The other half is composed of adult males. The transients move only one way through the environment, with no turning back. The eastern box turtle's annual cycle begins in early April when it emerges from hibernation. Turtles will mate from May through October. Sexual maturity is related to the size of the carapace, not age.
Turtles are fully mature when their shell length is eight inches long.
After a courtship, which involves circling, biting, and shoving, the pair will mate. The female is able to produce fertilized eggs up to four years after a single mating. When she is ready to lay eggs, she will dig a nest three to four inches deep with her hind feet. Three to eight elliptically shaped eggs are laid in the depression. The female then repacks the nest.