If you love turtles as much as I do, don't miss our video about ALL of the turtles: ua-cam.com/video/dxCDG3-vKHA/v-deo.html You know, if you're into that kind of thing 🐢
@Clint's Reptiles - please change your substrate suggestion. ReptiBark is made from Fir trees which contain a volatile oil. This can cause irritation to the mouth, throat as well as the digestive system if ingested. Fir also contains terpene which is a natural pesticide.
My very first pet - gotten at age 6 - was an Eastern Box Turtle. And he's still with me today! He's a healthy happy 40 years old now (I've had him literally as long as I can remember) - I'm 38, myself. I got him when he was aged 8 years. I'm happy to still have him after all this time. It's hard to imagine life without him.
After 35 years of ownership (and at least 20 before that), my precocious girl's still going strong. She's quite the little diva! Anyone who says box turtles are boring or have no personality just hasn't spent enough time with them 🐢
@@ogronnieb4245 Insects such as crickets and meal worms mostly. I can't get her to eat fruits or vegetables anymore, but she loves bread, especially hot dog buns. I honestly can't remember how I found this out. Lol!
I feel like turtles and torts are more "interactive" than "handable." Feeding them, petting their shell (if they like it, some seem to be partial to it lol) etc are the fun parts, where a snake or lizard can climb around you or hang out on your shirt.
Thank you for covering box turtles!!! I love them! My eastern boxie is 42 this year! Terry knows her name, loves grasshoppers and melon, and is such an interactive pet!
I love my box turtles, have a very large outdoor enclosure with 8 of them. I actually wouldn’t consider them boring especially during feeding time. Walk out and the morning and they come running from all angles to greet you. Ok but most of the day they are just chilling and sunning themselves. But I’d definitely recommend them as pets.
My brother worked with a box turtle that liked taking rides on people’s shoes. Was he humping the shoes? Nope. Was he particular about who he would allow to take him on shoe rides? Nope. He walked up to you, sat on your shoe, and expected you to take him for a joy ride. Seemed like he was just having fun. So box turtles can be fun to handle! And for both involved!
These wonderful little dudes occasionally show up in my neighborhood and I'm always so delighted to see them. Makes you feel better just knowing that we get to share the planet with them.
I’ve had my box turtle since 4th grade and he was given to me from a very bad home, he was put in a 10 gallon tank with a few squares of newspaper and some moldy lettuce. He now has a 60 gallon (working on convincing my parents for an outside tank lol) with proper heating, substrate, water and all that. I honestly just rlly want to make his tank seem more authentic since I’m a teenager who’s not that good at terrarium building lol. Idk I love my box turtle so so much and he is actually pretty cuddly (at least when he’s tired) n he’s so funny and I really love having him and I want to continue to expand his tank and care and learn as much as possible about him and his needs
Box turtles are lovely. Small, rounded, slow-moving and always ploughing through green and lush vegetation. I have never seen them in person, but they are ubiquitous in most south-eastern American herping videos. Also the fact that they are an aquatic turtle that convergently evolved into something like a tortoise is cool. Even more with the ornate box turtle, which lives even in the desert. This is borderline extraterrestrial.
Clint , I grew up (age 2 to 18) on a 27 acre farm in Jackson, N.J. , bordered on the south side by a brook(the north branch of the Metedeconk River. Across the road from our Victorian farmhouse was another old farm with a house dating back to the mid 18th century. It had been farmed by the Clayton family for many generations and many generations of children had played with Box Turtles which frequented the wild strawberries growing there. It wasn't uncommon to find turtles with "plastrons". with initials on them carved there by these children. In the late fifties, I was visiting the field and found a huge box turtle. On it's plastron was carved, "Lt. Opey Y Co. 189? I took a piece of brown paper and copied the carving just as it was on the turtle. I almost brought it home, almost! It had survived for so long I did not want to endanger it in any way. I never researched him, but Lt. OPey may have been a Spanish American or possibly a First World War Veteran. So, I've always wondered jut how old was that Turtle(Terrapin) to have had that much carving still very readable, when Opey left his message? I'll never know, but that was the most amazing Terrapin encounter I ever had. Cheers, Rik Spector
As someone currently living in mainland China where tortoise are illegal to keep, box turtles and asian box turtles are the best choice! Though they tend to cost a lot but upfront cost in keeping is definitely lower then most water turtles(NA musk and mud excluded)
I don't mean to impose but do you have any resources for people trying to understand pet keeping in China? I'm looking to move to the mainland eventually and really would like to know what kinds of pets would be legal to keep.
@@coldfire774 Any animal that is in cites list which is not a aquatic turtle is illegal, any animal in the “一级保护动物，二级保护动物，三有保护动物” are illegal. In reptiles that is basically any animal that can be find wild in mainland China are out of the choice and most popular captive bred ones in other countries are illegal.
Box turtle owner here, with a cb one year old. I think it's worth mentioning to people that they should expect a baby box turtle (like up to around 2yrs old) to hide a lot, and they require high humidity for proper shell growth. A captive bred baby is the way to go but some people are worried or dissapointed when it hides all the time but this is typical.
Hey Clint!! I just wanted to say thank you!! I absolutely love you, your channel and your love for animals. Recently I have been a little bit lonely and struggling with some small health problems, and wanted another companion other than my pet fancy mouse (Also, you should make a video on pet mice, they are absolutely stinkin rad!!!!) so I watched your video on cresties. Now I’m going to my first reptile expo next week to hopefully bring home my first ever reptile, so I got one of your shirts to wear to it!! Thanks a lot, and stay rad! 😁
I've owned eastern box turtles for nearly 20 years and I gotta say you did an awesome job with these guys! They're surprisingly interactive and can even recognize you whenever they see you. Mine would always follow me around in their enclosure whenever I'd feed them or change the water, and my GOD the babies are adorable. Love your content, keep up the good work!!
