There are several characteristics about the American Box Turtle that make it particularly vulnerable to development and wild harvest for the pet trade. Box turtles have a small home range. Research indicates that they cannot detect mates at a distance. They therefore rely on a high population density in a small area for the incidental encounters needed for breeding and sustaining their population. One 10-year study of a population with a density of 12 turtles per acre found that the population was too small and unstable to avoid a steady decline to extinction.
Most population counts show that most densities are now well below that.
Box turtles can live to be 100 years or older. Many older animals are not sexually reproductive and their presence in a population can further misrepresent the density of a viable population. Despite the long life of some turtles, very few turtles, ever reach old age due to high predation or environmental causes. Box turtles do not migrate to new locations in significant numbers to replenish habitats that have lost them. Many turtles are killed by the development of new roads or increased traffic on existing roads.