In the case of Ornate box turtles, a sexually mature male will often have a greenish color on top of the head. Sexing Your Ornate Box Turtle Please feel free to request a male or female turtle (or any combination thereof) when you order our medium and adult sized reptiles, but please be aware that we cannot guarantee the sex. If the concave exists then it is a male, in case of a female the plastron will be flat. Unlike the Eastern box turtles, the plastron of both males and females is flat. In captivity, the most common live foods used are crickets, superworms, red wigglers, earthworms, mealworms, wax … One of my male Ornate box turtles was mating with a female Ornate in their indoor pen. Males have bright red eyes; females have brown or gray eyes. The American box turtle: 90 percent of the time, male box turtles have red or orange irises while the female has brown or yellow ones. Ornate box turtles are more carnivorous than other box turtles. Male and female ornate box turtles can be distinguished by the larger size of the female and the color of the irises. The Western Ornate Box Turtle As a Pet. Male ornates often have a greenish or yellowish head. Extrinsic threats – human effects on the ornate box turtle You can tell if a box turtle is male or female by looking at the eyes. They spend most of their time, basking, foraging for food and resting. Sexing ornate box turtles can be quite difficult. The best way to tell the difference between a male and a female Ornate box turtle is by taking a close look at its back claws. These guys evolved on the plains and one of their preferred food sources was beetles and grubs in bison dung. I let them be and returned about 45 minutes later and they were separated. The male turtle usually has a concave in its plastron that makes it easier for it to climb on the female during mating. I freaked and checked them both out from tose to tail and nothing was ripped/torn/bitten. Mature male ornate box turtles have red eyes while female eyes are brown or yellow. Box turtles are brown and have either a yellow or orange pattern on their shells. Western ornate box turtle face to face, with greenish head suggesting a male. The plastron or bottom shell of a male sometimes has a slight or deep depression on it. These turtles do well in 40-50% humidity. SEXING EASTERN BOX TURTLES By: Ashley LaVere, Ann Somers Sex determination in turtles can be tricky because unless you see male genitalia or see a female laying eggs you can’t be 100% sure about a box turtle’s sex. Ornate box turtles are towards the lower end of the range. The males also have greenish colored heads with red or orange leg scales and females have brown heads with yellow leg scales. The carapace of the ornate box turtle (and its close relative the desert box turtle) is less domes than that of other box turtle species and the top is flattened. The moist dig box simulates the burrows box turtles inhabit when humidity needs to be increased. Male or Female? Males have red eyes; females have yellowish-brown eyes. Instead, a combination of features should be used to confidently assign a sex to a turtle. Female box turtles usually have brown eyes and a shorter tail with the cloaca vent closer to the body. A dig box of dirt can be offered and used to maintain a higher humidity area around 70% which allows the box turtle to regulate its own requirements.