This was typed up with the intent for the care of Eastern Box Turtles with them being the primary box turtle I have had the experience of working with over the years. Box Turtles all have enough similarities that this guide will cover them. This is just meant to set up a frame work on how to take care of a Box Turtle, you your self will have to adjust to your own animal’s specific needs.
Indoor Housing
Box Turtles can be kept in many types of containers, tubs, glass tanks with the bottom half “blacked out”, which means they cannot see through the glass or over the border, kiddie pools, or a converted book shelf. Box Turtles are used to having large areas to walk around in, so a nice sized container for an adult is necessary, a hatchling can have something smaller, and the enclosure upgrades with their growth. Enclosures need to be deep enough that the boxy has soil to dig around and hide in, and they cannot escape. boxies need both a dry side and wet side. The wet side should be misted on a daily base to help keep humidity up. Babies should be kept inside primarly for a few years of their life, once they have reached a good 3 or so inches you can start to keep them outside more, any habitat that they are given for outside should have a nice chicken wire top so they are not predated on by larger animals.
Hides should be put in the enclosure for the boxie to go in when they want to, I have only one on the cool dry side of my tank since the wet warm side is cover in a deep layer of sphagnum moss that mine loves to hide in.
Lighting/Humidity should provide ample heat and proper light waves, I prefer the Mercury Vapor Bulbs, 100watt is what I have, they provide both the necessary light waves, and the right temps for the basking spot and over all tank temps. I keep my lamp about 6 or so inches from the substrate over the sphagnum moss on the wet side of my tank, it helps keep the humidity nice and high(preferably in the 65%-80% range). My little boxie climbs on top of her sphagnum moss when she wants to bask, and then hides herself underneath when she wants to be warm but not hot. Warm side should be in the 80F, basking about 100F, cool side needs to be in the 70F.
Substrate should be a mix of top soil, peat moss, and mulch. Focus the mulch more on the dry side, but still put some on the wet side for a bit of roughage to the wet side. Sphagnum moss on the wet side helps keep that side wet and it also provides a nice area for the boxie to hide in when they want to. Substrate should be changed out at least once a month, and the sphagnum can be baked in the oven to help re-sterilize it.
Fun Note you can mix worms in the substrate to provide entertainment for your little boxie and extra food.
Outdoor Housing
Should be a nice sized enclosure as well that again has a high enough wall that the boxie cannot escape from. If you are not doing a closed bottom outside enclosure you will have to dig down into the ground for a few inches and put a wall to prevent them from digging out and under. You can use kiddie pools, custom made outdoor wooden enclosures, a brick wall, ect the internet if full of wonderful examples on what you can do with your budget. The one at my Ecology preserve is a wooden box that is half buried into the ground with a chicken wire top.
Feeding
Boxies need a nice mixed diet of greens and protein. To much protein can cause shell and muscle problems later down the road, so it needs to be nicely mixed. Mine get feed spring green mix every day and insects (worms, crickets, wax/meal worms) every other day, fish and gastropods(snail, slugs) also make a nice source of protein, fruit on occasion (seeds removed). About once to three times a week I like to mix up a mush of Mazurie tortoise food, Zoomed Grassland tortoise food, and T-Rex Box Turtle dry pellets, this gives them extra protein, fruit, and some calcium. Food should be dusted at least once a week with a calcium powder. Food should be put on a terracotta dish to help trim the beak, mine have their in a zoomed food bowl, the whole leaves and eating the rough insects help keep the beak trim. Food bowls should be removed when they have finished eating their food to prevent a mess, you can put the bowl back with some greens if they wish to eat again later, mine eats once a day, but this will vary from turtle to turtle.
Water
Baby boxies can dry out real quick, so they always need a source of clean drinking water. A big, shallow water bowl with clean water should always be provided. Adults also need clean water as well. A warm soak once to twice a week also does not hurt, can let you have the chance to observe the health of your animal. Bowls of clean water should be provided for both outside and inside, big enough for a soak. Mine always soaks herself in her bowl every day, so I have to clean it out daily.
Health
Babies can be very difficult to get them to eat a proper diet, so they must always be watched that they are eating correctly. Dehydration is also an issue with these guys. Their nails also grow very quickly, if they do not like to dig, or do not dig enough, the nails will have to be trimmed. This is a two person job, take a nail clipper and while someone holds the foot of the boxie, gently clip the tip of the nail off, try not to take to much off since their nails are dark and the quick (the vein that runs down the nail) can be hard to see. If your boxie is ever sick move them to a hospital tank, a very warm tank(ambient temp should never drop below 82F) in a quiet room, keep humidity up for boxies. Provide more info on what ails your boxie here on the forum for more help, but this is the basic start to getting them healthy again. Shell damage should be seen to by a vet.
Pyramiding
Pyramiding is not really an issue with boxies as long as you provided the correct lighting, diet, and humidity. If you receive a boxie that has pyramiding or a soft shell, just get them set up with the proper tank and diet to try and fix what damage that can be recovered from. Always start the boxie off with low levels of calcium, calcium can be a shock to the system if they are not used to having it in their diet, and can kill them.
