western ornate box turtles

Question
My girlfriend and I are interested in getting a pair of box turtles, but are uncertain as to what we'd like.  One of those that keeps popping up is the Western Ornate box turtle.  It seems that it would make a suitable pet for us, but I have read several places that they are not hardy and aren't recommended for captivity.  What's the deal here?  Are even captive-bred western boxies a no-go?  What's your take on this?

Answer
Ornate boxies (Terrepena ornata) are tough for beginners. Besides the climatic needs (warm, dry), and the tricky diet needs (lots of insects, some tough, fiberous plants), there is some 'missing ingrediant' for most keepers.

The average Ornate box turtle dies in captivity after a couple years of moping around. There is no agreement on why this is, but it may well be something like missing micro-nutrients in the food, a deeper need to hibernate than most turtles experience, an exceptional need for UV-B lighting, or some other element that most of us just have not hit on.

Most successful breeders are in the native range and use large outdoor pens. Of course, at least some of the 'captive bred' animals (of many species) are actually hatched in captivity from eggs found in the wild.

When a breeder has a largish lot of eggs hatching out, the Easterns generally sell the fastest for the most, then the Three-toes and some of the more unusual groups, like the Floridian or Gulf Coast. The Ornates tend to not sell as well, so he will usually have them available longer and often for less.


As for recommendations...
- the EASIEST boxie is usually the Three-toed (T. carolina triungus). They are also usually the easiest to find in most places. Fairly forgiving in their dietary and climatic needs.
- the Eastern/Carolinian Boxie (T. carolina) is a very attractive turtle that is a little trickier- the climatic needs involve more humidity- woodland, almost marshy habitats- but not actually wet.