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What Not to Use as Box Turtle Bedding

It's best to give your box turtles a soft floor in their home, but not all materials are safe to use with them. Some can even be toxic.

Soil, leaf mulch and wood chips are good choices for your turtle's floor. The choice is up to you, but here are some things to keep in mind about these materials.

Choose plain potting soil or topsoil. It should not contain any:

  • Perlite: A type of volcanic rock that looks like small pebbles
  • Vermiculite: A type of mica that has been treated to expand
  • Styrofoam: A polystyrene (plastic) foam

Some box turtles will seek out and eat these additives, which can cause digestive problems and even impaction(blocked intestines).

Other substrates that can cause gut impactions include gravel, silica or calcium sand.

Avoid anything too coarse, which can scratch your turtle. Scratches can lead to infections, including shell infections.

Wood chips or shavings are ok, as long as they are not pine bark or cedar. These woods contain aromatic oils that are toxic and can cause respiratory problems in reptiles. Some turtles may even die from them.

Box turtle experts also recommend avoiding commercial products like:

  • Recycled newspaper
  • Walnut shells
  • Aspen shavings
  • Rodent pellet bedding
  • Cat litter

Also, reptile carpet is not suitable for box turtles. It doesn't stay moist, and your turtle can't dig into it to hide.

A plain floor without a substrate is better than an unsafe substrate. That's not a good long-term solution, of course, but if you can't find a suitable substrate right away, your turtles can do without for a little while.



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Please note: The information on this site is not veterinary advice, and we are not veterinarians. Even box turtle experts don't completely agree on how best to care for these animals or how to best meet their needs. Use your best judgement when using the information on this site, and understand that it is not a substitute for veterinary advice or common sense.


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