My husband and I have spent 2 spring/summer seasons rescuing turtles off the roads in our area. We have saved around 30 turtles of differing species and have even had to help some of them heal from injuries and malnutrition before releasing them back into the wild near where we found them, though we made sure they were a good distance from the road when releasing them. I am proud to say we have helped these amazing creatures and hope there are others doing similar things in their areas as well. Just stopping to help a turtle get across the road safely is a good thing to do to help lessen the number of injured or killed turtles. All it takes is a few minutes of your time and a small amount of effort on our parts. Thank you for another great video Clint. Can’t wait for the next one. ☺️💕
I had a three-toed boxie from the time I was two until last year (35 years). He was over 50 when he passed. That turtle was a staple of my childhood and moved with me from UT to CO and back. I love box turtles.
I've had my pair of box turtles for about 7 or so years. Martha and George are absolute troopers! For all the mistakes I made in keeping them, (they were given to me when i was too young to know what i was doing) they're still healthy and personable! And lord do they absolutely adore blueberries. Recently rehomed them, but I miss those little poop monsters lmao
Love your videos. I own a cuban rock iguana i bought from tie parks in Florida. He's now 9 years old and about 30 pounds. When i bought a house in north las vegas it had a dog door. As the iguana grew and became more trusting and outgoing he found the dog door and started letting hemslf in and out like a dog. When he outgrew a 100 gallon tank i turned the extra empty bedroom into hes own room it looks like something you would see at a zoo. Over time he learned to move around the house from his bedroom like a dog and let hemself in and out. The backyard has an 8 foot Breck feance so he can get out but he never tryed. So in the mornings he goes outside and sun's, hangs out when he's getting to hot comes in goes to his room eats hangs out and goes back and forth in and out of the house like a dog. He tought himself and i just let hem be and do his thing. At times he will sleep on the couch and a few times he climbs onto bed with us. Im amazed at the intelligence of this rock iguana. I think the stress less environment and excesse to real sun and not being cage is the reason for this behavior. ❤
I’ve got a rescue three-toed box turtle. Her previous owner kept her in a 10gal with no heat source or water bowl for 6 years. She’s super stunted, about the size of a six month old. I’ve got her in a way bigger enclosure with all the works now and I’ve been working on getting her more use to being handled.
I have a rescued Eastern box turtle. She was captain an aquarium for years, might ate all her toes. So now she lives in a large outdoor enclosure in the summer and a large indoor enclosure in this winter. She's living the good life now. She's well over 30 years old
My four eastern box turtles were rescues from 25 years ago, the oldest being around 30 yrs and the youngest around 4-5. Seeing them go from shy and confused to bold and adventurous, developing unique quirks and tastes in food has been an amazing journey. If I take care of them right they’re all set to outlive me 😭👍🏾
Living in the (sort of) north east of the east coast, my friend and I had caught a box turtle when we were around 12 years old. Neither of us knew how to keep a turtle properly, and with this being a "box" turtle... we threw it in a box on her back deck, and checked in on it daily. I know for a fact that we didn't feed it properly, nor did we provide the space and 'amenities' that they might need. Thankfully, one day it was gone and seemed to escape off of her deck. I like to think it's still alive and well, since it's only been ~10-15 years or so.
Finally the box turtle episode I’ve been asking for. Thanks! I’m glad you recommended keeping them as outdoor pets because I think it is really hard to keep them indoors long term.
I had a box turtle when I was growing up that was my dad's before me when he found her as a kid, and that girl lived for about 40 years (no idea how old she was prior to my dad getting her). I have Eastern box turtles that live in my back yard, I found them living under my shed and they just roam around, always fun to see them. I leave a water bowl and food bowl out there for them, they're free to go whenever they want.
The issue I've had with these guys is I've only ever solely dealt with people that have found them in the wild and they pretty much never want to listen on just taking them back to where they found them. Let alone trying to give them proper care.
I LOVE box turtles! Both zoos that I've been at have had an Eastern Box Turtle as an animal ambassador, and one also had a Southeast Asian Box Turtle. Really great animals that make phenomenal ambassadors.
Many moons ago, when I was doing my undergrad research on native orchids, my capable research assistant, a yellow Labrador belonging to my research advisor, kept bringing us box turtles while we were out looking for orchids. I say “box turtles,” but there’s every chance that it was the same hapless box turtle each time. She’d bring us a turtle and then we’d have to try and figure out where she found him so we could return him home. The turtle or turtles never looked as pleased about the situation as Lambchop (the Labrador) did.
I grew up with 5 box turtles. Likely illegal because they're native to Long island except for one Japanese one. They all have diverse personalities and interact with you very intelligently. Great childhood memories.
I love seeing Box Turtles here in Virginia. Unfortunately, they're illegal to own here but I often see the same turtle outside of my house. She has a damaged shell so it's easy to recognize her.
I live in the lower midwest and when I go hiking in the summer, these boys just come right up to you. Very friendly, so much so that they are endangered in some states. Love them.
I had a three toed box turtle recently and he passed away 💔 I miss him so much 😭😞 He was the best. He hated my boyfriend never was social when he took him out 😂 I took him out and would bathe him and he would just chill on my stomach and crawl up to my chest and nuzzle my neck. He was the sweetest.🥰💞 RIP Crush.
I see these outside more than any other reptile, and they’re so beautiful! I work with them at a zoo as well, and we have one 27 year old and one 25 year old eastern box turtles. They’re both friendly and outgoing, and will try to open their enclosure doors to hang out. They also like head scratches. We have a 16 year old Asian box turtle as well who’s also friendly. I was surprised to see this video since I guess I had assumed you had made one ages ago 😂 they’re a great pet turtle
I kept two Ornate Box Turtles during my childhood. Both were caught crossing roads in the eastern plains of Colorado by my Dad. He was a CPA and did county audits for a number of counties in Colorado, some of them in the plains area so he did a fair amount of driving there. I kept both outdoors in a wooden box with a baking pan as a water container for a summer then released them in the fall. We fed them a variety of things, from raw ground beef to lettuce and bananas, probably other fruitt and veggies too but I don't remember them all. What both seemed to really like to eat best though were tomato hornworms. We grew tomatoes, and when I caught one of those big green caterpillars leaving its trail of devastation in the tomato garden, I would give it to the turtle.
