Re: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Tortoise Forum ]

Posted by brad wilson on May 10, 2002 at 08:41:54:

In Reply to: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle posted by Roy on May 09, 2002 at 23:47:41:

Many tortoises are strict vegetarians. Many of the popular species are from arid regions.

American box turtles are omnivores (fruit, veggies, bugs, meat, etc.) and live in moderately humid settings. They also like to soak in puddles.

Some tortoises are like box turtles in that they like humidity and are omnivorous. Hingeback tortoises, for example.

Box turtles are fairly small, often having shells of around 4.5 to 8 inches in length. Some tortoises are small. Russian, greek, hingeback tortoises are generally 6-12" in length. Egyptian tortoises (kind of expensive) get only about 4-5" in length. Redfoots get about 12-16" long. Sulcatas get huge at about 24" and over 100 lbs.

American box turtles are generally taken from the wild and are often in bad shape when sold in petstores. A lot of tortoises, most notably russians and sometimes greeks, are also taken from the wild and aren't in great health. You can buy captive bred tortoises from breeders that are in good health. They cost more than wild caught. Some people also sell captive bred baby box turtles.

Those are some of the basic differences between box turtles and tortoises. You should look at

www.tortoisetrust.org

www.tortoise.org

for more details.

If you buy a wild caught animal I'd recommend taking it to the vet to be checked for parasites (pinworms, etc.) and other health problems. Getting a captive bred animal is a good idea if you can find a breeder. I know someone in the St. Louis, MO area who has a variety of captive bred animals for sale.

Follow Ups:

Re: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle Roy 05/10/02 (26)
- Re: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle brad wilson 05/10/02 (16)
  - Re: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle nathan 05/10/02 (15)
    - Re: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle Terry 05/10/02 (14)
      - Re: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle/ More! Terry 05/10/02 (13)
        
        Re: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle/ More! brad wilson 05/10/02 (12)
        
        Re: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle/ More! Roy 05/10/02 (11)
        
        Re: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle/ More! nathan 05/10/02 (10)
        
        Re: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle/ More! Roy 05/10/02 (9)
        
        Re: Tortoise V.S. Box Turtle/ More! another pic Roy 05/10/02 (8)
        
        nice indoor keeping for tortoise?? Roy 05/10/02 (7)
        
        Re: nice indoor keeping for tortoise?? another pic Roy 05/10/02 (6)
        
        Re: nice indoor keeping for tortoise?? another pic Terry 05/10/02 (5)
        
        Re: nice indoor keeping for tortoise?? another pic Roy 05/10/02 (4)
        
        Re: nice indoor keeping for tortoise?? another pic Terry 01/11/02 (3)
        
        Re: nice indoor keeping for tortoise?? another pic Roy 05/11/02 (2)
        
        humidity nathan 05/13/02 (1)
        
        Re: humidity EJ 05/13/02 (0)
- I would recomend a Redfoot instead of a Boxie for ease of care. n/p EJ 05/10/02 (8)
  - ???? Chris H 05/10/02 (3)
    - redfoots for ease of care. EJ 05/11/02 (0)
    - Re: ???? nathan 05/10/02 (1)
      - Good point..thanks Nathan Chris H 05/10/02 (0)
  - Re: I would recomend a Redfoot instead of a Boxie for ease of care. n/p Roy 05/10/02 (3)
    - why? n/p Roy 05/10/02 (2)
      - ease of care... more... EJ 05/11/02 (1)
        
        Re: ease of care... more... nathan 05/13/02 (0)

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: Many tortoises are strict vegetarians. Many of the popular species are from arid regions. : American box turtles are omnivores (fruit, veggies, bugs, meat, etc.) and live in moderately humid settings. They also like to soak in puddles. : Some tortoises are like box turtles in that they like humidity and are omnivorous. Hingeback tortoises, for example. : Box turtles are fairly small, often having shells of around 4.5 to 8 inches in length. Some tortoises are small. Russian, greek, hingeback tortoises are generally 6-12" in length. Egyptian tortoises (kind of expensive) get only about 4-5" in length. Redfoots get about 12-16" long. Sulcatas get huge at about 24" and over 100 lbs. : American box turtles are generally taken from the wild and are often in bad shape when sold in petstores. A lot of tortoises, most notably russians and sometimes greeks, are also taken from the wild and aren't in great health. You can buy captive bred tortoises from breeders that are in good health. They cost more than wild caught. Some people also sell captive bred baby box turtles. : Those are some of the basic differences between box turtles and tortoises. You should look at : www.tortoisetrust.org : www.tortoise.org : for more details. : If you buy a wild caught animal I'd recommend taking it to the vet to be checked for parasites (pinworms, etc.) and other health problems. Getting a captive bred animal is a good idea if you can find a breeder. I know someone in the St. Louis, MO area who has a variety of captive bred animals for sale.

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Tortoise Forum ]