![]() Zen Habitats 4’x2’x2′ PVC Panel Reptile Enclosure.Custom Reptile Habitats 4 Foot Reptile Enclosure.Here are some enclosures that are appropriate for housing young box turtles: Juvenile box turtles up to 4″ long should be housed in an indoor enclosure to promote optimum growth and health during this delicate phase of their lives. I recommend checking out the Facebook group DIY Reptile Enclosures for advice. While you can buy an appropriately-sized enclosure custom, it’s most cost-effective at this point to build your own. If you live in an area where it’s not appropriate to house your eastern box turtle outdoors year-round, you will need to have an appropriately-sized enclosure at the ready indoors. The wall must be at least 2′ tall and smooth enough to discourage climbing (concrete blocks work well), sunk at least 12″ into the soil to discourage burrowing escapes, and the top of the pen should covered with wide mesh (ex: chicken wire) to keep out potential predators. The pen should be placed in a location that is not too wet, with access to both shade and sunshine at all times of day, and it should have well-draining soil. It’s generally agreed by experts that it’s ideal to house your box turtle outdoors whenever possible. In metric, that’s 2m x 1m x 0.6m, or 2 square meters. They are also terrestrial, which means that they are a ground-dwelling species, so floor space is more important than vertical space.Ī good rule of thumb for housing box turtles is to use the following calculation, based on the animal’s expected adult length:Ĭonsidering that eastern box turtles max out at 8″/20cm, the minimum recommended enclosure size for one eastern box turtle is 6.5’L x 3.5’W x 2’H, or 23 square feet of floor space. And this species is very active! They will use however much space you can give them. Zoo Med Digital Combo Thermometer Humidity Gauge, x2Įastern box turtles, like other reptiles, require an enclosure that is large enough to give them adequate opportunity to explore, forage, thermoregulate, and generally exercise natural behaviors. ![]() 36″ Arcadia ProT5 or Vivarium Electronics T5 HO fixture.34″ T5 HO Arcadia 6% or Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 UVB bulb.Lutron Credenza plug-in lamp dimmer, x2.Zoo Med Combo Deep Dome Dual Lamp Fixture.75w Philips PAR30 Halogen Flood Bulb, x2.6.5’L x 3.5’W x 2’H enclosure, or larger.Some of the links in this care sheet are paid links - if you’d like to know why ReptiFiles uses paid links, visit this page. Because the equipment you will need varies based on whether it is being housed indoors or outdoors, this shopping list is for setting up an indoor enclosure for adult eastern box turtle. These are products I personally recommend for setting up a functional eastern box turtle enclosure. Note: Eastern box turtles are illegal to keep as pets in some parts of the US, so check your local laws before getting this pet! If you pay attention to providing excellent eastern box turtle care, your pet is likely to have a lifespan of 40+ years. They generally prefer moist habitats such as forest, hardwood swamp, marshy meadows, pasture, and areas near bodies of water. Mature males are generally more attractively colored than females, and may also display red irises.Įastern box turtles are native to extreme southern Ontario and the eastern United States, excluding most of Florida and the extreme northeast. This subspecies usually has a base color of dark brown, with a varied pattern of stripes, blotches and spots that may be red, yellow, orange, or some combination of the three. Eastern box turtles are 4.5-8″/11-20cm long, terrestrial reptiles with a domed shell, short legs, and a uniquely hinged plastron that allows them to tightly seal themselves inside when they feel threatened (thus the common name, “box” turtle).
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