My first reptile was a box turtle my mom found in the middle of the road in Mississippi. I was around 7, and I fell in love with them. Mine was super Friendly and loved watermelon. When my aunt got older she gave me SIX of them she had been hoarding for some reason. I kept my turtles in a really nice pen outside and they never died, they just slowly escaped one by one. I didn't stress too much about losing them though lol because we were in their natural habitat. Anyway, I'm now an adult who has had a Leo and a Beardie now, and I am a reptile lover for life.
I have 3 box turtles, 2 juveniles, and Old Man Herman, my rescued 40 year old. They are great! But where I live banned them last July, so now I have to keep permits for mine. But they are generally easy to care for, and are friendly and curious turtle friends.
Great video as always and Box Turtles are one of my favorites for sure. I have had Box Turtles for pets most of my life and they are amazing and smart turtles. I'm fortunate to have a population of Eastern Box Turtles in my area which are my favorite and they are absolutely beautiful and no two are alike
I love Eastern Box Turtles! I had two of them ( male and female I think) that lived (wild) in and around an AC unit fenced in shed type area next to my condo we just moved from. We lived there for 5 years and they came out to visit me on my patio at least 3 or 4 times a week after I started feeding them ( mainly fruits left over from my kids) I never picked them up because I didn’t want to add any stress and add a negative connotation of humans for them. They seemed to always trust though that they weren’t in much or any danger as they would get almost on top of my foot and just kinda chill with me for a half hour or so at a time. I wouldn’t see them all winter long as I’m sure they broom-mate even in northern VA. But they were so cool just to have around and they had really pretty patterns on their shell. Awesome turtles!
A place my brother was interning at had a terrarium filled with anoles and eastern box turtles. To my shock they are solid omnivores (I had assumed they were like herbivorous tortoises). It was hilarious seeing these little flesh tanks galloping across the terrarium to gobble down some crickets!
My grandmother would rescue box turtles and kept them in her yard. They very easily could’ve left and a few did but they were in the front yard a few days later. Every time she’d come outside they’d run out from under the shed to get food but there was one that would bump your foot until you picked him up and rubbed his head. 50 years of being handled by 3 generations of people did something strange to him lol. Also we once caught 6 of the turtles bullying a cat which was also weird but funny to watch 😂
Eastern Box turtles are about as perfect intermediate turtles as I can think of! I love watching them eat. Also cladistics can be funny, I love how box turtles are actually terrapins :)
Don't sell box turtles short on fun. My first ever pet was a box turtle. His favorite game was hide and seek and he was a bit of a dare devil. Unfortunately at one point I got distracted while we were playing and he ran away.... I just hope he's safe out there.
I risk life and limb for these guys in the summer months. I have stopped traffic and ran out into roads more time than I would like to admit to grab these guys. They are my fave reptiles.
Yay! One of our local types of reptiles! My sister and I spent our childhoods chasing these little guys around whenever we were lucky enough to find them. We'd pick them up and play with them a bit before letting them go on their merry way. And for being an animal that likes to take it slowly, those little guys can scoot when they need to.
I’m 100% just watching this to feel proud of my baaaabyyyy. She’s so personable, sweet, but also really likes to hold grudges XD She enjoys being held and cuddled. Sometimes will climb on us to sleep in the crook between our neck and shoulder. I think she’s figured out that when we kiss her it’s a sign of affection because she recently started to press her beak to our cheek or lips and staying there for a few seconds before backing up and then pressing in her beak again. Aaaaaah. She also prefers fluffy blankets over the usual substrate.
I just recently,in the last two weeks or so, found these videos and love them. Also glad I've watched enough of the back log already to not have to go back and watch any of the videos about turtle or tortoise as I've seen them already, lol.
Coming from central Missouri, I get loads of box turtles (and common snappers) in the yard. And in all life stages too. Can confirm baby box turtles (and snappers) are adorable.
I have an Eastern box turtle named Gherkin I got as a hatchling over 12 years ago and she's got a great personality. I enjoy inteacting with her...she comes to me and eats from my hand, and she even seems interested in me too, she makes a lot of eye contact! I love all kinds of turtles. I have Red ear slider and had a Russain tort too, but if I'm honest the boxie is my favorite. To me they are the best of both turtles & 'tortioses' ... they ive mostly on dry land so not big aquarium to deal with like the aquatics, and they're omnivorous, so you don't have to deal with the weird weed diet of most tortoises, plus they don't get as big as most of the tortioses or even aquatics which makes them easier to house. Box turtles get my vote for best pet turtle
I'm proud to call my area of the US home to most of the world's box turtles. I'm glad there's now captive bred options and I wish everybody went that direction instead of taking them from the wild.
when i was 6 i found one outside and filled up a kiddy pool for him and tried to give him some lemonade. he was cool. wherever you are jeff, hope you have lemonade
I love box turtles! Easterns are the most beautiful terrestrial turtle in my opinion, and their interactivity, varied diet, and great size make them my first choice for a pet testudinae once I can have pets.
Love box turtles! In KY we’d find babies in our backyard every year, they were so sweet. Have you ever done a video on red footed tortoises? If not, that would be cool! I’d love to know more about them!
Please cover rabbits, I used to go to animal shelters because I wanted one. They are so adorable and I’ve always wanted to someone to rate how good they are as pets. Bunnies are often mishandled and abandoned at Easter. I hope people will know how much work a bunny actually can be.
Horrible pet, too skittish, they can literally die of a heart attack if you accidentally drop something and it makes a noise. They poop constantly and smell bad.
@@Moonsprecher They do take tons of work to gain their trust, but dying of a heart attack because something made a noise isn't true. I know someone who adopted a bun that was stuck in a cage and being barked at by a dog constantly. As for the poop, they can be litter trained in a few days. They're not as trainable as dogs, but they're much more trainable than cats. They smell as much as cats do, but from the sounds of it, they're definitely not the pet for you.
@@creedence1819 Just because you personally haven't experienced it doesn't mean it's not true. Look it up and there will be tons of stories about it. I never said literally every single rabbit dies instantly from a loud noise, I said they CAN.
We have a box turtle that has came back to our yard three times that we know of. The family has decided to keep it. Building a turtle enclosure outside. We live in northwest Oklahoma.
Of all the chelonians in the world, box turtles are my MOST favorite!! Love the two that I have currently but would love to add more to my collection.😍😎
My box turtle was just taken from his outdoor enclosure about a week ago :[ I believe my new neighbor took him an "let him free"...When I don't have him indoors, he's lived in his outdoor enclosure for about 6 or 7 years and never escaped or tried.
