Box turtle

[Bushbeater]

there's a good turtle article in the August Mo Conservationist, it says they may live up to 80 years.

[Terrierman]

Stopped more than a few times to move turtles of all stripes out of the road.  They're cool animals.

[snagged in outlet 3]

People in the suburbs would keep them in the basement to eat the bugs. 

[tjm]

Adults eat mostly vegetable matter, so feeding them bugs is starving them. They eat worms and insects as juveniles and change as they get older they will eat the heck out strawberries.

[Coosa]

They demolish tomatoes and sweet corn

[Deadstream]

They will sit up and smile for McDonald French Fries.  Small fruits and cherry tomatoes make them come "running"   Have kept them for years while in Missouri, if I didn't travel I would still have some. I'm pretty sure its illegal.   The Teste Feste in Olean, Missouri used to have turtle races,  what fun.

[fishinwrench]

2 hours ago, Deadstream said:

The Teste Feste in Olean, Missouri used to have turtle races,  what fun.

The tortise race on Gilligan's island was my first clue that the Noah's ark story was made up.   🤔

[Quillback]

10 hours ago, Coosa said:

They demolish tomatoes and sweet corn

And cantaloupe.  

[snagged in outlet 3]

13 hours ago, tjm said:

Adults eat mostly vegetable matter, so feeding them bugs is starving them. They eat worms and insects as juveniles and change as they get older they will eat the heck out strawberries.

Had several neighbors that kept them for years in their basements. 

[Johnsfolly]

They are cool if keep them for the short period of time, they tend not to do well long term unless folks put in the effort to get them to hibernate. I had a friend in graduate school that would feed his eastern box turtle pinkies (i.e., hairless baby mice). My friend would take the turtle out and place it on the floor then put a pinkie about ten feet away. Once he spotted it, that turtle would sprint to get those mice. It was pretty gruesome after that .