This is very important, as box turtles do need to bask. This unit has no artificial heating or lighting, and is situated in a relatively shady part of the garden, although it does catch the sun for a few hours each day. ornata ornata (Ornate box turtle) in a purpose-built outdoor environment. Certainly in central and southern Britain the climate is perfectly well suited to such an arrangement, and in my experience box turtles not only survive but positively thrive in this environment.įor the past 9 years I have maintained several different varieties of box turtle, including Terrapene carolina carolina (Carolina box turtle), T. If at all possible, aim for an outdoor terrarium. Dirty water is an ideal habitat for pathogenic bacteria and can easily lead to a severe cross-infection problem occurring within the collection.Įven if maintained with the greatest of care however, an indoor vivarium habitat is far from ideal for these North American turtles. The bathing pool should ideally be deep enough for the turtles to take a proper swim, and the water must be kept scrupulously clean. carolina triunguis ) is particularly fond of water, and really behaves as a semi-aquatic turtle. A sphagnum moss or moist leaf litter 'carpet' can help a great deal in this respect. The substrate must also be selected with a view to water retention. I found that spraying the vivarium liberally with a house-plant mister twice a day definitely helped. Should these turtles be allowed to dry out for even a short time, then trouble quickly follows. Certainly, temperatures much above this are to be avoided.īy far the most critical factor in preventing eye and ear problems in American box turtles is humidity. If you must keep Box turtles indoors, then a gentle all-round background temperature of 22 C-24 C plus a localise low intensity basking source is recommended. For some years the author maintained several box turtles in an indoor vivarium, but there were repeated incidents of eye and ear problems despite great care being taken to maintain temperature and humidity within safe limits. ![]() In my experience, it is very difficult to create indoor conditions which are entirely satisfactory. The turtles are, not surprisingly, unable to cope and suffer severe metabolic stress as a result. These turtles originate in a temperate - not tropical - climate but despite this, many owners mistakenly treat them as tropical creatures. The good news is that these problems can be eliminated almost entirely by careful environmental and dietary maintenance.Ĭontrary to much published advice, box turtles do not like extreme heat and neither can they tolerate being kept in dry environments. Many keepers had lost turtles as a result. In a recent survey of box turtle owners, more than half reported that their box turtles had experienced ear and eye problems at some stage in captivity. The result is a collection of turtles suffering from sore and swollen eyes, ear abscesses, nasal abscesses and poor skin condition. There are, however, certain conditions that cause box turtles serious problems, and unfortunately (often as a result of poor advice) many keepers unwittingly subject their turtles to precisely these conditions. ![]() Tortoise Trust Web - Avoiding problems with Box TurtlesĪmerican Box turtles of the genus Terrapene are attractive, intelligent and - if maintained properly - fairly hardy animals.
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