Indoor Housing
Box Turtles can be kept in many types of containers, tubs, glass tanks with the bottom half “blacked out”, which means they cannot see through the glass or over the border, kiddie pools, or a converted book shelf. Box Turtles are used to having large areas to walk around in, so a nice sized container for an adult is necessary, a hatchling can have something smaller, and the enclosure upgrades with their growth. Enclosures need to be deep enough that the boxy has soil to dig around and hide in, and they cannot escape. boxies need both a dry side and wet side. The wet side should be misted on a daily base to help keep humidity up. Babies should be kept inside primarly for a few years of their life, once they have reached a good 3 or so inches you can start to keep them outside more, any habitat that they are given for outside should have a nice chicken wire top so they are not predated on by larger animals.
Hides should be put in the enclosure for the boxie to go in when they want to, I have only one on the cool dry side of my tank since the wet warm side is cover in a deep layer of sphagnum moss that mine loves to hide in.
Lighting/Humidity should provide ample heat and proper light waves, I prefer the Mercury Vapor Bulbs, 100watt is what I have, they provide both the necessary light waves, and the right temps for the basking spot and over all tank temps. I keep my lamp about 6 or so inches from the substrate over the sphagnum moss on the wet side of my tank, it helps keep the humidity nice and high(preferably in the 65%-80% range). My little boxie climbs on top of her sphagnum moss when she wants to bask, and then hides herself underneath when she wants to be warm but not hot. Warm side should be in the 80F, basking about 100F, cool side needs to be in the 70F.
Substrate should be a mix of top soil, peat moss, and mulch. Focus the mulch more on the dry side, but still put some on the wet side for a bit of roughage to the wet side. Sphagnum moss on the wet side helps keep that side wet and it also provides a nice area for the boxie to hide in when they want to. Substrate should be changed out at least once a month, and the sphagnum can be baked in the oven to help re-sterilize it.
Fun Note you can mix worms in the substrate to provide entertainment for your little boxie and extra food.
Outdoor Housing
Should be a nice sized enclosure as well that again has a high enough wall that the boxie cannot escape from. If you are not doing a closed bottom outside enclosure you will have to dig down into the ground for a few inches and put a wall to prevent them from digging out and under. You can use kiddie pools, custom made outdoor wooden enclosures, a brick wall, ect the internet if full of wonderful examples on what you can do with your budget. The one at my Ecology preserve is a wooden box that is half buried into the ground with a chicken wire top.
Feeding
Boxies need a nice mixed diet of greens and protein. To much protein can cause shell and muscle problems later down the road, so it needs to be nicely mixed. Mine get feed spring green mix every day and insects (worms, crickets, wax/meal worms) every other day, fish and gastropods(snail, slugs) also make a nice source of protein, fruit on occasion (seeds removed). About once to three times a week I like to mix up a mush of Mazurie tortoise food, Zoomed Grassland tortoise food, and T-Rex Box Turtle dry pellets, this gives them extra protein, fruit, and some calcium. Food should be dusted at least once a week with a calcium powder. Food should be put on a terracotta dish to help trim the beak, mine have their in a zoomed food bowl, the whole leaves and eating the rough insects help keep the beak trim. Food bowls should be removed when they have finished eating their food to prevent a mess, you can put the bowl back with some greens if they wish to eat again later, mine eats once a day, but this will vary from turtle to turtle.
Water
Baby boxies can dry out real quick, so they always need a source of clean drinking water. A big, shallow water bowl with clean water should always be provided. Adults also need clean water as well. A warm soak once to twice a week also does not hurt, can let you have the chance to observe the health of your animal. Bowls of clean water should be provided for both outside and inside, big enough for a soak. Mine always soaks herself in her bowl every day, so I have to clean it out daily.
Health
Babies can be very difficult to get them to eat a proper diet, so they must always be watched that they are eating correctly. Dehydration is also an issue with these guys. Their nails also grow very quickly, if they do not like to dig, or do not dig enough, the nails will have to be trimmed. This is a two person job, take a nail clipper and while someone holds the foot of the boxie, gently clip the tip of the nail off, try not to take to much off since their nails are dark and the quick (the vein that runs down the nail) can be hard to see. If your boxie is ever sick move them to a hospital tank, a very warm tank(ambient temp should never drop below 82F) in a quiet room, keep humidity up for boxies. Provide more info on what ails your boxie here on the forum for more help, but this is the basic start to getting them healthy again. Shell damage should be seen to by a vet.
Pyramiding
Pyramiding is not really an issue with boxies as long as you provided the correct lighting, diet, and humidity. If you receive a boxie that has pyramiding or a soft shell, just get them set up with the proper tank and diet to try and fix what damage that can be recovered from. Always start the boxie off with low levels of calcium, calcium can be a shock to the system if they are not used to having it in their diet, and can kill them.