How to Care for a Box Turtle

Box turtles are mostly found in the eastern and central parts of the United States. They are quite small, mostly less than six inches, and pull back the head and legs under their shells. Taking care of box turtles is very important because they are believed to live longer in the wild and die early in captivity. Read these guidelines, especially if you are keeping a box turtle as a pet:

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Keeping the turtle

1. Get a tank that can hold at least 15 gallons of water.

2. Keep substrates, such as small-sized gravel, linoleum sheet, or soft floor tiles for the turtle to move freely.

Maintaining Temperature

3. Ensure that proper temperature is maintained in the place where you keep the box turtle.

4. Note that the temperature during the day should be in the range of 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. At night, it should not exceed 60 degrees to keep it healthy.

Feeding the Box turtle

5. Note that the diet of box turtles varies when kept in captivity or in the wild.

6. Feed the adult box turtles on alternate days and the young ones daily.

7. Offer vegetables or grass to the box turtles or the items from the readily food packets available in the market.

8. Provide live worms occasionally. Turtles living in the wild mostly survive on them.

9. Sprinkle calcium or multi-vitamins in powdered form on the food occasionally.

Tips & Warnings

• If the turtle is not exposed to light for more than 12 hours, it may stop eating and become dormant.
• Change the water regularly as turtles defecate in it.
• Place it in water for some time daily if you are keeping it in your house.
• Avoid a glass aquarium; turtles get frightened by the movement in the room.
• Do not provide the same food items every day. Offer a variety while feeding the turtle to keep it healthy.

[yumcheesy]

on 2/2/2008 i didn't know about the light being a reason for them being moody, i just thought that my turtle had attitude- he always hides from light so i'll have to experiment with forcing him to chill in sunlight... interesting, thank you

[Olorin]

on 10/1/2007 Ok article. Could be more specific.

I have a red-eared terapin and I believe glass tanks are fine! My turtle doesn't get frightened, infact she gets excited whenever someone comes into the room.

Turtles can be fun but you HAVE to make time for them like any other pet. I adopted mine from my cousin (one year younger than me) who completely neglected it and it was in pretty bad shape when I got it.

Make sure if you're going to get a turtle you read up as much as you can on their requirements.

Also you need to understand that turtles are actually descendants of dinosaurs thus they have huge life spans. My red-eared terapin is expected to live up to 80 years!