We actually had a female Eastern Box turtle lay eggs in our backyard!! I’ve been watching the nest for a couple months now and can’t wait to see them hatch!😁😆 the reason I know this is because she unfortunately decided to lay her eggs in one of the busiest parts of our yard (at the bottom of our deck staircase) and my brother found her after she started laying. I have the are fairly secure as unfortunately we have a trailer park nearby and people call the pound regularly to get rid of the unleashed dogs they let roam all over the neighborhood (they are unfortunately very fond of bulldogs, and while they don’t deserve the rep they have most don’t care😔). I have two dogs and my brother got a “mini” pig so I’ve been trying to cover the eggs best as possible so they have a chance
I live in Eastern My. I've rescued a handful of box turtles this year. Several males and one female. Most were being used as chew toys by my dad's dog. I even babysat one over night because it had a bite on his shell. I put some antibiotic ointment on him and my parents released him down the road a ways.
Nice! Clint, I can only speak definitively for myself here of course, but I miss seeing this format of video more often on your channel. Almost all of your content is great, but these are the videos that really built your brand and the ones I look forward to the most on your channel. I hope you can find a way to keep making them (though of course there are a limited number of commonly available pets to "review"). I have an intuitive feeling a lot of other viewers feel the same way, though I suppose the analytics will tell you if that is actually true (or at least how it manifests in actual viewer behavior - ha).
I don’t really keep them (I’ve rehabilitated a couple in my area), but I’ve volunteered with conservationist and one of the box turtles had such a big personality and wasn’t afraid of people once she recognized that we were human.
I used to find box turtles in my old backyard often. I always enjoyed bringing them in, and trying to get a photo of them with their head sticking out. So cute! I’d let them go after. I prefer my wild caught animals ya know…. In the wild. (Unless a breeding program is being established, but that’s not something I do) Where I live now I mostly see red eared sliders. Also cute, but I like the box turtle best.
You should do a video on reeves turtles, I’m adopting one and I’d like to know what you think of them! They seem like one of the most manageable turtles out there
Could you please do an entire video about the african egg eating snake or egg eating snakes in general, i saw that you already included them in a Video from 2018, but i thought an entire video with all the 5 factors would be quite interesting, especially when you're like me, getting into snake keeping after having animals such as ants and axolotls, but having a mom that does not like feeding rodents to snakes, dead or alive (I'm 17 but I still live with my parents because of school and stuff.). Love your content, keep up the great work !
This video is at the saddest timing… I brought my 3 childhood boxies home after my mom died 2 weeks ago, and I was making our little backyard their playground. By my own stupidity I put them in a box by the fence when I was building stuff, where I knew there was shade all day. Turns out there wasn’t shade all day and all three of them died in less than an hour… I have had these turtles for 30 years, they were a gift to me and my brothers from my momma. I cried as much as when my mom died.
In middle school, we had a three-toed that wasn't happy, so the teacher gave him to me. Me and my parents gave him some tlc, and he rebounded quickly. He'd accept chin scratches and even settle down when being carried (because he knew he'd be going outside). He escaped 8 years ago, but I like to think he's still in the area.
I work in missouri conservation and I see 3 toed box turtles all the time. I just recently received a baby snapping turtle that was brought into the office I work at.
Hey Clint, I really like watching your videos and was wondering if you can do one on the common rain frog. I see people have them as pets on UA-cam and they're really cute but I don't know the first thing about having one as a pet. Thanks for making all these awesome videos.
I would say I had a box turtle as a kid, but it's probably more accurate to say that I hung out with a wild box turtle for a while as a kid that lived in my yard.
If you love turtles as much as I do, don't miss our video about ALL of the turtles: ua-cam.com/video/dxCDG3-vKHA/v-deo.html
You know, if you're into that kind of thing 🐢
I have a question, are there a list of insects and vegetables that are safe for box turtles?
love the new motto
Hey. have you ever seen or heard of Gladiator Insects? I learned about them from Weird n Wild Creatures cards and looks kinda cool
Your merch store isnt showing anything
@Clint's Reptiles - please change your substrate suggestion. ReptiBark is made from Fir trees which contain a volatile oil. This can cause irritation to the mouth, throat as well as the digestive system if ingested. Fir also contains terpene which is a natural pesticide.
My very first pet - gotten at age 6 - was an Eastern Box Turtle. And he's still with me today! He's a healthy happy 40 years old now (I've had him literally as long as I can remember) - I'm 38, myself. I got him when he was aged 8 years. I'm happy to still have him after all this time. It's hard to imagine life without him.
@@alliums361 They're turtles, they just live a long time, take good care of them and they will just keep trucking for years and years
I have a juvenile one, I found her a few months ago, amd she was half the length of a lighter. she's an adorable little thing
I have one too. I just got it today!
Did your turtle brumate over these years?
Does he like to play hide and seek? Mine loved to play hide and seek.
After 35 years of ownership (and at least 20 before that), my precocious girl's still going strong. She's quite the little diva! Anyone who says box turtles are boring or have no personality just hasn't spent enough time with them 🐢
This turtle has been through multiple wars and like 13 presidents
What Did You Mainly Feed Yours?
@@ogronnieb4245 Insects such as crickets and meal worms mostly. I can't get her to eat fruits or vegetables anymore, but she loves bread, especially hot dog buns. I honestly can't remember how I found this out. Lol!
I feel like turtles and torts are more "interactive" than "handable." Feeding them, petting their shell (if they like it, some seem to be partial to it lol) etc are the fun parts, where a snake or lizard can climb around you or hang out on your shirt.
Can you put a turtle on your shoulder without it falling off?
@@rogerminnick6470 a tiny turtle maybe lol ;)
@@rogerminnick6470 Wouldn't try it. 😂
Thank you for covering box turtles!!! I love them! My eastern boxie is 42 this year! Terry knows her name, loves grasshoppers and melon, and is such an interactive pet!
I love my box turtles, have a very large outdoor enclosure with 8 of them. I actually wouldn’t consider them boring especially during feeding time. Walk out and the morning and they come running from all angles to greet you. Ok but most of the day they are just chilling and sunning themselves. But I’d definitely recommend them as pets.
