Might be getting box turtles

[badkitty]

Hello
I might be getting 2 ttbt from my mother in law, they are almost 2 years old but only about 2 inches. Is that normal growth for a box turtle?
Also with them being so small should I keep them indoors or build an outdoor enclosure for them? In the past I had 1 adult box turtle but these as so small!!
Thanks in advance

 

[Yvonne G]

They would have to be protected from birds carrying them off, but outside should always be the first choice. All my baby box turtles live outside in safe, secure habitats, with water always available to them.

 

[badkitty]

Thanks for the input,yeah I would prefer them outside too.
I'm thinking of using a kiddie pool with some holes on the bottom .
Just not sure to to make a secure top? I'll keep searching through threads...

 

[lisa127]

Two inches seems a bit small for two years old. I have a three toed that is turning 1 year old this month and he is 3 inches SCL. Admittedly, he is large for his age though. Two inches is probably what he should be. I'm sure they are fine though. They all grow at different rates based on different factors. Do you have pics? I keep mine indoors for now with him being so young. By next spring he will have an outdoor enclosure for during the day (since he will be older/bigger) and I will bring him in overnight.

 

[badkitty]

Not really exact on the age I know they are at least 1 years old.
I have no pics ,I visited them yesterday and they were very active and even let me rub their heads.
I wanted to get everything built first before I brought them to my house.

 

[lisa127]

If you don't know their exact ages and their SCL is really only two inches, I'd say they are closer to a year old.

 

[AustinASU]

With any box turtle, i wouldn't even put them in a swimming pool. Come winter time they will need at least 12in to dig and hibernate. Where exactly do you live and what is your ground temp normally at during winter months, because if it becomes to cold you may have to put them in a box in a fridgerator to be safe. Bringing them inside in a aquarium will definitely stunt their growth too.

 

[Saloli]

With any box turtle, i wouldn't even put them in a swimming pool. Come winter time they will need at least 12in to dig and hibernate. Where exactly do you live and what is your ground temp normally at during winter months, because if it becomes to cold you may have to put them in a box in a fridgerator to be safe. Bringing them inside in a aquarium will definitely stunt their growth too.

Why do you think bring them inside would stuns their growth? If given proper lighting, food and environment skipping winter brumation has been shown to speed up growth. Thus neonates reach larger sizes then they would have had they gone dormant as they would still grow.

 

[badkitty]

With any box turtle, i wouldn't even put them in a swimming pool. Come winter time they will need at least 12in to dig and hibernate. Where exactly do you live and what is your ground temp normally at during winter months, because if it becomes to cold you may have to put them in a box in a fridgerator to be safe. Bringing them inside in a aquarium will definitely stunt their growth too.

I live in Phoenix AZ, we don't get cold enough for snow and all of my mother in law's box turtles are outside even the babies year round and they all hibernate fine.

 

[badkitty]

Well looked like It's a no go on the boxies, I'll just keep looking around. Thanks for all the info, very much appreciated.