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Tortoise and box turtle

Box turtle

Terrapene carolina

Kept the same way as the red-footed tortoise, Hermann's tortoise and Russian tortoise, so they share one kit: the same heat, light, and humidity, sized to the animal.

See the gear

We are still putting together the setup for a box turtle. Ask us and we will help you choose, or start with the gear below.

Photograph of a Box turtle
Photograph by “Jonathan Zander ( Digon3 )", CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Care sheet

What it needs

We have taken these figures from published sources and are still checking them against our own experience. Treat them as a guide, and ask us before you buy.

Basking surface
28 to 32°C Measured on the surface the animal lies on, not in the air.
Daytime air
21 to 27°C The cool end, away from the lamp.
Night air
18 to 21°C
Humidity
60 to 80%
Adult length
11 to 18 cm
What it eats
Omnivore
When it is active
Diurnal
How it lives
Terrestrial
Typical captive life
30 years
Longest recorded life
138 years A record from the literature, not what to expect. Most animals live well short of it.

Our reading of the literature, not veterinary advice. Animals vary, and so do rooms, so take these figures, and any setup the builder puts together, as a starting point, and ask a reptile vet about your own animal. Where the figures come from.

From the catalogue

Gear that may suit a box turtle

Matched to its size and care by the catalogue, not yet checked by us. Ask before you buy.

Same care group

Kept the same way

Where it comes from

USA (S Maine, S New Hampshire, SE New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, S Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, E Kansas, E Oklahoma, C/E Texas) Mexico (Tamaulipas, Veracruz) Has been introduced to the Mariana Islands (Guam) in the Pacific Ocean (LEVER 2003): 21), and New Mexico (Stuart et al. 2018). bauri: Florida;

Breeding: Oviparous. Exhibits temperature‐dependent sex determination (TSD) fide Cornejo-Páramo et al. 2020 (and references therein).

Where the figures come from