My brother worked with a box turtle that liked taking rides on people’s shoes. Was he humping the shoes? Nope. Was he particular about who he would allow to take him on shoe rides? Nope. He walked up to you, sat on your shoe, and expected you to take him for a joy ride. Seemed like he was just having fun.
So box turtles can be fun to handle! And for both involved!
These wonderful little dudes occasionally show up in my neighborhood and I'm always so delighted to see them. Makes you feel better just knowing that we get to share the planet with them.
It does make for a better planet 🐢
I wish we could protect them more. Like taking them from kids who try to keep wild ones as pets
Just here to say that I think Clint is the sweetest and most adorable guy ever 😂 love the content, but stay for Clint’s personality haha.
I’ve had my box turtle since 4th grade and he was given to me from a very bad home, he was put in a 10 gallon tank with a few squares of newspaper and some moldy lettuce. He now has a 60 gallon (working on convincing my parents for an outside tank lol) with proper heating, substrate, water and all that. I honestly just rlly want to make his tank seem more authentic since I’m a teenager who’s not that good at terrarium building lol. Idk I love my box turtle so so much and he is actually pretty cuddly (at least when he’s tired) n he’s so funny and I really love having him and I want to continue to expand his tank and care and learn as much as possible about him and his needs
Box turtles are lovely.
Small, rounded, slow-moving and always ploughing through green and lush vegetation.
I have never seen them in person, but they are ubiquitous in most south-eastern American herping videos. Also the fact that they are an aquatic turtle that convergently evolved into something like a tortoise is cool. Even more with the ornate box turtle, which lives even in the desert. This is borderline extraterrestrial.
I kept thinking whenever I first discovered one that something extraterrestrial designed it for human palms and to help relax n' chill with
Clint ,
I grew up (age 2 to 18) on a 27 acre farm in Jackson, N.J. , bordered on the south side by a brook(the north branch of the Metedeconk River.
Across the road from our Victorian farmhouse was another old farm with a house dating back to the mid 18th century.
It had been farmed by the Clayton family for many generations and many generations of children had played with Box Turtles which frequented the wild strawberries growing there.
It wasn't uncommon to find turtles with "plastrons". with initials on them carved there by these children.
In the late fifties, I was visiting the field and found a huge box turtle.
On it's plastron was carved, "Lt. Opey Y Co. 189?
I took a piece of brown paper and copied the carving just as it was on the turtle.
I almost brought it home, almost! It had survived for so long I did not want to endanger it in any way.
I never researched him, but Lt. OPey may have been a Spanish American or possibly a First World War Veteran.
So, I've always wondered jut how old was that Turtle(Terrapin) to have had that much carving still very readable,
when Opey left his message?
I'll never know, but that was the most amazing Terrapin encounter I ever had.
Cheers,
Rik Spector
As someone currently living in mainland China where tortoise are illegal to keep, box turtles and asian box turtles are the best choice! Though they tend to cost a lot but upfront cost in keeping is definitely lower then most water turtles(NA musk and mud excluded)
I don't mean to impose but do you have any resources for people trying to understand pet keeping in China? I'm looking to move to the mainland eventually and really would like to know what kinds of pets would be legal to keep.
@@coldfire774 Any animal that is in cites list which is not a aquatic turtle is illegal, any animal in the “一级保护动物，二级保护动物，三有保护动物” are illegal. In reptiles that is basically any animal that can be find wild in mainland China are out of the choice and most popular captive bred ones in other countries are illegal.
China sucks. I sure wouldn't want to live there with a BS law like that.
Box turtle owner here, with a cb one year old. I think it's worth mentioning to people that they should expect a baby box turtle (like up to around 2yrs old) to hide a lot, and they require high humidity for proper shell growth. A captive bred baby is the way to go but some people are worried or dissapointed when it hides all the time but this is typical.
I would just like to take a moment to co-sign Clint with, “Baby Box Turtles are so cute.” Yes. Yes they are!
Hey Clint!! I just wanted to say thank you!! I absolutely love you, your channel and your love for animals. Recently I have been a little bit lonely and struggling with some small health problems, and wanted another companion other than my pet fancy mouse (Also, you should make a video on pet mice, they are absolutely stinkin rad!!!!) so I watched your video on cresties. Now I’m going to my first reptile expo next week to hopefully bring home my first ever reptile, so I got one of your shirts to wear to it!! Thanks a lot, and stay rad! 😁
That makes me so happy to hear! Enjoy your new friend and the expo! We will definitely cover pet mice in the future.
@@ClintsReptiles thanks! 😊 Can’t wait!
Awwwwww
@@ClintsReptiles My shirt just arrived today!! 😁 I love it!
@@jayamburn1959 what the heck lol?!
I've owned eastern box turtles for nearly 20 years and I gotta say you did an awesome job with these guys! They're surprisingly interactive and can even recognize you whenever they see you. Mine would always follow me around in their enclosure whenever I'd feed them or change the water, and my GOD the babies are adorable. Love your content, keep up the good work!!
Do you ever take one out on a leash? How often do you feed? I am seriously concerned about blood flow due to exercise being limited
My husband and I have spent 2 spring/summer seasons rescuing turtles off the roads in our area. We have saved around 30 turtles of differing species and have even had to help some of them heal from injuries and malnutrition before releasing them back into the wild near where we found them, though we made sure they were a good distance from the road when releasing them.
I am proud to say we have helped these amazing creatures and hope there are others doing similar things in their areas as well. Just stopping to help a turtle get across the road safely is a good thing to do to help lessen the number of injured or killed turtles. All it takes is a few minutes of your time and a small amount of effort on our parts.
Thank you for another great video Clint. Can’t wait for the next one. ☺️💕
I had a three-toed boxie from the time I was two until last year (35 years). He was over 50 when he passed. That turtle was a staple of my childhood and moved with me from UT to CO and back. I love box turtles.
