Build a Box Turtle Pen Inside
Even if your box turtle spends most of her time outside, you'll most likely need an indoor pen, too. In many areas, the winter is too cold to leave box turtles outside, and hibernating (brumating) your turtle is risky. Even in nature many turtles do not survive the winter. You may also need to keep your turtle inside all year—because you live in an apartment, you have cool weather year-round, etc.
A Good Size for Your Indoor Box Turtle Pen
In general, plan to make your indoor box turtel pen as big as you have room for. You'll find your turtles seem happier and more active when they have more space.
Philippe de Vosjoli suggests, in The Box Turtle Manual, that indoor enclosures be at least 36 inches by 12 inches for a single box turtle. Two turtles need a space at least 48 inches long. Tess Cook recommends a bit more space, at least twelve square feet for two turtles, in her book Box Turtles.
How to Build Your Indoor Box Turtle Home
You can build one from wood, use a large plastic storage container or buy a reptile aquarium (they have shorter sides than regular tanks).
If you choose to build one from wood, you'll need to waterproof it. Epoxy paint or polyurethane works well. So does lining iti with pond liner. If you do this, make sure you avoid creating folds where water can get trapped.
The Soil for Your Indoor Box Turtle Habitat
Your box turtle needs a soft "floor" for her home. The material you choose should:
- Hold moisture but not stay soggy
- Be easy to burrow into
- Be non-toxic to box turtles (read more about what not to use as box turtle substrate)
- Be easy to clean up
Peat-based potting soil works well. Spread it to about 2-3 inches across the floor of the enclosure. Other acceptable choices include orchid bark, milled coconut husk fiber or cypress mulch.
Although some people just line their box turtle pens with newspaper for easy clean-up, it's best to give your turtles something they can dig in. At least put a container of soil or other soft substrate in one corner. If you also cover the soil with somme sort of shelter, it can double as an area of extra humidity for your turtle to retreat to.
Landscape Your Indoor Box Turtle Pen
At the very least, provide a shelter and a plant or two for your box turtle. She will also need a dish of water deep enough to soak in but shallow enough that she won't drown. A flat rock as a feeding area is also a good idea. A heat lamp over one end of the pen will help her thermoregulate (control her body temperature).
These are the absolute minimum requirements to keep your box turtle happy. Many people have mjuch more elaborate set-ups, even inside. If you can do that, too, so much the better. If not, just do the best you can with the space you have, but make sure the basics are there.
Buying a Box Turtle Home
Building your own pen means you can customize it however you want. But sometimes it's easier to just buy something. Zoo Med sells just the thing. It's the Tortoise House, which can be used inside or outside. It's plenty big for one turtle, but you can also connect two houses together to give your pet more space. Or to house two turtles.
The Tortoise House is available at Amazon. And Buy.com (Rakuten shopping) also sells it
.
If you're not sure, learn more about the Tortoise House here.
For a safe way to take your indoor turtle outside for some fresh air and sunlight, you might also want the Tortoise Playpen. It's a triangle-shaped pen with wire mesh covering most of it. One end is a little wood-covered "sleeping area" where you pet can hide and find shade.
You can also find theTortoise Playpen at Amazon.
You can also compare prices and availability at PetSmart
.
Or learn more about the Tortoise Playpen in our review.