Advice please...

mrsk's2turtles

New Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2015
Messages
3
Hello! I have a few questions that I am hoping to get some advice on. I have acquired an adult (5-6 yo) eastern box turtle whose owner passed away. Her husband was trying to care for it, and bless his heart, he was trying but not doing very well. He had gotten Tucker a new habitat (a 10-gallon aquarium) and substrate (reptile sand), and was giving him water and food on little plastic lids. When I got him his nictitating membranes (third eyelid) were all swollen and irritated (probably from sand/low humidity I am guessing). I am planning to get him into a more suitable long-term enclosure as soon as possible, but it may be a few months. I am going to build him a wooden enclosure 6'x2', or I have a lead on a (FREE) reptile tank that is 6'x20"x18".

In the meantime I am making do with a 20 gallon long tank (30"x12"x12"). I've got Forest Floor (cypress mulch) for his substrate (4" deep at one end, tapered to about 1" at the end with his wading pool and food dish) and a piece of cork bark around his water bowl so he doesn't drag so much mulch into it when he soaks. I bought a dual-light fixture and a UVB bulb, and have a 75 watt incandescent in the other side for a basking light. Since then I have been reading this forum, and I know I will need to replace the UVB bulb because it is the CFL type which sounds like it could actually be bad for his eyes(?). So myquestions are:

1. Can I/Should I get a UVB strip CFL for this fixture? (I am attaching a picture of the aquarium fixture that a friend gave me to fit this tank) Would this one be good? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=1445714658&ref_=sr_1_8&s=pet-supplies&sr=1-8
If I did use this for the UVB, how would I position a basking fixture? I do have several clamp-lamps I could use if I needed to, but where should I put it if the strip light is covering 1/2 the tank top? I can't read the whol lable on the bulb that is in there now, so I'm not even sure what type of bulb the fixture will accept...can anyone tell from the part I could take a picture of?
img_2394-jpg.153571
img_2395-jpg.153572
img_2398-jpg.153573
img_2399-jpg.153574
img_2400-jpg.153575


2. Should I switch the 75 watt bulb out for either of these bulbs? (attaching a picture of choices (48w halogen flood PAR30 or 45w directional R20)

I don't have a temperature gun, or a way to accurately gauge temp right now, so I am looking for your best guess as to what would be appropriate. The lights hang about 10" from the top of his shell when he is directly underneath. Oh, and do you think the mesh I have over the top (to keep him from climbing out) is interefering with the UVB getting to him?

I know that his enclosure is too small for him right now, and I am planning to fix that as soon as possible, but it may be a few months and I want to get him the best set-up for now that I can. I also want to invest in lighting and equipment that will work in a larger set up as well. He will be an indoor/classroom pet for most of the year, but I plan to take him home with me over the summers so he can get some good outside time then. I live in Illinois, so he won't miss out on much good outside time by being at school during the fall/winter/early spring. My classroom stays about 68-73 degrees year-round, if that helps with diagnosing the heating needs. I can look into an under-tank heater or heat rock for under his mulch if I need to for his bigger tank. My biggest concern right now is the long-term UVB solution, as well as a short-term basking/heating solution. Any other advice/input would be appreciated as well. Oh, and does anyone have a solution/suggestion for covering the glass walls of an aquarium so as to reduce the stress on Tucker? Right now I have a mesh screen on the outside which seems to help a little, but I don't know if there is a better idea out there.

I had two box turtles (3-toed) when I was a kid, and currently have a RES (Moto) in my classroom as well, so I am sort-of comfortable with keeping turtles, but I want to make sure I am doing right by this little guy. Thanks so much in advance!

P.S. Does anyone have a suggestion/recommendation for a temperature gun? I looked at one Home Depot this weekend, but I wasn't sure if it was a good one...

Sorry about the novel!
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,389
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
I'm just going to say it like it is, and not *****-foot around. I'm not accusing you of poor care, but rather just saying what's good for the turtle.

Buy a great big plastic tub. You want one with a real big floor space, not one with tall sides. You can even buy two, cut out opposing ends and put them together to make one great big one. Even a 20 gallon aquarium is too small for a full grown box turtle. By the time a box turtle gets to be full grown, most keepers have them set up outside.

Screen over the top of a habitat doesn't allow the beneficial UVB rays to penetrate. It also cuts off some of the heat you're trying to get in. Because box turtles eat "meat" having a UVB light over them isn't as important as having that same light over a tortoise who doesn't eat meat. Your turtle will get some of his vitamin d3 needs from his food. If you want to screen the top to keep kids' sticky fingers off the turtle, use a wire screen with bigger openings, something like hardware cloth.

In my opinion, you can get by with a 100 watt incandescent bulb for heat. Take a look at some of Terryo's box turtle enclosures. Her box turtles live in box turtle heaven.

I'm not a fan of having a turtle in a classroom. Kids are not always the kindest creatures on the planet, and a teacher can't watch them every minute. What happens after hours when the lights are turned off all over the school? On weekends? Your turtle needs his heat 24/7, not just from 8-3.

I think I'm seeing a compact fluorescent bulb peeking out of that light fixture. Those are hard on the animal's eyes and don't provide enough UVB to compensate for the pain the turtle endures.

Ok, so here it is. I think this turtle needs to be set up in a real large plastic tub for this winter, then moved outside in the spring, to live the rest of his life outside where it's a more natural place for him to be. (Terryo lives in N.Y. and her box turtles are under a couple feet of snow in the winter). If you want a classroom pet, get something that can live in that environment, but not a turtle.
 

terryo

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
8,975
Location (City and/or State)
Staten Island, New York
I'm afraid I have to agree with Yvonne. The only turtles I keep inside are babies who are too young to go outside and those that were given to me and are not healthy enough to hibernate outside in the Winter here. If you have a small yard or even a terrace, or patio that you can make that wooden enclosure you were telling us about, it would be wonderful for your turtle. You can bring him in for the Winter if your yard isn't big enough for a little turtle garden. I know people who have planters in their yard, which they turned into a little garden for their box turtle, with a few added things for the turtle's protection, and they look beautiful. Good luck!
 

New Posts

Top