In hot, dry weather it may be found in muddy areas or shallow pools or hiding under rotten logs or other decaying vegetation. Where to find them: The Eastern Box Turtle is our most terrestrial species. Most males have red eyes females have yellow-brown eyes. The male has a central concave area in the rear lobe of the plastron, while the female has a flatter or more convex plastron. The Eastern Box Turtle has a hooked upper jaw, and four toes on each hind foot. They may be a common sight, but that doesn’t make them boring. Like all box turtles, they have the ability to completely withdraw into their shell and close it when threatened. These tiny turtles usually weigh in at just under a pound and around 4.5 to 6 inches long. The carapace and plastron have yellow, orange, olive or tan markings on a brown or black background different animals may show relatively more dark or light coloration. Eastern box turtles are one of the most common reptiles in the United States. Identification: The combination of the high, domed, weakly keeled carapace, and the hinged plastron that can tightly close front and back, make the Eastern Box Turtle distinct from all other turtles found in Gateway. Ensure that all the plants in your yard and any lawn chemicals you might use are safe for the turtle before creating an outdoor enclosure.Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina).Stack them around the perimeter of your space before covering the top with wire mesh to keep the turtle inside. If you don't want to put up a fence, use cinder blocks or bricks to make an enclosure.Then, cover them with dirt and build the fence (or wall) above the bricks. Eastern box turtles love to burrow! To stop them from escaping, dig a trench around the perimeter and fill it with a single layer of bricks.Don’t leave your turtle in an outdoor enclosure if you live somewhere with temperatures below 60 ☏ (16 ☌) during the cooler months.Cover the top of the enclosure with wire mesh to protect the turtle from predators. If you have a large yard where temperatures regularly rise above 70 ☏ (21 ☌), enclose a 4 by 4 ft (120 by 120 cm) area with a chain fence at least 18 inches (46 cm) high. Outdoor enclosures are best for the turtle because they mirror its natural habitat. Make an outdoor enclosure if you live somewhere warm year-round. This article has been viewed 36,683 times. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. WikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

She has spent the last nine years working as a biologist at the California Academy of Sciences. Box turtles are slow movers and are frequently killed by humans on accident, such as with tractors or cars. carolina is the official state reptile of both North Carolina and Tennessee. She is the founder and Executive Director of Things That Creep, a non-profit dedicated to herptile conservation through education. The eastern box turtle ( Terrapene carolina carolina) is a subspecies of the common box turtle that is native to the eastern United States. Audra earned a BASc in Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and studied Natural Sciences at the College of Marin. Exclusively North American, box turtles are found in the eastern United States, ranging from southern Maine to Florida along the East Coast, and west to Michigan, Illinois, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. With over 15 years of experience, Audra specializes in reptiles and exotic animals, environmental education, marine biology, conservation issues, and animal husbandry. Audra Barrios is a Marine Biologist and owner of Lick Your Eyeballs, a business offering experiemces, reptiles, supplies and plants. This article was co-authored by Audra Barrios and by wikiHow staff writer, Glenn Carreau.