This wooden Zoo Med Tortoise House is big enough for most sizes of box turtle, has a lockable lid for safety and a sheltered side where you turtle can escape from the sun or rain. It’s suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. And it’s expandable so you can give your box turtle more room, or keep multiple turtles in one house.

Most reviewers like it very much. A few did have a little trouble with assembly. And connecting two together does take a little creativity. But overall the advantages seem to outweigh the disadvantages.

Keep reading for more about the Tortoise House:

Jump to the Section You’re Most Interested In:
.                 Size            Quality and Durability           Ease of Use
.                   Pros & Cons Summary           Where to Buy

Box Turtle House Size

The house is 36 inches long x 24 inches wide x 12 inches high, according to the Zoo Med website.

This is bigger than the minimum recommended size of 36 inches by 12 inches for housing one box turtle (size recommended by Philippe de Vosjoli in The Box Turtle Manual). It’s a bit shorter than the recommended 16-20 inches tall, but this recommendation is based on keeping your box turtle from climbing out of an open top. As long as you keep the top closed (and locked!) your pet can’t escape. Since it has a floor, they also can’t dig out if you’re using it outside.

A few people did complain that it was too small for their pet, but these reviewers appeared to have species of tortoise that grow bigger than the average box turtle. Even the biggest box turtles don’t get bigger than about 8 or 9 inches. Zoo Med recommends no more than two adult turtles in one house.

And the panel on one end slides up and out so you can put two houses end-to-end for more space.

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Tortoise House Quality and Durability

The reviews here are mixed. Most reviewers loved it. They said the:

• Latches close solidly
• The metal screen cover is sturdy

Some people did seem to get products that may not have been manufactured right. Others may have been damaged during storage or transport. Problems included:

• Holes not being drilled completely through
• Wood for floor was warped
• Holes didn’t always line up exactly (a couple of reviewers solved this problem by waiting until it was all put together before completely tightening everything down. That gives you a little more wiggle room to make it all fit)

Overall, even most of the people who had problems with it seemed to like to finished product. Those who were least satisfied seemed to be people who got kits with warped boards. This is understandable, but is more likely to be due to getting wet during storage or shipping. While not excusable, it seems to be a seller problem rather than a product problem.

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Ease of Use

Here again the reviews were a little mixed. Most people found it easy to assemble. It seems to take anywhere from about 10 minutes to an hour. This may depend on just how handy you are. In theory, all you need to do is insert and tighten screws. There are three different sizes, but the instructions show you which ones to use at each step. If you have to redrill holes or otherwise modify any of the pieces, you may need other tools.

Even with a few potential problems, it’s much easier than trying to build a home from scratch. Watching Zoo Med’s video tutorial might help, too.

Once assembled, the biggest complaint was that the wood warps when it gets wet. One reviewer was upset the wood got moldy. But really, that’s what wood does when it gets wet. Maybe Zoo Med should have pointed this out, but it’s not really a defect in the product. To protect the wood, either seal it before putting it together, or line the inside with plastic, then put bedding on top of the plastic. Pond liner works well.

If you’re going to be using it outside, definitely waterproof the wood. Otherwise you’ll need to bring it inside every time it rains. Of course, it’ll be easier to clean if you put down liner anyway. Just a thought.

Everyone who tried to put two houses together agrees that there’s no easy way to do it. Zoo Med does not provide any kind of connectors. This may be to give you the flexibility to disassemble them easily, but it could also give your turtle room to escape. One reviewer taped them together with duct tape. If you’re creative and/or a little handy, you should be able to solve this issue without too much trouble.

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Pros & Cons Summary

Pros:

• Generally easy to assemble. Definitely easier than building one from scratch.
• Lockable cover closes securely
• Covered “sleeping area” for privacy and shade (when using outside, put this side in the shade or it may get too warm).

 

Cons:

• Needs to be protected from water, either by sealing the wood or lining the house with pond liner, vinyl or other plastic sheet.
• You’ll need to figure out how to secure two together, since Zoo Med does not provide a way
• May be gaps where pieces don’t quite fit together

Overall, if you can use a screwdriver and have a little patience and creativity, this looks like a good investment.

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Check Price and Availability

Not all pet stores sell the tortoise house, but we found it at these sites:

• Find the Tortoise House at Amazon.com (of course!)
• When we visited, the Tortoise House was on sale at Hayneedle.

 

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