Box Turtle Care
I am Chad. I love animals and I especially love turtles! I am currently a member of the Sacramento Turtle and Tortoise Club. I have three box turtles and have only had them for about a year. I didn't know much about the care of these turtles when I first bought them and in the past year I have learned so much about them that I wanted to share the information with anyone who needed it. Box turtles require constant care. They make great pets and all of the work is worth it!
HOUSING: Box turtles are OUTDOOR animals. They don't live in small cages or aquariums. They can live just fine if they stay outside (unless you live where it snows a lot.) A pen can be built inexpensively for the turtles to live in. If the area you live in has cats, raccoons, or opossums then the pen should be completely sealed off (a "lid" or "cover" over the top of the pen will do.) Make sure that the sides of the pen go a foot or two into the ground so that the turtles don't dig their way out! The pen should include a "hut" that the turtles can hide in and a shallow bowl or dish for the turtles to soak in. The housing may include plants (only harmless ones), basking rocks, and weeds or grass. Then the pen should be complete!
DIET: Box turtles are carnivores. That means they eat meat. They can also eat other fruits and vegetables, but meat is the main course. They can eat canned dog food, pieces of cooked chicken, worms, snails, slugs, melons, strawberries, peaches, kale, spinache, and bananas. They should also get reptile vitamins with the food.
OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF: Box Turtles do hibernate in the winter and if you leave them alone outside then they will bury themselves in the ground to sleep. If the turtle is unhealthy, then DON'T let it hibernate! It may never wake up again! Always make sure that the turtles are in top shape before they hibernate. If the pen floods when it rains, or if the area is way too cold, then the turtle can be put in a box filled with moist tissue and set in the basement or garage. They start hibernation around late October and come out around May.
If your turtle is showing signs of sickness (such as loss of appetite, runny nose, ticks, or a cracked shell), then the turtle should be taken to the vet. First of all; were you taking proper care of him? If he isn't eating then are you feeding him correctly? Is the area you live in too cold? These are some things you need to ask yourself if he gets sick.
HIBERNATION: Well, as the temperature rises and spring gets closer, most box turtles will wake up from hibernation (at least we hope they will!). I recently have been seeing my turtles pop up in the dog house and I'm going to get their pen in shape for them to go back in. I can't wait untill they're out playing and being themselves again! They probably won't be eating much for the first two weeks. But food should still be offered and water should be readily available for them. So let's hope they all do fine!
Other GREAT Sites:
This is my other site all about Russian Tortoises!
This is the BEST reference to box turtles.
Ken's Garter Snake Page
Elliott's Macaw Page
Join my turtle club here! It's Great!
This is my good friend Mike's Dragon Page
This is a great link about the cool Russian Tortoises!
