Care for Your Box Turtle

Box turtles are small land-based turtles that can close up their shell completely. They're fascinating, independent little creatures and they should only be cared for by adults or very responsible kids. Their needs are complex, and -- being reptiles -- they're not going to like enforced cuddling and interaction, like puppies or kittens do. But if you want to take home this charming, scaly little creature, then you need to know how to care for it as well as you can. If you want to get started, then crawl over to Step 1.

Steps

Getting a Box Turtle

  1. Get your turtle from your local turtle rescue group or reptile society. Do an Internet search to find ones in your area, or check with the biology department at a nearby university. There are plenty of unwanted reptiles who need a good home. Don't give your trade to pet stores, especially since some obtain turtles through increasingly illegal "harvesting" or poaching on wetlands and other turtle habitats.[1]
    • Pet stores almost exclusively sell turtles captured from their natural habitats, and you should look for breeders and dealers instead on reputable websites, or check out rescue organizations that have turtles that need good homes.
  2. Find a good reptile vet. You can do this by asking around at reptile societies or searching on the Internet. Most vets don't know much about reptiles or other "exotics" because most of their training is concentrated on mammals. Avoid going to an average non-reptile vet when your turtle is in trouble. Dogs and cats from the "bread and butter" of a veterinary practice so a vet with a lot of knowledge about reptiles has accumulated it as a "labor of love" and is worth his or her weight in gold. Visit your vet once a year when it is healthy or when you think it is sick.
  3. Decide whether you want to care for your turtle indoors or outdoors. There are benefits for doing both. If you care for your turtle indoors, you can keep it in a large glass aquarium, which may be easier to maintain. If you care for it outdoors, you may need to make a large wooden enclosure for it (or to buy one). Indoor care is easier because you won't have to go outdoors or worry about things like temperature or other animals or elements that may affect your turtle. However, turtles are used to being in the wild and may be a little happier outdoors.[1]
    • Even if you decide to care for your turtle outdoors, you should not let it have the run of your back lawn. This is simply too dangerous and will make the turtle prone to attack by other animals.

Making a Home for Your Turtle

  1. Create an outdoor enclosure for your turtle. Make the turtle enclosure a minimum of {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} by {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} for one box turtle; bigger for more. Use smooth-sided wooden planks about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} in width. At the top of each corner, attach a triangular piece of wood that connects to each side. This will provide extra stability to your walls, and provide a "lip" over which a turtle can't climb. They always try to climb out at the corners!
  2. Consider making an indoor enclosure for your turtle instead. If you want to go the glass aquarium route, then you should get a shallow aquarium that is at least {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} large. You can also make a cage of plywood or concrete as well. The walls should be adequately high so the turtle does not crawl out. If they are high enough -- at least two feet -- then you don't need a lid. If you do have a lid, make sure there is ventilation so the turtle can breathe. Instead of the glass aquarium, you can also try for a Rubbermaid tub. These tubs and wooden boxes can be better because the sides are opaque, so your turtle won't get scared or stressed out by all of the activity he sees in the room he's in.[1]
    • Line the bottom of the cage with bedding such as sand and soil or wood chips mixed with peat moss. This is known as a humid substrate. If the substrate is drier, then your poor turtle's skin can crack.
    • Have a 75-100 watt incandescent bulb with a reflector at one end of the cage. Turtles need light to keep warm. If your room is normally 75-80 degrees, then you may not need the bulb, but put the cage near a window so the turtle gets some sunlight for at least 2-6 hours a day, while always having the option of getting out of it.
    • Tanks can be harder to clean than wooden enclosures, so be diligent when it's cleaning time.
  3. Have the right substrate. The substrate is what should be on the bottom of the enclosure, and it should give your turtle the humidity and care that he needs. For outdoor turtles, you can use a mixture of topsoil and leaves, making sure that your turtle has a place to dig into and to hide in, and that there is enough soil for hibernation. You'll have to replace the soil around the wading pool as it becomes wet, preventing danger of frost. For indoor turtles, you can use plain rabbit pellets and mix the substrate daily to keep it aired. You can also use wood chips or reptile substrate if you don't want to make your own.[1]
    • Make sure to mist the enclosure daily to keep your turtle moist.
    • Some swear by the mixture, "Bed a Beast," while others warn against it. Talk to a veterinarian or turtle carer before you make this decision.
  4. Clean the enclosure regularly. Whether you are caring for your box turtle indoors or outdoors, it's important to keep its environment clean. You have to be diligent about cleaning its bedding at last once a week, cleaning its water bowl daily, and then cleaning the entire cage once a month, using dish washing soap mixed with a few drops of bleach (just make sure the soap is ammonia free). Remove the turtle before cleaning and make sure that the soap mixture is completely gone before you put the turtle back so the chemicals in the soap or bleach do not harm him. If you use bleach and you don't dry it, it might die.
  5. Landscape the turtle enclosure. Fill his enclosure with edible plants like mint, common grass, or cooking herbs like thyme or chives. Make it an adventure playground with small logs to climb, flower pots to hide in, rocks to bask on, and of course a water bowl to soak in and drink from. Part of the enclosure must get direct sun (especially in the early morning for your turtle to bask in and warm up so he'll feel like eating) and part must have shade. Turtles appreciate a pile of cut grass that you dampen daily; they will like to burrow down and sleep there.
    • You can do this whether you are caring for your turtle outdoors or indoors.
  6. Give your turtle plenty of water. These turtles love wading in water, so make sure to have a little pool of water for your turtle to play in. Clean the water daily. If the turtle is indoors, then you should place it in the water every day to keep it from feeling too dry. They aren't the world's greatest swimmers, but if they are in an outdoor environment, then you should make a larger pond for them to swim in. Some love to swim in them for over an hour each day while others just prefer to wade -- they're like people.
    • Make sure to keep the water warm.
    • The water area should have an easy exit.
    • Put the water in a dish, pan, glass, or bowl, making sure it is at least 2" deep, deep enough for the turtle to fully enter, but not so deep that it struggles to swim.

