some questions

[Kimo]

Ok i have a few questions for anyone here whom can answer them, about 8 years ago, i received this baby tortoise, known to many as a florida box tortoise, i've read up on these suckers, and apparently you can no longer obtain them for sale, as they have been placed on the endangered species list? basically im wondering if anyone can confirm this for me, and perhaps if any experts are out there, that may own a female (as mine is male, or so the vet tells me) that might be intrested in breeding (assuming it's not illegal) within ontario.

thnx Kimo

P.s. once i get my digi cam working i'll post pics of him

[gfisher2002]

You don't have a Florida box tortoise. There's no such thing. Unless you mean Terrapene carolina Bauri (Florida Box Turtle). These are not endangered or illegal. You can pick them up here http://www.turtle-town.com/tortoiseswoodsboxies.htm for $125 bucks. Also many other sites.

[Turtle Matt]

Contact ReptileHQ (Chris)...He breeds them in Ontario.
Matt

[ReptileHQ]

Hey thanks for the plug Matt! how are my 2 babies doing?

The U.S. does not issue CITES for turtles of the genus Terrapene(N.A. box turtles), so you cannot obtain them legally from there, meaning Turtle-town is out....

Florida box turtles(T. carolina bauri) are indeed protected in Florida because of habitat destruction and over-collection. It is illegal to field collect bauri there. Yes, they are endangered in their range.

Only captive bred are available now, so trying to keep diverse bloodlines is of upmost importance. I have managed to scrape together 5 unrelated animals over many years, they are all old and scarred up....but they are healthy and breed for me. I produce about a dozen or so a year.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me...

Chris

[ReptileHQ]

One more thing.....there are still people who refer to box turtles as "box tortoises"....even experts.... so I see nothing wrong with this terminology.