Box turtles are very different from all other turtle species, they look different, and they don’t live in water as the rest of them do. But what about swimming, are they as good at swimming as the rest of the turtles?
Box turtles can not swim, instead, they are able to float on the water, but they have little to no control over where they are going. Box turtles are more closely related to land tortoises than aquatic turtles and are not able to swim like other turtles.
There is a lot of confusion around this subject and a lot of people believe that box turtles can swim, but this is completely false. While they won’t go to the bottom as soon as they enter the water, this doesn’t mean that they can swim. Now let’s go over why.
Why Box Turtles Can’t Swim
Despite their name, box turtles are actually tortoises, as they have all the physical characteristics of a tortoise and none of a turtle. They also live on land, and not in lakes or ponds, as turtles do.
Here are a few pictures showing the differences between an aquatic turtle, a tortoise, and a box turtle.
The first thing that you will most likely notice when comparing a box turtle with any other turtle is that it has very different feet. Most turtles have long fingers that are connected by a webbing which helps them swim underwater.
Box turtles and tortoises have stumpier feet that are better for traversing rough terrain and are better for digging.
The next big giveaway that box turtles can’t swim, is the shape of the shell. Here is a picture of a tortoise, an aquatic turtle, and a sea turtle.
As you can see land tortoises have a dome-like shaped shell, the aquatic turtles who spend a lot of time underwater, but don’t live exclusively there have a flatter, more aerodynamic shape that allows them to move faster underwater. And finally, the sea turtle, which has a teardrop-like shell, is perfect for swimming.
And here is a picture of a box turtle.
Photo by Elizabeth Nicodemus on Flickr
As you can see the shape is far from what we would call aerodynamic, and it doesn’t do the box turtle any favor if it were to try and swim.
Box Turtles Don’t Swim, They Float
Due to a few videos that spread on the internet people got the idea that Box turtles are very good swimmers, but this is completely wrong. While they won’t sink to the bottom the minute that they hit the water, they will inevitably stop floating and sink.
As we already discussed Box turtles don’t have the best feet for swimming, so the thing that will keep them is the air inside their body. So as a result they don’t have too much control over which direction they float too.
In the wild box turtles will occasionally go into the water to cool themselves off, in general, they try not to get too deep into the water. But in some unfortunate cases, they end up taken by the water.
Here is a video showing a tortoise trying to cool itself down on a hot day and is taken by mistake by the water, lucky the cameraman shortly takes the tortoise out of the water:
You can also find videos on youtube that show people putting their tortoises in water and letting them “swim”. But what they are doing is not swimming. They are doing the same thing that a human will do when he finds himself in deep water and doesn’t know how to swim.
They will start moving their legs and arms around trying to do something to stay afloat, and they will try to find an exit as soon as possible. This is what those tortoises are also doing, it’s not swimming, it’s panicking. So if you have a box turtle and you want to put them in the water you can do it, but as long as they can stay on their feet and don’t have to struggle to stay afloat.
Box Turtles Still Need Water
Despite the fact that they don’t swim, tortoises still need to have constant access to drinking water. And during the summer a small container with a little bit of water in which they can enter to cool themselves off is also a good idea.
Final Thoughts
So, box turtles can’t swim, instead, they can float. If you own a pet box turtle you shouldn’t put them in deep water. Instead, you can fill a small container with water that won’t go over their neck, and let it soak itself when it needs to.
While box turtles don’t live in water they do enjoy a good soak from time to time, especially on hot summer days,
But aside from this name problem, you should know that Box turtles are amazing pets, and if you were thinking of getting one you shouldn’t let this stop you.
If you have any questions about box turtles you can always use the search function of the site and type Box turtles, we have quite a few articles about them, and if you can’t find what you were looking for you can always leave a comment and I will answer you as soon as possible.
And in the end here are a few common questions that people usually have about box turtles and water.
Common Questions
How long can Box turtles survive underwater? Box turtles can’t survive more than 1 or 2 minutes underwater. Unlike aquatic turtles, tortoises are not very good at holding their breath underwater, so they can’t survive for too long.
How long can Box turtles go without water? On average a box turtle can survive between 2 and 3 days without water, without having any health problems afterward. But when hibernating, Box turtles can go up to 4 months without water.
Can I give my Box turtle tap water? In most cases, you can give your Box turtle tap water, but if the tap water isn’t safe to drink for humans it probably isn’t for turtles either. So only give the turtle water that you would also drink.
Do Box turtles live in ponds? Box turtles live near ponds, not inside the pond. As Box turtles need water in order to survive, they will live near it, but since they aren’t aquatic they won’t live in it.
How long can a Box turtle go without eating? Box turtles can easily go up to 90 days without food, but this is not necessarily good for them. They will also need a lot of sunlight and water in order to do this. If you own a pet box turtle you shouldn’t leave them without food for long periods of time.
Do tortoises drink water? Yes, tortoises need to drink water. Even if they don’t spend too much time in the water, they still need to drink it occasionally. There are no animals in the world that can survive without water.
How long can tortoises survive underwater? Tortoises can’t survive more than 1 or 2 minutes underwater. Unlike turtles, tortoises are not very good at holding their breath underwater, so they can’t survive for too long.
How long can tortoises go without water? It depends on the species, some tortoises species can go 4 or 5 months without water, while others can’t survive more than 1 or 2 months without water.
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