Despite their name, Box turtles aren’t turtles, they are tortoises. While turtles and tortoises can look alike, they have very different needs, especially when it comes to water.
Box turtles need water to drink, but they don’t live in water like aquatic turtles. Box turtles live in terrariums, or enclosures, not in tanks filled with water.
For some unknown reason this tortoise species ended up being named Box turtle, and over the years this has caused a lot of unpleasant surprises for owners, and pets alike. But despite this name confusion, Box turtles can be wonderful pets, you just have to know a few things that set them apart from most turtles and tortoises.
Box Turtles Don’t Live in Water
If you were to remember only one thing from this article, it is that Box turtles don’t live in water, they only need drinking water.
As I already said Box turtles are actually tortoises, which means that their body is not made to live underwater. The simplest way to know if a turtle is aquatic is to look at its feet. Here is a close-up picture of the food of a tortoise, and of an aquatic turtle.
As you can see the aquatic turtle has webbing between it’s fingers, while the tortoise has shorter and stumpier fingers that aren’t made for swimming. The webbing of the turtle’s feet allows it to swim with ease underwater, while the feet of the tortoise is made for rough terrain.
There are a few more differences in the shape of the shell and the way they breathe, but looking at their feet is the simplest way of knowing if a turtle is aquatic or not.
If you want to know more about the differences between turtles and tortoises you can check out this article: Turtle vs Tortoise – What’s the Difference? (With Pictures).
And if you know how turtles breathe underwater you can check out this article: Do Turtles Have Gills? (How Turtles Breathe Underwater), this article is especially interesting as it covers how turtles evolved to breathe through their butts.
Box Turtles Don’t Swim, They Float ( with Video )
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 don’t try 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, It is 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 he 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 Need Drinking Water
While they don’t need a tank full of water to live in they still need drinking water, like any other living animal.
All the water that a Box turtle needs can fit in a small bowl. One important thing to consider when choosing a bowl for your turtle is that the bowl shouldn’t be too big as the turtle will struggle to reach it.
The water in the bowl should be changed at least once a day, but if you have the time you can do it more often.
I usually give my box turtle the same water that I drink, and I advise you to do the same, as they can be sensitive to the water that they drink.
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.
Final Thoughts
So Box turtles don’t live in water but they need to drink it in order to survive. The biggest problem with Box turtles is their name, if they were called Box tortoises most people would have known that they live on land and not in water.
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.
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Very good article! Just wondering, how box turtles find water to drink in the wilderness if there are no ponds close by. Example: nature preserve parks
Box turtles can find water in the wild, even if there are no ponds nearby, using various methods:
Dew and Rain: Box turtles are known to drink dewdrops or rainwater. They may collect moisture from leaves, grass, or other surfaces. After a rain shower or early in the morning when there is dew, box turtles may become more active, taking advantage of the available water.
Muddy Puddles: Turtles can dig shallow pits in moist soil or mud and drink from these makeshift puddles. During or after a rain, water accumulates in natural depressions, and box turtles may visit these spots to drink.
Plants: Some plants store water, and box turtles might consume plant material that contains moisture. Eating succulent plants or parts of certain fruits can provide hydration.
Buried Underground Springs: Box turtles are known to burrow and can sometimes access underground water sources, especially in areas with a high water table.
Moving Around: Box turtles are not tied to one spot and are known to wander in search of food and water. They can travel significant distances to locate suitable water sources.
In nature preserve parks or similar environments, box turtles adapt to the local conditions and make use of the resources available to them. If you’re trying to support a box turtle population in such an area, providing water sources like shallow dishes or pans of clean water can be helpful, especially during dry spells. Just remember to maintain the water sources to ensure they stay clean and accessible for the turtles.