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This topic is not to debate the ethics surrounding the subject of wild caught and captive bred turtles, it is simply a survey of behaviors observed in our turtles.

Being a biology and geology major in college, my turtles are not simply "pets". My main goal is to research as many different species as I have room and time to take care of properly. To achieve some of my goals, I have adults, hatchlings, captive bred and wild-caught turtles from as as many continents/areas/niches that can be obtained affordably. My research includes normal behaviors asscoiated with normal activities such as eating, basking, swimming, etc, but also species specific behaviors. To do this, I need to decide whether or not it is a learned behavior or a part or their natural tendencies found within the species. (nature vs. nurture)

While this my own project that I plan to have the rest of my life, I would like some input from the rest of the members of the forum. To do this, simply type an interesting behavior your turtle(s) are doing. Then, decide if it's a learned behavior (such as chasing a laser beam through a tank), or fluttering at their reflection as part of mating/dominance (instinctual/natural).

Any "learned" behaviors or natural instincts can be thought of as a type of intelligence for my study as of right now. Are captive born turtles more intelligent than wild-caught because of human intervention (i.e modern, clean, safe equipment), or are wild caught turtles with more natural intincts?

It's definitely an interesting topic. I would think they have the same intellectual capacity, though that is separate from instincts, skills and other behavior that their keepers have modified (deliberately or unintentionally).

I'm with Steve on this one. It sounds interesting. I think they have the same mental capacity, they may just appear to behave differently due to their adaptability.

I have had both wild caught, pet store and animal shows over the years. It takes longer for the wild caught to calm down than the store bought. All can be trained but it does take time and persistence. I feed all my turtles by hand to make sure they get their fair share.