Caring for Your Turtle

  1. Feed your turtle regularly. Adult turtles need to eat at least 3 or more times a week while young turtles must eat regularly. Turtles should be fed in the morning, and they need to eat a mixture of fruits, vegetables, and protein (50-75% of a young turtle's diet should be made up of protein; 10-20% for grown turtles). All fruits should be washed or chopped. You also need to make sure your turtle gets plenty of Vitamin A. Here are some foods that turtle love to eat:
    • Protein: snails, slugs, grasshoppers, earthworms, crickets, baby mice, canned dog food, wax worms, cicadas, or sowbugs.
    • Fruits: tomatoes, grapes, mangoes, melons, figs, pears, strawberries, plums, nectarines, raspberries, and apples.
    • Vegetables: kale, cabbage, spinach, red leaf lettuce, bok choy, pak choi, sweet potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, dandelions, and squash.
    • Foods with Vitamin A: whole mice, yellow vegetables, dark leafy greens, food dusted with calcium carbonate, lactate, citrate, or gluconate (do this every 2-4 weeks if the turtle isn't getting enough foods with Vitamin A already).
      • Know what to do if your turtle is stubborn and won't eat. Try feeding him or her bright, red, yellow, or orange foods, or live animals to stimulate his interest. Feed the turtles when they are the most active, which should be in the early morning or the late afternoon. You can also try misting the cage a bit with water before feeding.
  2. Give your turtle enough sunlight and heat. Your turtle needs some direct sunlight to metabolize Vitamin D3 and to avoid calcium deficiencies. The light won't be effective if it just passes through glass. It's recommended that your turtle gets full spectrum lighting for at least 12-14 hours a day along with other light/heat sources. The indoor enclosure should not get colder than 60°F (15°C) and should be around 70-80°F during the day (21-27°C).[2]
    • Turn off any lights at night, but provide extra heat from heat tape or heating pads if it is necessary.
  3. Know if your turtle is sick. If your turtle is sick, then you need to be able to recognize his illness as soon as possible so you can take him to the vet. Here are some things to look out for:
    • Changes in his eating or behavior for more than 2 weeks
    • Gray or whitish areas on the turtle's shell or skin
    • A softening of the shell
    • A dry or flaky shell
    • Dry, flaky, or transparent skin
    • Skin with a red tinge
    • Discharge from the nose
    • Swellings or lumps, especially over the ear
    • Foam or discharge from sides of the mouth
  4. Be prepared for a hibernation period. Your box turtle will want to hibernate during the approximately four to six months of cold weather, depending upon where you live. Get your turtle a checkup from your experienced reptile vet beforehand. Your vet is the best one to clear up all your hibernation questions. Make sure your turtle is protected from harm and that his water stays warm during this period.[3]
  5. Be gentle with your turtle. Turtles don't like a lot of handling, but you can still build a relationship with your turtle without trying to cuddle it. Turtles can bite if they are unhappy, and those bites can really hurt! If you're quiet and careful around your turtle, he will trust and love you. Come to feed him at the same time, and soon enough, you'll build up a routine and your favorite scaly critter will be waiting for you. The more you get to know each other, the stronger your relationship will be.
    • If you must pick him up, don't let his little legs flail away in empty space. Put one hand under his feet so he'll feel secure. Ideally, just have fun watching your box turtle hunt from afar. She will usually be most active in the morning and around sunset.
    • Sometimes, they like to eat from a spoon, but don't make the turtle dependent on that.
    • If you have an indoor turtle, take it outdoors on nice days. But make sure you put it in an outdoor enclosure and keep an eye on it, because they can run fast! This should excite your turtle, but make sure it doesn't get anxious by the change.
    • Wash your hands before and after handling your turtle, or your turtle's dishes. Keep yourself and your turtle happy and germ-free.

Tips

  • If your turtle won't eat, tempt her/him with the top two delicious foods for turtles: night-crawlers (turtles are drawn to their motion) and strawberries (turtles love the smell).
  • Box turtles are notorious escape-artists. Comb through your habitat for escape routes, as they climb and dig. You'd be amazed at their drive to escape.
  • Feed your turtle carrots.
  • Use UVA and UVB lighting if kept in terrarium.
  • Don't ever keep a turtle inside in a terrarium unless he's recovering from an illness or he's otherwise unfit to hibernate and you have to overwinter him in the house.
  • Find an experienced reptile vet before you get your turtle.
  • If your turtle goes into its shell, it doesn't indicate that your turtle is necessarily dead. It most likely means it is in hiding from something, or it may just be irritated.
  • Don't use a bedding that contains whole or chopped wood chips. They will irritate the skin.
  • Collect a sample of the feces to have it lab tested for salmonella.
  • If you're turtle won't eat, soak him in water for a minute or two and then try again.
  • As your turtle grows expand its home.

Warnings

  • Wash your hands with antibacterial soap after you handle turtles or change their water. Their droppings may carry salmonella and unless you have them tested by a lab you just won't know.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://turtlepuddle.org/american/boxcare.html
  2. ↑ http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare/PetCareArticle.aspx?title=Box_Turtle_Care
  3. ↑ http://www.turtlepuddle.org/kidspage/hibernation.html
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