How do you keep your box turtles?

Question

I keep my 2 3-toed box turtles in a 5x2.5 foot indoor enclosure, and in the summer they live in an outdoor pen. I think the measurements are 6x7 feet for that one. I keep the temps at around 85 degrese on one side, and on the other side temps stay at around 65-70. They are feed a veried diet, but the items that stay the same ate earthworms, dandelion greens, and romaine letuse. Its hard to give a whole list of what I feed them; I keep it varied like how it would be in the wild. Please, only serious awnsers only:)

Answer 1

1.) Enlarge both pens. The suggested minimum size for a single adult three-toe is 4'x4' (many sites suggest smaller pens, but considering the wild territory is almost a football field, the real answer is definately 'the bigger the better!)

2.) Studies show that wild diets are about 75% insects and such. Again, a lot of websites suggest different ratios, but the research is pretty clear- these are insectivores that eat some vegetation opportunistically.

3.) The biggest challenge I have is indoor humidity combined with the need for fresh air. Tough to do in a larger pen. I offer a 'humidity house'- basically a large clear box with a heat lamp, plant, drip bottle, and a big hole in the side covered with a curtain of plastic strips. I use suspended jugs with slow drips to irrigate live plants in the tank, and a pile of peat moss and sand in one area to create islands of humidty, but the humidity box is still often pretty crowded!


My outdoor pen is the back yard- about 25'x50'. It has a chain-link fence that I secured with long wire 'staples' into the ground, and thresholds at the gates that seal the openings. Wherever the turtles congregate at the fence, I've reinforced it with sheets of plywood to keep them from trying to walk through the big mesh. Several tubs and paint roller trays are sunk in places for drinking and bathing. Lots of bushes and plants, an unmowed area, several digging areas, etc.

My indoor home is an 8'x4' pen raised to almost waist level. Under this is storage and a 'sand table' with greenhouse heating cables to keep the thing warm. Lots of cables in the hot zone, and progressively fewer towards the cool end.

The floor of the cage has a sunken pond (a paint roller tray) and space for some plastic sunken tubs used for digging space, live plants, etc. The humidity hut is in about the middle, and each corner has a hiding place. Some potted plants help with humidiy and shade. Lights are hung from an overhead frame with a series of timers to allow them to come on and off slowly to simulate dawn and dusk.

The entire thing is covered in a heavy plastic tent to help hold the heat and humidity in and minimize drafts.

I am working on an idea for a 'air conditioner' that would blow warm, moist, filtered air into the habitat while not introducing noise or vibrations, and a simple flapped 'valve' vent to allow old air out. I am also planning for a second 8'x4' pen to join the first in the near future. One plan is for the new space to be multi-level to oncrease the cage floor space without taking up more room!

Answer 2

The only advantage of keeping a wild animal is that it's a cheap way to fulfill a selfish want. I would hardly call that a good thing though. In most areas, it is actually illegal to remove local wildlife. Box turtles specifically are widely protected. Aside from being illegal, it's also just plain dumb. Usually the animal is literally stressed to death. If not, it often suffers from improper care. Box turtle care requirements are far from basic. They need very large enclosures with the proper heat and UVB lighting. They can not be kept in a plain old tank. They need well ventilated, custom made setups, preferably an outdoor one that is safe from predators when it is warm enough. They have specific dietary requirements. They can not thrive on turtle pellets and romaine lettuce as many are mistaken to believe. Like any animal, they need a variety, and they also need calcium supplementation to maintain proper bone strength. Also, wild animals carry a natural, manageable level of parasites in their gut. When they are overly stressed, these often get out of control. This means you'll be paying a lot in vet bills or else will have a dead turtle very shortly. As you can see, the kindest thing you can do is return the turtle to where it belongs--outside.

Answer 3

I have an ornate box turtle that I have had for19 years, I keep it in a 20 gallon tank at night and it roams around my home office in the day as I have heat lights and other stuff through out the office just for her.

Answer 4

You shouldn't keep a box turtle for a pet, you can't provide for all it's needs. There is a great article about this in the august or september issue of Missouri conservationist.

Answer 5

we keep all our turtles outside, we basically have two pens, one for adults (10x20) and a smaller one for babies (we have 16 new babies this summer) we used to try to bring them in for the winter but they really do better outside, we give a real varied diet
and feed crickets and worms and lots and lots of vegetables

Answer 6

I have nine turtle and i keep them in a big fish tank