Modified version of photo by mightyjoepye @ Flickr;
licensed under CC BY 2.0
Box turtles are mostly solitary creatures. They don’t live in groups in the wild, and they don’t really need companionship in captivity, either.
Even so, two or more turtles can get along and interact in friendly ways. So you might like to keep multiple box turtles.
Keep in mind that not all turtles will get along. That’s pretty standard for any animal, including humans! If you do decide to have more than one, be prepared to house them separately if they can’t live together peacefully.
For the most part, immature turtles can be housed together, regardless of sex, as long as they are about the same size and none are particularly aggressive. Young males may start to bully each other as they mature, so you should keep an eye on them.
Adult turtles can be trickier to house together. Here are some general guidelines to consider if you want multiple box turtles:
- Adult females will usually get along with each other.
- Adult males tend to be aggressive towards each other, especially when they want to breed. Male turtles will even mount other males, and they can hurt each other.
- It’s usually best to keep adult males and females separated unless you are trying to breed them. Males can also be very aggressive towards females. If you do house them together, provide hiding places in the habitat so the female can escape from an overly amorous male.
- If you do house males and females together, consider having several females for each male. In her book Box Turtles, Tess Cook suggests a 1:4 ratio of males to females, along with plenty of places for the females to hide.
Of course, you will also want to be sure your turtles’ home is big enough for them all. Turtles that can’t escape from their pen-mates can get stressed. Also, too many turtles in too small a space causes hygiene problems. Waste accumulates and makes a good place for bacteria to grow. That can make your turtles sick.
Make your turtle enclosure as big as possible, but at a minimum, two adult females should have at least 12 square feet, according to Tess Cook.
Finally, there are two times you should never put turtles together:
- When you have American and Asian box turtles. These animals have very different needs and may not have immunity from each other’s pathogens. Create separate habitats for each.
- When one turtle is sick or injured. That animal should go into quarantine until he is healthy again. A sick turtle could make the others sick, too. And an injured turtle could get hurt more by his pen-mates, or might get overly aggressive and hurt one of them.
Multiple turtles can certainly be fun, but they are also more work and need more space than just one animal. Keep this in mind when you consider how many turtles you can care for.
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Hello I have a pet box turtle and I know how easily stress they can be but a found a big adult box turtle in the road it was to dangerous were he was so I brought him to my yard why isn’t he hibernated yet and what can I do to help him he won’t eat or drink so assuming he is in that mode just let him go and wish him luck of help him get a spot ready has the warm season tricked him??! Help animal lover
Hi Kelley,
I would urge you to bring him back where you found him. Not in the middle of the road of course, but on the side of the road to where he was heading when you found him. Boxies actually do have home ranges, and if removed from there will want to get back.
If he’s not eating, you’re probably right that he wants to hibernate. I’m not sure where you are, but since it has been relatively warm so far this year, hopefully he can find a hibernation spot before it gets too cold for him.
Thank you for wanting to help a boxie survive our roads!
i have 18 baby box turtles that i kept inside all winter our temps here are already 89 during the day and mid 50’s at night. i am ready to put the babies back outside for the summer is that ok? they will still be in their habitant where they stayed all winter.
Hi Jan,
That’s a lot of baby turtles! 🙂
The daytime temperatures sound fine, as long as there’s a shaded/protected area where they can cool off as needed.
I am a bit concerned about the nighttime temps. I’ve always thought about 60 is the best lower limit … But if box turtles are native to your area, it could be ok. With those daytime temps, wild ones must be active! Personally I think I’d wait just a bit, since they are babies, but use your best judgment.
Will baby box turtles eat each other
Hi I have two male box turtles that don’t get along. One was always bullying the other, mounting it and pecking at his shell. I finally build them a big habitat where they have at least 4 ft square for themselves and big water dish big enough to sumerge themselves. Today I let them out for a bit and now is the other one being aggressive and mounting it. I’m thinking they need to get some lol… anyway my question is how hard would it be for them to adapt to a forest surrounding? My work has lots of wooded areas and a lake. You think they would have a fighting chance at adapting? Thanks. Sorry for the long note. JD.
Captive box turtles (or any captive turtles) should never be released. Not only are they unlikely to survive, if there are native box turtles in the area, the captive ones could spread disease to them. Just because they’re healthy doesn’t mean they don’t carry bacteria or viruses that don’t hurt them but could hurt wild populations.
Is it possible to keep them separated?
If you really can’t keep them, try to find them a new home. If you don’t know anyone who’d like a turtle or two, see if there’s a rescue near you that will take them. Even if the rescue can’t take them, they may be able to offer more ideas for where to find them a good home.
Online turtle forums and/or turtle-related groups/pages on Facebook or other social media might also be a good place to find new turtle parents. Of course, it’s harder to make sure they’re going to a good home that way, but do your best to check out whoever wants them before handing them over.
Good luck!
