RA Name: "R2D2"

RA Diet: Berries, soft fruits, earthworms, mushrooms, and mealworms.

Hands On: YES

Range: Texas to Florida and North to New York

Habitat: Forests, moist medows and plains.

Natural Diet:  Fruits, berries, slugs and earthworms

Size: 15-27 inches, weigh 5-14 pounds. Females are larger than males.

Lifespan: 50+ years;  record 138 years!

Reproduction: Nest May- July, Lay 3-8 eggs. Females can store sperm for several years. Hatchlings may winter in the nest.

Conservation: Protected in most areas and may not be collected as pets from the wild. It takes over 30 years for nature to replace a box turtle removed from its habitat. Threatened by people illegally taking them as pets or hit by cars. A box turtle may live its entire life in an area the size of a football field.

These little turtles can eat mushrooms lethal to humans!