Box Turtle
Housing
Considerations
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BOX TURTLES - HOUSING
The most suitable environment to satisfy the roaming habits of
box turtles is a large, fenced enclosure or yard. Box turtles are
escape artists and good climbers, so fences should be intact and
secure. Use of chicken wire to reinforce fences in poor repair is
recommended. The habitat should contain low bushes to provide
protection and privacy for the turtles. Shade and a shallow source
of water are essential. Some fanciers advocate use of dry leaves to
enable the box turtles to burrow.
Indoor enclosures are not nearly as desirable unless they can be
spaciously constructed. A mature box turtle should not be housed
in a small terrarium as is common practice. Terrariums can be used
as temporary housing at night for box turtles allowed outside in the
daytime. An indoor enclosure can be constructed with high wooden
sides, indoor-outdoor carpeting on its floor for ease in cleaning, and
a large terra cotta or ceramic saucer to hold drinking water. A
focal heat source (hot rock, lamp, heater) that allows the turtle to
voluntarily warm itself should be provided in an indoor habitat.
Visual security is an often overlooked aspect of captive reptile
husbandry. Many box turtles will not feed in the presence of people
and require a hiding area for this purpose and for additional
security.
Artificial sunlight is a necessity if a box turtle is housed for
long periods indoors. The Vita-Lite (Duro-Lite Lamps, Duro-Test
Corp, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071) is an acceptable substitute for
incidental sunlight. It provides the ultraviolet spectrum needed by
vertebrates for vitamin D metabolism and calcium utilization.
Incandescent light bulbs, filtered sunlight (through window glass)
and plant lights are not acceptable alternatives.
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