I've had my pair of box turtles for about 7 or so years. Martha and George are absolute troopers! For all the mistakes I made in keeping them, (they were given to me when i was too young to know what i was doing) they're still healthy and personable! And lord do they absolutely adore blueberries. Recently rehomed them, but I miss those little poop monsters lmao
Love your videos. I own a cuban rock iguana i bought from tie parks in Florida. He's now 9 years old and about 30 pounds. When i bought a house in north las vegas it had a dog door. As the iguana grew and became more trusting and outgoing he found the dog door and started letting hemslf in and out like a dog. When he outgrew a 100 gallon tank i turned the extra empty bedroom into hes own room it looks like something you would see at a zoo. Over time he learned to move around the house from his bedroom like a dog and let hemself in and out. The backyard has an 8 foot Breck feance so he can get out but he never tryed. So in the mornings he goes outside and sun's, hangs out when he's getting to hot comes in goes to his room eats hangs out and goes back and forth in and out of the house like a dog. He tought himself and i just let hem be and do his thing. At times he will sleep on the couch and a few times he climbs onto bed with us. Im amazed at the intelligence of this rock iguana. I think the stress less environment and excesse to real sun and not being cage is the reason for this behavior. ❤
I’ve got a rescue three-toed box turtle. Her previous owner kept her in a 10gal with no heat source or water bowl for 6 years. She’s super stunted, about the size of a six month old. I’ve got her in a way bigger enclosure with all the works now and I’ve been working on getting her more use to being handled.
I have a rescued Eastern box turtle. She was captain an aquarium for years, might ate all her toes. So now she lives in a large outdoor enclosure in the summer and a large indoor enclosure in this winter. She's living the good life now. She's well over 30 years old
My four eastern box turtles were rescues from 25 years ago, the oldest being around 30 yrs and the youngest around 4-5. Seeing them go from shy and confused to bold and adventurous, developing unique quirks and tastes in food has been an amazing journey. If I take care of them right they’re all set to outlive me 😭👍🏾
Living in the (sort of) north east of the east coast, my friend and I had caught a box turtle when we were around 12 years old. Neither of us knew how to keep a turtle properly, and with this being a "box" turtle... we threw it in a box on her back deck, and checked in on it daily. I know for a fact that we didn't feed it properly, nor did we provide the space and 'amenities' that they might need. Thankfully, one day it was gone and seemed to escape off of her deck. I like to think it's still alive and well, since it's only been ~10-15 years or so.
Super cute lil buddies. I LOVE their eyes!
I think they have the sweetest face! They have adorable eyes!
Finally the box turtle episode I’ve been asking for. Thanks! I’m glad you recommended keeping them as outdoor pets because I think it is really hard to keep them indoors long term.
I had a box turtle when I was growing up that was my dad's before me when he found her as a kid, and that girl lived for about 40 years (no idea how old she was prior to my dad getting her). I have Eastern box turtles that live in my back yard, I found them living under my shed and they just roam around, always fun to see them. I leave a water bowl and food bowl out there for them, they're free to go whenever they want.
The issue I've had with these guys is I've only ever solely dealt with people that have found them in the wild and they pretty much never want to listen on just taking them back to where they found them. Let alone trying to give them proper care.
I LOVE box turtles! Both zoos that I've been at have had an Eastern Box Turtle as an animal ambassador, and one also had a Southeast Asian Box Turtle. Really great animals that make phenomenal ambassadors.
Many moons ago, when I was doing my undergrad research on native orchids, my capable research assistant, a yellow Labrador belonging to my research advisor, kept bringing us box turtles while we were out looking for orchids. I say “box turtles,” but there’s every chance that it was the same hapless box turtle each time. She’d bring us a turtle and then we’d have to try and figure out where she found him so we could return him home. The turtle or turtles never looked as pleased about the situation as Lambchop (the Labrador) did.
I love how calm that one is as you hold it 😂😂😂 mine won't stop moving
I grew up with 5 box turtles. Likely illegal because they're native to Long island except for one Japanese one. They all have diverse personalities and interact with you very intelligently. Great childhood memories.
I love seeing Box Turtles here in Virginia. Unfortunately, they're illegal to own here but I often see the same turtle outside of my house. She has a damaged shell so it's easy to recognize her.
It's illegal to own a turtle in Virginia... bro what?
@@litehatesearth box turtles are endangered in some states so they ban owning them.
I live in the lower midwest and when I go hiking in the summer, these boys just come right up to you. Very friendly, so much so that they are endangered in some states. Love them.
I had a three toed box turtle recently and he passed away 💔 I miss him so much 😭😞 He was the best. He hated my boyfriend never was social when he took him out 😂 I took him out and would bathe him and he would just chill on my stomach and crawl up to my chest and nuzzle my neck. He was the sweetest.🥰💞 RIP Crush.
What's the evolutionary benefit of their eyes being that stunning red color?
Endearing them to humans
The females white eyes are beautiful also.
@@ShY_6593 I thought, at least Easterns, have brown eyes? Then again, I’m European and not particularly well read.
Sexual selection. Males have brighter eyes
I guess its because females love red eyes lol
What a delightful video of "mediocre fun", exactly what my lovesick heart needed!
I see these outside more than any other reptile, and they’re so beautiful! I work with them at a zoo as well, and we have one 27 year old and one 25 year old eastern box turtles. They’re both friendly and outgoing, and will try to open their enclosure doors to hang out. They also like head scratches. We have a 16 year old Asian box turtle as well who’s also friendly. I was surprised to see this video since I guess I had assumed you had made one ages ago 😂 they’re a great pet turtle
Decades for long living, love & Care! 🐢☺️🤍
I kept two Ornate Box Turtles during my childhood. Both were caught crossing roads in the eastern plains of Colorado by my Dad. He was a CPA and did county audits for a number of counties in Colorado, some of them in the plains area so he did a fair amount of driving there. I kept both outdoors in a wooden box with a baking pan as a water container for a summer then released them in the fall. We fed them a variety of things, from raw ground beef to lettuce and bananas, probably other fruitt and veggies too but I don't remember them all. What both seemed to really like to eat best though were tomato hornworms. We grew tomatoes, and when I caught one of those big green caterpillars leaving its trail of devastation in the tomato garden, I would give it to the turtle.
