Box Turtles 101

Name: Box Turtle

Personality: These reptiles are often considered personable.

Care: Box turtles need a safe outdoor enclosure (protected from raccoons and other wild animals) or a large indoor enclosure, according to Box Turtle Care. If kept indoors, it's best to have opaque sides on the enclosure, as some box turtles will obsessively try to reach the area on the other side of a glass wall. These turtles require spaces where they can hide and feel secure such as logs or boxes. In addition to needing a pool of water, their environment must be very humid. Box turtles will eat almost anything, but you should provide a varied diet of fruits, fungi, veggies, greens, mollusks, worms and insects.

Box turtles are endangered in many states, and you should never take them from the wild. Not only is it bad for that turtle, it could dangerously diminish the local box turtle population, according to About.com. Only buy them from reputable breeders, and check the laws in your area before you bring a box turtle home to make sure you that you will be keeping this pet legally.

Common Health Issues: Most health problems box turtles face stem from malnutrition, according to North American Box Turtles; mouth rot, swollen eyes, anemia weight loss and abscesses all can occur. Additionally, box turtles can suffer from respiratory disease, internal infections, organ failure, bot fly and maggot infestation, shell disorder and overgrown upper jaw.

Training Tips: This is a pet you're better off watching and enjoying. They're not well known for being trainable, according to Ornate Bird Garden.

Best For: Committed pet owners. Although you don't have to walk a box turtle several times a day, they do require a certain level of care. For one thing, they need a lot of room, not to mention their special humidity and lighting requirements. And box turtles can have long life spans -- 40 to 50 years in captivity, up to 100 years in the wild -- so you need to be ready to take care of them for a long, long time. The best family for a box turtle is one who has done plenty of research and is not only willing, but excited to take care of their turtle for the rest of its life.

What Box Turtle Owners Say: Anna Brown of San Francisco, Calif., tells Paw Nation, "My family owned a box turtle for 13 years. His name was Jason and he was a great pet. He never bit any of us and we could leave him out in the backyard for hours without having to keep an eye on him. He starred in many of our childhood games."

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