secluded in her little house, away from the male because he's always...wanting...some. I'm guessing if the wild one is a boy, the problem will expand?

2) Will the two males fight each other for dominance?

3) Should I just release the wild turtle?

If you take number three into consideration, I've had him/her for about an hour, but I think releasing him would be like sending him to die. I want to release him, because he's wild. He/she may have been living the good life, but 10 years ago the area around my neighborhood (I live in west Miami-Dade county) was on the edge of the Everglades. Now development is taking place all around. Kids play paintball in the only woods near my house. Houses, condos, and shopping centers are going up everywhere. Life for a turtle seems more dangerous then it was ten years ago. So if I keep it, do I save it from getting ran over, and it's home getting destroyed by developers? Please answer, thanks!

~Scooter.

Don't release the animal in a different area from whence it came. Disease transmission is a fluctuating risk (as box turtles don't get out of their home ranges much), and on behalf of a strong homing trend seen in many box turtles throughout the species' ranges, this animal would not necessarily settle in to a new wild home. Generally, once a turtle is removed from the wild and the info as to exactly where it came is gone, it is not a wild turtle anymore, if that makes any sense.

With regards to housing it with the other adults, it would be a good idea to quarintine it before you try anything. Past that, all you can do is see what happens. The potential for female harrassment or male combat always exists when these animals, which normally only come into contact very briefly and sporadically, are housed in close quarters together.

Removing wild turtles from areas slated for development still gets a lot of heat both ways you may consider. This has more to do with one's personal philosophy about how individuals in an already overpressed population should be dealt with, and there are fine lines throughout this delimma.

Do consider the state law regarding FL box turtles - everybody can have two. You now have more than that (and did already, with the babies), so make sure that some "belong" to family members. Best of luck with your housing endeavors.

Meh, I want to release it. But my friend said he found it near the waterfall at the local park. Our community has a "park", in which only we the residents can go to. But the problem is...there isn't much woods near here anymore. I see turtles on the street, and sometimes dead ones. I don't know where to release it. The only woods thats a walk away is commonly used as a paintballing playground, and will most likely be demolished in 2-3 years for a Burger King or CVS Pharmacy.

>>Meh, I want to release it. But my friend said he found it near the waterfall at the local park. Our community has a "park", in which only we the residents can go to. But the problem is...there isn't much woods near here anymore. I see turtles on the street, and sometimes dead ones. I don't know where to release it. The only woods thats a walk away is commonly used as a paintballing playground, and will most likely be demolished in 2-3 years for a Burger King or CVS Pharmacy.

I went through this dilema myself this summer with 2 box turtles. If not for the new fence we built there is no way I could've kept a wild turtle outside & they absolutely aren't living in the house...but in the end I did it even though it's against my own beliefs. I strongly believe in leaving wild animals in the wild.
Why I went against my own beliefs is because being in a dog's mouth isn't healthy for a wild turtle. Being on a busy stretch of highway with cars & 18 wheeler trucks whizzing by at 70mph in front of a new housing development where I too have seen many dead box turtles isn't healthy for them either.
Because we have a half acre fenced in I went ahead & kept the 2 of them.
I did quarantine them from my others, I tested them for parasites, they have none. Now I don't think the female we picked up off that highway was wild. She's behaved like a tame animal from the beginning but the male still behaves like a totally wild turtle even though he's a spoiled wild animal. He likes for me to feed him but he wouldn't hesitate to bite me if I wasn't paying attention.
Fighting, I think there would be fighting going on if another male were here with him but he will not try to fight the female. I've watched him spot her, he'll start toward her at a very fast pace as if his mission is to chase off any intruders, but when he gets close enough & sees it's her he'll slow down & go the other way.
I wonder, is there any way you can have an outdoor enclosure for them so they can each have their own territory?
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PHRatz

Well, I'm starting to believe more and more thats its a male. My domesticated girl basically hangs out under a board in the back of the enclosure, but she has been out of it lately, and I think its because of the wild turtle. I'm afraid I may have to release it. I'm going to try and see another friend of mine, who used to have atleast 40 Florida boxes in his backyard, to see if he wants it...