My first reptile was a box turtle my mom found in the middle of the road in Mississippi. I was around 7, and I fell in love with them. Mine was super Friendly and loved watermelon. When my aunt got older she gave me SIX of them she had been hoarding for some reason. I kept my turtles in a really nice pen outside and they never died, they just slowly escaped one by one. I didn't stress too much about losing them though lol because we were in their natural habitat. Anyway, I'm now an adult who has had a Leo and a Beardie now, and I am a reptile lover for life.
I have 3 box turtles, 2 juveniles, and Old Man Herman, my rescued 40 year old. They are great! But where I live banned them last July, so now I have to keep permits for mine. But they are generally easy to care for, and are friendly and curious turtle friends.
Great video as always and Box Turtles are one of my favorites for sure. I have had Box Turtles for pets most of my life and they are amazing and smart turtles. I'm fortunate to have a population of Eastern Box Turtles in my area which are my favorite and they are absolutely beautiful and no two are alike
I love Eastern Box Turtles! I had two of them ( male and female I think) that lived (wild) in and around an AC unit fenced in shed type area next to my condo we just moved from. We lived there for 5 years and they came out to visit me on my patio at least 3 or 4 times a week after I started feeding them ( mainly fruits left over from my kids) I never picked them up because I didn’t want to add any stress and add a negative connotation of humans for them. They seemed to always trust though that they weren’t in much or any danger as they would get almost on top of my foot and just kinda chill with me for a half hour or so at a time. I wouldn’t see them all winter long as I’m sure they broom-mate even in northern VA. But they were so cool just to have around and they had really pretty patterns on their shell. Awesome turtles!
A place my brother was interning at had a terrarium filled with anoles and eastern box turtles. To my shock they are solid omnivores (I had assumed they were like herbivorous tortoises). It was hilarious seeing these little flesh tanks galloping across the terrarium to gobble down some crickets!
My grandmother would rescue box turtles and kept them in her yard. They very easily could’ve left and a few did but they were in the front yard a few days later. Every time she’d come outside they’d run out from under the shed to get food but there was one that would bump your foot until you picked him up and rubbed his head. 50 years of being handled by 3 generations of people did something strange to him lol. Also we once caught 6 of the turtles bullying a cat which was also weird but funny to watch 😂
Eastern Box turtles are about as perfect intermediate turtles as I can think of! I love watching them eat. Also cladistics can be funny, I love how box turtles are actually terrapins :)
Thank you for making my day better with every upload, Clint!
Don't sell box turtles short on fun. My first ever pet was a box turtle. His favorite game was hide and seek and he was a bit of a dare devil. Unfortunately at one point I got distracted while we were playing and he ran away.... I just hope he's safe out there.
I risk life and limb for these guys in the summer months. I have stopped traffic and ran out into roads more time than I would like to admit to grab these guys. They are my fave reptiles.
Yay! One of our local types of reptiles! My sister and I spent our childhoods chasing these little guys around whenever we were lucky enough to find them. We'd pick them up and play with them a bit before letting them go on their merry way. And for being an animal that likes to take it slowly, those little guys can scoot when they need to.
I’m 100% just watching this to feel proud of my baaaabyyyy. She’s so personable, sweet, but also really likes to hold grudges XD She enjoys being held and cuddled. Sometimes will climb on us to sleep in the crook between our neck and shoulder. I think she’s figured out that when we kiss her it’s a sign of affection because she recently started to press her beak to our cheek or lips and staying there for a few seconds before backing up and then pressing in her beak again. Aaaaaah. She also prefers fluffy blankets over the usual substrate.
I just recently,in the last two weeks or so, found these videos and love them. Also glad I've watched enough of the back log already to not have to go back and watch any of the videos about turtle or tortoise as I've seen them already, lol.
Coming from central Missouri, I get loads of box turtles (and common snappers) in the yard. And in all life stages too. Can confirm baby box turtles (and snappers) are adorable.
I have an Eastern box turtle named Gherkin I got as a hatchling over 12 years ago and she's got a great personality. I enjoy inteacting with her...she comes to me and eats from my hand, and she even seems interested in me too, she makes a lot of eye contact! I love all kinds of turtles. I have Red ear slider and had a Russain tort too, but if I'm honest the boxie is my favorite. To me they are the best of both turtles & 'tortioses' ... they ive mostly on dry land so not big aquarium to deal with like the aquatics, and they're omnivorous, so you don't have to deal with the weird weed diet of most tortoises, plus they don't get as big as most of the tortioses or even aquatics which makes them easier to house. Box turtles get my vote for best pet turtle
I'm proud to call my area of the US home to most of the world's box turtles. I'm glad there's now captive bred options and I wish everybody went that direction instead of taking them from the wild.
BTW, these are my absolutely favorite turtle! I grew up with them in Texas. Sweeties!!!!
Great video Clint! I remember having box turtles as pets as a kid. I haven’t seen one in the wild for YEARS!
In a lot of areas, they've become locally endangered- not least of all due to capture for the pet trade.
Never had any turtles but I've heard box turtles are really interactive :-)
when i was 6 i found one outside and filled up a kiddy pool for him and tried to give him some lemonade. he was cool. wherever you are jeff, hope you have lemonade
I love box turtles! Easterns are the most beautiful terrestrial turtle in my opinion, and their interactivity, varied diet, and great size make them my first choice for a pet testudinae once I can have pets.
Your channel has grown so much since I first followed you ❤ still loving the content!
I love this little guys! Just waiting for a video on red and yellow footed tortoises as well. Great work as always guys ^^
Love Box Turtles, I have Easterns, Three Toed, and Gulf Coast box turtles, but my favorites are wood turtles
Love box turtles! In KY we’d find babies in our backyard every year, they were so sweet. Have you ever done a video on red footed tortoises? If not, that would be cool! I’d love to know more about them!
I have two box turtles that live in my yard, one has been there for 7 years now. They are very food motivated and take food right from our hands.
I have two three toed boxies. Amazing little guys.
Please cover rabbits, I used to go to animal shelters because I wanted one. They are so adorable and I’ve always wanted to someone to rate how good they are as pets. Bunnies are often mishandled and abandoned at Easter. I hope people will know how much work a bunny actually can be.
Horrible pet, too skittish, they can literally die of a heart attack if you accidentally drop something and it makes a noise. They poop constantly and smell bad.
