Some of the popular box turtles kept as pets include the eastern box turtle, three-toed box turtle, and the ornate box turtle. It is called the three-toed box turtle because its back feet have just three toes, versus four in other box turtles. Eastern Box TurtleEastern box turtles might be the most popular box turtles of the Terrapene genus. A subspecies of the common box turtle (Terrapene carolina) the Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is found throughout much of the eastern United States, as far north as Maine, down to Texas. Although the Eastern box turtle is in the Emydidae family along with terrapins, pond turtles and mud and marsh turtles, the Eastern box turtle is found on land rather than in water.