How to Raise a Box Turtle

Have you just found or inherited a box turtle?

Even though it is not the most common pet around, a box turtle is certainly not the most difficult of animals to raise.

With some tender loving care, you can work with nature in making a nice environment that your turtle will come to love.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Either a very large plastic box, a large aquarium, or the following:
• A three to four foot wide wire fencing mesh, with wires no more than 1/2" apart both horizontally and vertically
• Short posts for the mesh, no more than 4 feet high
• A shovel
• A large plastic bowl
• Some sticks
• A piece of ground on which you can build a pen

1. If you are using a box or large aquarium, first add some dirt, enough to cover the bottom of the box by at least 12 inches. This will give your turtle enough room to dig down and cover himself or herself.

2. Place the sticks in the box or aquarium, and any leaves you have around, along with the bowl. Burrow the bowl into the dirt until the rim of the bowl is just above the surface of the dirt. Try to imitate nature as best you can.

3. If you are building a turtle pen, dig a trench at least 12 inches deep in a circle to the exact size you want the pen. Insert the posts. Then insert the fencing mesh and unroll it all the way around. Make sure the mesh is long enough for the pen you wish to build.
   
   Make sure the mesh overlaps at the ends at least two feet, so that your pet will not escape or get caught between the sections. Use wire or fencing ties to tie the posts to the mesh and the mesh to itself where it overlaps.

4. Fill in the trench with the dirt that you removed while digging the trench. Take a hose or watering can and water the dirt until it consolidates well. Don't over water or the mesh and posts will begin to lean too much. You must make sure that the mesh will be at least 12 inches below the ground surface so that the turtle will not dig out.

5. Try to find at least one other box turtle within a few weeks so that your turtle will not be lonely.

6. 
   A bowl for a bird bath taken off its stand made a nice swimming area for this box turtle.

   Keep old sticks and leaves in the pen, wherever there is not already a lot of vegetation. This provides the turtle with a camouflage to protect him, and an insulation during the wintertime.
   
   It also attracts insects which he can eat. Do the same thing with the bowl for the pen as described above for a box or aquarium. Always make sure the bowl has water, and that you keep the water as clean as you can. The turtle uses the water for drinking, bathing, and if the bowl is large enough, swimming. Unfortunately, in the box environment at least, he will also often use the bowl as a toilet.
   
   This pen forms the habitat for his home, and he will love it if it resembles the environment with which he has been accustomed.

7. 
   The turtles in this pen built a hut for themselves out of sticks.

   Try to provide insects and worms for the turtle to find on its own. Don't make it too easy for the turtle to find them right away. You must allow the turtle to keep its foraging nature kindled, so that if you ever have to release it back to nature, it can survive.

Tips & Warnings

• Your turtle or turtles, like many reptiles, will disappear from mid-autumn to late spring. Do not be alarmed, and do not try to dig them out of the ground. This is their hibernation, which they need to survive in winter.
• If you have them inside in a box, always turn out the lights at night so that they can sleep. It needn't be pitch dark.
• You can feed them, from time to time, leftover rice, chicken, beef, fish, grapes, figs, or cat food. These are items they especially like. Don't give them spicy food. You can experiment with other fruits and see what they like.
• As long as there is a steady supply of insects and worms, you should limit other foods to twice a week.
• You may be able to find specialty turtle food products at your local pet store.
• Make sure you position them so that they get several hours of sunlight each week, but let them have a shady spot so that they don't get more sun than they want or need.
• If your turtle ever seems that it is losing too much weight despite what you feed it, you might consider setting it back free into the wild.
• Make sure you take your turtle to an open space frequently and allow it to run around freely, especially if you are using a box, an aquarium, a terrarium, or a small pen.
• Turtles can bite, so don't put your hands anywhere close to their mouth, or hold the turtle in such a way that they can reach a part of your body with their mouth. Their bites hurt. This is one of the animals in nature that is not concerned with being nice.
• You should always wash your hands after touching your turtle or his water bowl.

Resources

• Box Turtle Care

[jenng]

on 11/3/2009 GREAT ARTICLE ON How to Raise a Box Turtle 5*

[SunnyStars]

on 11/3/2009 I love how you say to get the box turtle a friend! I always do this, I can't stand to see a lonely animal! It's too unnatural!