The Mystery of Johnny Sue
During the summer of 2019, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation learned more about eastern box turtles, thanks to close observation of Johnny Sue, the resident eastern box turtle at Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary. One day, the Ranger at Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary noticed something odd in the turtle enclosure. Upon inspection, the Ranger found that Johnny Sue had laid an egg. This was a surprise as Johnny Sue, although female, had been in captivity for over five years, and had not been in contact with any male box turtles at all. Some weeks later, Johnny Sue laid another egg. The eggs were not buried and did not last.
We learned that egg laying in captive box turtles is a mystery.
Many different factors could have led to Johnny Sue’s behavior. Female box turtles are capable of storing sperm for up to four years and laying fertilized eggs at the optimal time. Johnny Sue has been in captivity for at least five years, making it unlikely that the eggs she laid were fertile. She may have laid infertile eggs, just as a chicken would do.
In addition, Johnny Sue didn’t bury her eggs because she was unable to find appropriate substrate within her enclosure. Box turtles are very picky about where they lay their eggs and will search for long distances until they find just the right place if they are in the wild.