AKA the long eared, stumpy tailed, coprophagous burrowing, scaleless & herbivorous Gecko ~😆🙄
@@Moonsprecher They do take tons of work to gain their trust, but dying of a heart attack because something made a noise isn't true. I know someone who adopted a bun that was stuck in a cage and being barked at by a dog constantly. As for the poop, they can be litter trained in a few days. They're not as trainable as dogs, but they're much more trainable than cats. They smell as much as cats do, but from the sounds of it, they're definitely not the pet for you.
I smell a Lennon the Bunny crossover episode ua-cam.com/users/LennonTheBunny
@@creedence1819 Just because you personally haven't experienced it doesn't mean it's not true. Look it up and there will be tons of stories about it. I never said literally every single rabbit dies instantly from a loud noise, I said they CAN.
As always, excellent and educational video. Keep up the good work, and the best from us!
PS. Would love to see a video about the Woma Python.
We have a box turtle that has came back to our yard three times that we know of. The family has decided to keep it. Building a turtle enclosure outside. We live in northwest Oklahoma.
Dude this is the first 2 min I’ve ever seen of you and I’m subscribing immediately. I’m from Pittsburgh KS /Joplin, Mo. by the way.🤘🏻🤘🏻
I love the product placement here.
Awesome! Been waiting for you to cover these guys.
Of all the chelonians in the world, box turtles are my MOST favorite!! Love the two that I have currently but would love to add more to my collection.😍😎
My box turtle was just taken from his outdoor enclosure about a week ago :[ I believe my new neighbor took him an "let him free"...When I don't have him indoors, he's lived in his outdoor enclosure for about 6 or 7 years and never escaped or tried.
Ive kept and bred a number of species of terrapene and cuora, they are very fun!
You are such a sweet person Clint
We actually had a female Eastern Box turtle lay eggs in our backyard!! I’ve been watching the nest for a couple months now and can’t wait to see them hatch!😁😆 the reason I know this is because she unfortunately decided to lay her eggs in one of the busiest parts of our yard (at the bottom of our deck staircase) and my brother found her after she started laying. I have the are fairly secure as unfortunately we have a trailer park nearby and people call the pound regularly to get rid of the unleashed dogs they let roam all over the neighborhood (they are unfortunately very fond of bulldogs, and while they don’t deserve the rep they have most don’t care😔). I have two dogs and my brother got a “mini” pig so I’ve been trying to cover the eggs best as possible so they have a chance
I live in Eastern My. I've rescued a handful of box turtles this year. Several males and one female. Most were being used as chew toys by my dad's dog. I even babysat one over night because it had a bite on his shell. I put some antibiotic ointment on him and my parents released him down the road a ways.
Nice! Clint, I can only speak definitively for myself here of course, but I miss seeing this format of video more often on your channel. Almost all of your content is great, but these are the videos that really built your brand and the ones I look forward to the most on your channel. I hope you can find a way to keep making them (though of course there are a limited number of commonly available pets to "review"). I have an intuitive feeling a lot of other viewers feel the same way, though I suppose the analytics will tell you if that is actually true (or at least how it manifests in actual viewer behavior - ha).
I use to do a box turtle race on July 4th. I loved catching them to run and releasing them back home after they won me a couple doll hairs.
I don’t really keep them (I’ve rehabilitated a couple in my area), but I’ve volunteered with conservationist and one of the box turtles had such a big personality and wasn’t afraid of people once she recognized that we were human.
I used to find box turtles in my old backyard often. I always enjoyed bringing them in, and trying to get a photo of them with their head sticking out. So cute! I’d let them go after. I prefer my wild caught animals ya know…. In the wild. (Unless a breeding program is being established, but that’s not something I do) Where I live now I mostly see red eared sliders. Also cute, but I like the box turtle best.
Baby box turtles ARE adorable! They look like grumpy little bugs to me.
You should do a video on reeves turtles, I’m adopting one and I’d like to know what you think of them! They seem like one of the most manageable turtles out there
These seem like the most reasonable turtle to keep IMO
Could you please do an entire video about the african egg eating snake or egg eating snakes in general, i saw that you already included them in a Video from 2018, but i thought an entire video with all the 5 factors would be quite interesting, especially when you're like me, getting into snake keeping after having animals such as ants and axolotls, but having a mom that does not like feeding rodents to snakes, dead or alive (I'm 17 but I still live with my parents because of school and stuff.). Love your content, keep up the great work !
This video is at the saddest timing… I brought my 3 childhood boxies home after my mom died 2 weeks ago, and I was making our little backyard their playground. By my own stupidity I put them in a box by the fence when I was building stuff, where I knew there was shade all day. Turns out there wasn’t shade all day and all three of them died in less than an hour…
I have had these turtles for 30 years, they were a gift to me and my brothers from my momma. I cried as much as when my mom died.
I'm a little miffed you called them "dull," -they are just as God made them, sir!
Another great video :)
In middle school, we had a three-toed that wasn't happy, so the teacher gave him to me. Me and my parents gave him some tlc, and he rebounded quickly. He'd accept chin scratches and even settle down when being carried (because he knew he'd be going outside). He escaped 8 years ago, but I like to think he's still in the area.
My Eastern Box turtle is a male , he was 48 when I got him in 1990 and he is still alive at the age of 81 !
I work in missouri conservation and I see 3 toed box turtles all the time. I just recently received a baby snapping turtle that was brought into the office I work at.
Hey Clint, I really like watching your videos and was wondering if you can do one on the common rain frog. I see people have them as pets on UA-cam and they're really cute but I don't know the first thing about having one as a pet.
Thanks for making all these awesome videos.
Woo! New video, right when i wanted to learn about boxies
I would say I had a box turtle as a kid, but it's probably more accurate to say that I hung out with a wild box turtle for a while as a kid that lived in my yard.
The idea of turtles being "difficult to carry" gives me a mental image of a turtle holster. 😂
That transition to the merch segment. Bwahaha 🤣
Love this!
Do you mind giving a breakdown of the different species and where they're from?
Thanks!
"Box turtles are ugly and boring" - Somebody who's never been near a box turtle ever in their lives
They're way too cute, so round and adorable