Box turtles are one of the most popular amphibian pets, particularly for children. This is partly due to their reputation as an easy pet to care for. When treated well and housed properly, box turtles are very easy to care for, and easy to love. But as easy-going as they seem to be, box turtles do need proper and attentive care.

Box turtles get their moniker from their unique hinged shell, which allows them to completely withdraw their head and limbs, closing their shell like a box.

Bite wounds most commonly occur in reptiles when live rodents are left in cages with a reptile that does not want to eat the rodent, regardless of the reason. The rodent will then often gnaw on the reptile. Rodents may also bite in self-defense when they are seized by a reptile in any manner that fails to induce immediate death. Wounds made in self-defense tend to involve the head, mouth and face of the snake.

The most common type of burns seen in captive reptiles are thermal and are usually attributed to an abnormally hot heat source, one from which the animal cannot escape. Captive reptiles should always be provided a basking spot, but the enclosure should be large enough that the reptile may retreat to cooler areas if and when the radiating heat becomes too intense. In the wild, thermal burns may be encountered when the reptile has survived a grass or forest fire. Chemical burns may also occur, typically from cleaning solutions used to sanitize the enclosure of a captive reptile.

Bone is composed of a tough organic matrix that is greatly strengthened by deposits of calcium salts. The average compact bone contains approximately 30% matrix and 70% salts by weight. The crystalline salts are composed primarilly of calcium and phosphate.

When there is interference in the deposition of calcium salts in bone, then Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) will result. The most common cause of MBD is a dietary deficiency of calcium (Ca) or Vitamin D. Less common causes of MBD include kidney, liver, intestinal, thyroid, or parathyroid disease.