Keeping More Than One Box Turtle
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 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 sonsider if you want multiple 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 overy 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 excape 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.