is having a box turtle illegal?

Question

found one by my house two years ago and now i have it as a pet i wanted to no if its illegal and how do i know if its a boy or gurl i think it s a boy well i gave it a boy name

Answer 1

Maybe, owning a box turtle is legal in some states, but not in Indiana.

According to Wikipedia:
“Another major threat to these animals in North America is the capture and sale of wild-born box turtles. A 3-year study in Texas indicated that over 7,000 box turtles were taken from the wild for commercial trade. A similar study in Louisiana found that in a 41-month period, nearly 30,000 box turtles were taken from the wild for resale. Once captured, turtles are often kept in poor conditions where up to half of them die. Those living long enough to be sold usually suffer from conditions such as malnutrition, dehydration, and infection. Indiana and many other states have created strict laws against collecting the turtles from the wild. In many states, it is illegal to keep them without a special permit. Collecting box turtles from the wild may cause irreversable damage in the populations, as these turtles have a low reproduction rate and have a hard time finding a mate.

Most turtle and tortoise societies recommend against box turtles as pets for small children despite their popularity as such. Box turtles are easily stressed by overhandling and require more care than is generally thought. Box turtles can be easily injured by dogs and cats so special care must be taken to protect them from household pets and neighborhood animals. Box turtles require an outdoor enclosure, consistent exposure to the sun and a varied diet. Without these, a turtle's growth can be stunted and their immune system will be weakened.

Finding box turtles in the wild and taking them as pets, even for a very short period of time, can have detrimental effects. Box turtles want to stay within the same area where they were born. If one is moved more than a half-mile from its territory, it may never find its way back; but may spend years unsystematically searching. This exposes the animal to danger and also disrupts the breeding cycle in which it would have otherwise taken part”

So you do have to be careful with keeping it alive.

“North American box turtles are omnivores. Their sharp eyes and keen sense of smell help them in finding food such as snails, insects, berries, fungi, slugs, worms, roots, flowers, fish, frogs, salamanders, various rodents, snakes, birds, and eggs. During their first five to six years, the young are primarily carnivorous while they grow. Adults tend to be mostly herbivorous, but they do not eat green leaves. Box turtles have been known to eat road-kill. Babies and young turtles need more protein and prefer a carnivorous diet, and then include more and more plant matter as they get older.”

As for the sex:
According to Happy Turtle: http://happyturtle.ms11.net/sexing.html
“Telling apart a Male from a Female can be pretty hard if the turtle is at a young stage, but easier as the turtle grows older into juveniles and adults. It doesn't really rely on age, but rather by size. This features will be easily visible on turtles of 4" or larger, depending on over all average size of your species of turtle. Note: This Male/Female information can be applied to sliders and other turtles of similar race. Not all turtles will display these features.

First off, the male turtle usually tends to have a concave plastron (bottom shell). The reason for this is because he has to stay on the female's carapace (upper shell) to breed. It would be rather hard to do this task if the shell was flat. He would be slipping and falling off of her. Another attribute the male has is a much longer and thicker shell, then that of the female. The anal hole is also usually past the carapacial rim (end of shell). He must slide his tail under hers to copulate. On some species, longer foreclaws are prevelant. ...In male Box turtles, the male tends to have red eyes. In Spotted turtles, males have tan chins and brown eyes.”

Answer 2

What you should do is turn it in to a proper care center such as an Aquauriam. Box Turtles are tropical creatures and are ment to live in the sea, not as exotic pets. I think you have to have a permit to keep that kind of pet, I'm not sure I'd research it. If it isnt illegal, and you want to keep it for good, take good care of it, research how, and have fun.