Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone,
I recently got an eastern box turtle that was wild caught. Is the care any different from a captive raised turtle. I have never had a pet turtle before and although I wasn't looking for one, I happily accepted one that was given to me. Normally I would prefer to do the research prior to getting a pet but this was last minute kind of thing. A friend of the family caught it while in Kentucky and gave it to my cousin. He is going away to college soon so he decided he didn't want to keep it, so he offered it to us before releasing it in the wild. I live in Michigan and I know the eastern box turtles are native to michigan as well but i wasn't sure if the care instructions would be the same. Also, we would like to build an outdoor enclosure for it. Will it survive the winter in MI since it is from Kentucky or should we bring it in for the winter? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

The care requirements would be the same, however a WC turtle may present some difficulties in that a wild animal may not always adapt well to captivity. Depending on where in KY it was collected, and where in MI you're located, the climate may be quite similar and so an outdoor enclosure would work.

Unfortunately, you're in a tight spot in that MI laws state that you are not allowed to possess a MI eastern box turtle, and, if it is from somewhere other than MI, you must be able to prove this.

KY laws state that it is illegal to transport eastern box turtles out-of state. Please let your friends know this so that they won't do it again.

Also, in MI, non-native pets may not be released.

If you have more questions about your conundrum, you should contact MI DNR and/or KY Dept.of Fish & Wildlife. The information I have is a couple of years old and may not be 100% accurate and up-to-date.

Hey StephF,
Thank you so much for your response. I was unaware of these laws so I am happy to know. I will let my friend know for sure. I don't think he has ever done this before, so it is not a regular occurence or anything. He is very knowledgeable about the herps but i don't think he knew about those laws. He was just visiting family down there and he is quite the nature person. Anyways, Thanks again. I was wondering where I could find out that kind of info, but for some reason, I didn't even think of the DNR, the one place I should have considered. I will give them a call to find out the current status on the laws you mentioned.
Thanks
Sarah

You're welcome. )

Times have changed: wild turtle and tortoise populations are in decline the world over, and US laws are catching up in response. There are now collection and possession limits in place in just about every state where box turtles are a native species. There are also federal laws protecting certain species of native turtles and tortoises, as well as laws regarding inter-state trade/sales.

That was supposed to be a smiley emoticon.