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i was thinking about this today.. and i was wondering... when do box turtles get thier colors?

this might be an incredibly dumb question.. but ive got to juvies right now (one maybe a couple of months old, and another about 1 1/2 years) and one adult.. the younger two are dirt brown with very faint speckling of orange on thier legs while the adult is flaming orange and black.. now that i think about it, all the baby turtles ive ever seen are brown..

do they get brighter color as they get older?

or have i just ended up with two of the drabbest looking box turtles ever? (i would still love them even if they stayed brown)

sorry if this is a stupid question..
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my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, chameleon treefrogs?, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, veiled chameleon, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, four cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.

Come on.. there is no such thing as a stupid question! That's partly what message boards are for.
What species of box are they?
Yes depending on the species (3 toed aren't all that colorful compared to Eastern or ornate)they do get more colorful as they get older.
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PHRatz

i think they are easterns.. theyve all been given to me, so im not exactly sure where they originally came from.. the only one i wasnt sure about is the bigger one, he has a really light colored shell with no pattern.. looks more like a threetoed shell.. but im assuming because of where i live that hes also an eastern..

what age do they start getting colorful? and is there anything in thier diet that affects color? i know with fish that certain foods will enhance thier color quite a bit..

thanks for answering that one!
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my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, chameleon treefrogs?, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, veiled chameleon, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, four cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.

>>what age do they start getting colorful? and is there anything in thier diet that affects color? i know with fish that certain foods will enhance thier color quite a bit..
>>
I remember Steph answered that one recently about the age but can I remember what she said about when the color comes in? When they are 2-3 years old it starts to come in I think? Maybe someone who breeds them will pop in & answer that one for you soon.
As for foods enhancing color, yes foods have that affect on several species. Pink flamingos are pink because of all the shrimp they eat. There are color enhancing turtle pellet foods you can buy for aquatic turtles. A good diet of healthy foods for box turtles or any turtle should enhance their color.
I have a western painted & like a RES if he doesn't get foods with enough natural vitamin A he'll start to fade. Still I add a dose of reptile vitamins to his diet once a week, he stays colorful when I do that.
My box turtles get vitamin/mineral dusted crickets or roaches to eat weekly too so that should keep them as colorful as they're going to be as well.
All but one of my ornate box turtles are apparently T.o. luteola because unlike T.o. ornata they're rather drab looking so I don't expect to see a whole lot of color with them.
Does that help or just sound confusing for you?
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PHRatz

My 3-toed hatchlings are pretty drab as well, but their mother is freaking colorful...orange and yellow and brown all over.

They're about 2 years old...hopefully, I'll see a burst of hues soon enough...

Yes, there is such a thing as a dumb question! A dumb question is one that never got asked!! lol
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
0.1.0 Australian shepard
2.2.0 chickens
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband