Ornate Box Turtle suddenly trying to bite

Question
Hello,

I've have my Western Ornate Box turtle for about 8 years now.  Only within the last few days he's been acting aggressive, trying to bite, when anything gets near his indoor aquarium.  A friend is visiting and they brought their Shiatsu with them.  Shortly after they arrived my turtle tries running after the dog to bite it.  Now when I put my finger in front of the cage or in front of him he lunges at it.  Is this something temporary or will he continue to do this?

Thanks.

Answer
It could be that it is sexually mature now (if you got it very young) and feels this is all an invasion in its territory.

It could also be that turtles and dogs are a bad mix in the best of times (dogs see turtles as self-propelled chew toys), and meeting the dog has upset the turtle.

I have also seen turtles that have been kept indoors for a long time just start acting oddly. Sometimes it goes away if they are kept outside or allowed to hibernate. The more 'normally' the turtle is kept, the less this usually occurs.

It is getting late in the year, but I would try to give him an outside pen, even if only for several hours a day. I would also research hibernation and think about that. It seems to me after research and experience that land turtles that hibernate in the wild do best when they are allowed to hibernate in captivity- even though hibernation can be tough to do safely.

You can try http://www.boxturtlesite.info to see what they suggest, or go to http://www.turtleforum.com to talk to other turtle keepers.