I have an adult female box turtle (approx 20yrs old by counting her growth rings) my daughter found her injured on the side of the road four years ago & we nursed her back to health. That was sure a ton of learning in a short amount of time. With the correct bulbs, diet, etc. She now has a stump, three good legs & a few claws missing here & there, but she has thrived. I chose not to release her back into the wild due to fear of attack from other animals/turtles because of her injuries. She can finally pull most of herself back into her shell & can scoot like the dickens, but alas she is not 100% in the mobility department. This past spring my daughter found a female hatchling on its back luckily not injured by our neighbors 4 wheeler just blown over. I am against taking animals from the wild & told my daughter “no” until I read & found that 90% don’t make it past the 1st year. So, I caved & told her we’d make sure she made it to that year mark & let her go. My adult Boxie remains pretty independent, she isn’t agressive, had never attempted to bite us, but she mostly just tolerates us) I had no idea that a hatchling would be waiting for me in her terrarium with her mouth open a few mins after turning her lamps on because she knew it was feeding time. She loves me (or as close as they can) and will walk up into my hand & comes to my voice. I didn’t realize this would happen & to be honest a part of me loves it, while the other part of me is sad at what I have done. Since I ruined her natural instincts, she will now remain part of the family. My long winded question here (my apologies) is when can I let the two girls co-habitat? I’ve read that adult females are fine together with plenty of space & that hatchlings are okay as long as they are the same size. I can’t find anything about an adult & a juvenile. I would hate myself forever if something went wrong & anything happened to the baby. Though I don’t really see the older female hurting her, you can never be too sure. I’ve already spent a mini fortune for each to have their own lights, repti ramps, huts, etc. (Especially combined with the cost of their veggies/fruits, pellets, insects, vitamins, calcium supplements & eye preventatives) and can keep them separate. But, I know that even though they aren’t pack animals, they could benefit from each other’s company. I just need to know at what point would be the safest for that to happen?
Thanks So Much
Hi Carey!
Unfortunately I don’t have a good answer for you. My minimal experience with hatchlings is all second-hand. I know that hatchlings will sometimes attack each other & so should be housed separately for 6-ish months or so. But I’m not actually sure about housing hatchlings with adults. I would think at least the same 6 months … maybe a year? And when you do decide to try, keep an eye on them to see how they get along. Maybe someone else will come along with a better answer …
I have 3 juvenile box turtles in one large container. the 2 largest 3 1/2 year old’s come from a Mexican box turtle mom and the smaller female from a gulf coast mom. the small turtle is afraid of her 2 sisters and will hide at feeding time. They have always been in the same crate as they hatched at around the same time. The 2 larger sisters are now fighting (trying to bite) over the food in one dish although there is a 2nd dish near by. Shall I separate the 3? The habits are so different
Hi Mary!
So they’ve been living together peacefully for 3-1/2 years & now are having issues? Are you sure they’re all females?
At any rare, from what you’ve said I think I would at least move the smaller one to her own space. She needs to eat!
For the other 2, can you try simply moving one to the 2nd dish when they try to eat out of the same dish? I don’t know if that’ll work, and if it does it may take a few tries before they go along with hit. Obviously you’ll want to make sure they’re both getting their fill of food while trying this. If one or both is in danger of getting hurt I’d probably just separate them.
Maybe someone else who’s had more experience with this will come along & offer more insights.
Have two small female box turtles that have lived together since birth about 5-7 years ago. We brought them indoors last night as the temperature dipped quite a bit and put them in an aquarium with dirt in it and a heat lamp. Today when we put them back in their outdoor pen, one was acting very aggressive going after the other one and even had its leg in its mouth. I assume that they may have been hungry so I put some food in there with them and the aggressive one went straight for the food so I hope that was it. Any suggestions if it keeps up or why it is happening?
Hi Charles!
Females usually get along ok, so I’m not sure why 2 that had been living peacefully would suddenly have an issue. But my first thought is if you’re sure they’re both female? Sexual maturity usually occurs at about 5-10 years of age. Exactly where your pair are at. So is it possible the aggressive one is male? Chasing and biting are pretty common mating behaviors.
Do Western Box Turtles eat less during the summer? My turtle is about 3 years old, lives alone, and lives indoors during the winter and outside in the summer under a covered roof. Last year the turtle ate very well during the summer, eagerly going for the live mealworms and fresh and dry food as soon as I put it in the enclosure. Over the winter, the turtle also ate well. I put the turtle in the outdoor enclosure in March and have noticed a 50% decrease in food consumption. The turtle is active and appears healthy. The turtle has a 6′ X 4′ enclosure and shares it with large potted pots so the turtle can’t reach the plants to eat them. I keep the area moist and the turtle has a hide and a large pan to soak in always available.
Any ideas about why the turtle is eating less? Thanks in advance. Linda
Hi Linda,
No, I’ve never heard box turtles of any kind eating less during summer. Summer is when they’re active & eating enough to go about their lives & then survive their winter hibernation/brumation! I know you aren’t hibernating yours, but as far as I know that shouldn’t affect summer eating. If the weather is too hot & dry for them they’ll estivate (similar to hibernation), but you say yours is active & you keep the enclosure moist.
We do have a page of tips here for when a box turtle isn’t eating. But I’m not sure how much they really apply to your situation.
Are you sure turtle isn’t finding insects & grubs in the enclosure to eat? That would be my first thought. If turtle’s already full it’s not going to be as interested in what you put out. But if you’re sure that’s not the case (or you can’t be sure one way or the other) I’d suggest a vet visit to rule out any illness. I hope it’s just a temporary phase for your turtle.