The Ornate Box Turtle is a species of Box Turtle that can be found in the Great Plains region of the United States. It is even the state reptile of Kansas.
It is a small species of turtle that typically only grows to around 10-15cm in length.
Ornate Box Turtle Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Family
The Ornate Box Turtle belongs to the Emydidae family of turtles. This is a family that contains 10 different genera and almost 50 different species of turtle.
Some of the Asian Box Turtles were once classified as part of this family but have since been reclassified. This includes species such as the Asian Box Turtle and the Chinese Box Turtle.
Genus
The genus that this Turtle belongs to is called Terrapene. This is a genus of Western Hemisphere Box Turtle.
There are currently 5 recognised species of Box Turtle in this genus but there are also a number of different sub-species also.
The 5 species of Box Turtle in this genus are the Florida Box Turtle, the Eastern Box Turtle, the Coahuilan Box Turtle, the Spotted Box Turtle and the Ornate Box Turtle.
Turtles such as the Gulf Coast Box Turtle and the Yucatan Box Turtle are part of this genus but are actually sub-species of the Eastern Box Turtle (Common Box Turtle).
Species
The scientific name for the Ornate Box Turtle is Terrapene ornate and there are currently two recognised sub-species, the nominate species Terrapene ornate ornate and Terrapene ornate luteola.
Terrapene ornate ornate is simply known as the Ornate Box Turtle while Terrapene ornate luteola is commonly called the Desert Box Turtle.
Ornate Box Turtle Description
The Ornate Box Turtle is a relatively small species of turtle that only grows to around 10-15cm in length when fully grown.
While this is a species of turtle, it is often mistaken to be a tortoise due to its terrestrial behaviour and domed shell which makes it more similar in appearance to a tortoise.
Each segment of the shell has a radiating pattern of yellow lines on a dark brown background. This is often described as a ‘Starburst Pattern’.
The skin of the turtle is usually dark grey in color with white or yellow spots. Mature males can sometimes have green markings on their head.
It can be difficult to tell the difference between males and females but if you know what to look for, it is possible to correctly identify the sex.
Males are often smaller than females and have a large curved inner claw on their back feet. They also have a longer and thicker tail.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Ornate Box Turtle is native to the Great Plains region of the United States. It can also be found in some surrounding States as well as in part of Northern Mexico.
In the Northern portion of its range, it can be found in places such as North Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Its range extends Southward where it can be found in every state as far as Texas. It can also be found in parts of Northern Mexico in regions such as Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon.
In the Western section of its range, the Ornate Box Turtle can be found in places such as Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.
It can be found as far East as places such as Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas.
They can be found in a wide range of habitats including open woodlands, pastures and marshy meadows.
They share some of its range with other species such as the Eastern Fox Snake, the Eastern Black Kingsnake, the Rough Green Snake, the Mojave Desert Tortoise, the Sinaloan Milk Snake and the Rosy Boa.
Ornate Box Turtle as Pets
The Ornate Box Turtle can make a great pet but it is important to ensure you buy a captive bred animal. This will help ensure that the animal is healthy.
Wild caught Box Turtles are subjected to a lot of stress and dont make good pets. Some of these wild caught animals have even been known to die from the stress of captivity.
Ornate Box Turtle Housing
The best way to house an Ornate Box Turtle is to keep them in a large outdoor enclosure where they have plenty of room to move around.
However, this is only possible for people who live in a place with the correct climate for this type of turtle.
If you live in a place with cooler temperatures, you will need to house your Box Turtle in an indoor enclosure.
This enclosure will need to be as large as possible to allow the turtle to move around. A large ‘tortoise table’ type of enclosure will work well for them.
Try to offer a layer of substrate as deep as possible to allow the turtle to burrow. You should also have temporary outdoor enclosure ready for the warmer summer days.
Light and Heat
The ambient temperature in the enclosure should be around 80F with a hot spot of around 90F to allow the turtle to thermoregulate.
During the night, the temperature can drop as low as around 70F-75F as long as it is brought back up again in the morning.
These turtles need access to UVB so if you are housing them indoors you will need to use a UVB bulb in their setup.
If they are housed outdoors, your Ornate Box Turtle will receive all the UVB it needs from the sun.
Water
The behaviours of an Ornate Box Turtle are similar to a tortoise in the sense that they are terrestrial as opposed to spending their time in water.
While these turtles won’t be found swimming around a tank, fresh water is vital in order to maintain a healthy turtle.
This fresh water is for drinking as opposed to swimming in, so a small water dish is all they need. This will need to be cleaned and changed regularly.
Ornate Box Turtle Diet
The Ornate Box Turtle is omnivorous, meaning that it will eat both animal and plant-based food. This will need to be replicated in captivity.
The majority of their ‘animal food’ will come from insects. You can feed them things like Crickets, Locusts, Mealworms, Waxworms and Earthworms.
The insects should be dusted with a calcium supplement to ensure that the turtle is getting a sufficient amount of this important mineral.
They should also be fed a variety of fruit and veg. This can come in the form of grasses, dark leafy greens and other kinds of fruit and veg such as berries, mushrooms and melons.
They will also eat hard boiled eggs and ground beef. Some owners will even feed them canned cat food on occasion.