In box turtle, TT appears to regulate the development of secondary sexual characters that are essential for successful courtship.
This is important to note as some individuals of this group can be sexually ambiguous in their secondary sexual characteristics.
Additionally, to assist in the evaluation of both animal and environmental health, testosterone has also been linked to body condition, home range size, and activity in other reptiles, but this has yet to be assessed in box turtles.
In females of other turtle species, estradiol-17B (E2) generally peaks prior to vitellogenesis, with multiple peaks for multi-clutched species.
A destructive study on a limited number of box turtles suggested that ovaries reach their maximum weight in May, then reduce in June and July following ovulation in what appeared to be a single annual cycle.