My $3.30 enclosure

[SeaTurtleSwims]

I apologize if this is a completely obnoxious post, but this is my very first enclosure for my very first turtle and I'm stoked! My -as yet unnamed- adult female Eastern box turtle. It took me right around 7 hours to get this work in progress set up. Still need UVB and live plants Critiques welcome!


Phase 1: take apart old dresser that is never used. It's roughly 4ft long and 20inches wide. See cat for scale. Staple gun garbage bags on the bottom, unscrew metal bars, hammer our middle pieces.



Phase 2: add organic potting soil (cost $3.30), and leftover moss and coconut husk lying around the house. Turtle optional but not recommended at this phase.


Phase 3: Hit up your local creek and grab some rocks, sticks and drift wood! (all have been cleaned in a hot vinegar soak)

(whoa! totally sweet find with the bryozoa and crinoid fossils!)

Phase 4: Add garbage picked tidbits like decorative brick and reptile fountain (yes I raid pet store dumpsters, don't judge me lol). Look, she has a cave!

 

[turtlemanfla88]

good job please tell it is wood not pressed board because pressed board will fall apart with moisture.

 

[SeaTurtleSwims]

I think it is pressed board- that's why I layered garbage bags on the bottom to help keep it dry. Maybe I should swap out the fountain for a water bowl?

 

[turtlemanfla88]

yes i agree.

 

[wellington]

I don't know much about Box turtle housing, but looks pretty good. Maybe @terryo @Jacqui or @Yvonne G can give more tips if needed.

 

[Careym13]

I don't know anything about box turtles either...but it is a really cool looking enclosure!

 

[turtlemanfla88]

you know with the right outdoor enclosure they could stay outside all year long.

 

[SeaTurtleSwims]

you know with the right outdoor enclosure they could stay outside all year long.

That would be the ideal situation, but unfortunately I am a renter I don't have any land to keep her in an outdoor setup right now. Eventually though, that would be wonderful!

 

[kathyth]

Good job!

 

[leigti]

I think it looks pretty good, and definitely a good price. Like you said, you need some more plants, lots of plants, and a bunch of dried leaves would be good but probably hard to find this time of year. and the UVB bulb. And a heat source if you're not using a mercury vapor bulb. For water you could use a deep terra-cotta plant saucer or even a plastic paint tray sunk down into the dirt. I'm not sure how much water your type of Boxturtle likes..

 

[SeaTurtleSwims]

I think it looks pretty good, and definitely a good price. Like you said, you need some more plants, lots of plants, and a bunch of dried leaves would be good but probably hard to find this time of year. and the UVB bulb. And a heat source if you're not using a mercury vapor bulb. For water you could use a deep terra-cotta plant saucer or even a plastic paint tray sunk down into the dirt. I'm not sure how much water your type of Boxturtle likes..View attachment 141940

Yes! Adding ferns and mosses are the goal That's a great idea to add the dead leaves, thank you! There are definitely some terracotta plant saucers laying around, so I will go ahead and swap them out. Thank you!

 

[Angel Carrion]

You can plant collard greens, various kinds of clover, parsley, wild carrots, bibb, dandelion greens, mustard greens, alfalfa, red leaf or romaine or green leaf lettuce, turnip greens, and watercress. All are good foods to feed an eastern box turtle, so all would be safe as plants to grow. Also, are you going to cover the top of that to keep the humidity and temperatures up? Eastern box turtles like the humidity to be between 70-90% humidity and generally between 75-90 degrees during the day with temps in the 80's being best. Nighttime temps shouldn't drop any lower than 65. You can maintain proper humidity and temps by covering most of the top with a piece of plexi glass but leaving one side open so the lamp can shine down inside. If you put the lamp over the plexi glass, the UV benefits will not reach the turtle. Mercury Vapor Bulbs are great because they provide heat and UVA/UVB light but they are quite powerful so you should keep a distance of 12-16 inches between the bulb and the top of the turtle's shell to make sure they don't overheat or their shell doesn't burn. I recently rescued a 3toed box turtle that the previous owner had their heat lamp too close and burned the shell to the point that it scabbed up and that scabbed part fell off so she's missing a layer or three of shell at the uttermost point. If you can't find or decide to not go with the Mercury Vapor Bulb, make sure to not get a coiled UVB bulb as those cause eye problems and irritate turtle & tortoise eyes to the point of possible blindness.
I also suggest adding some sphagnum moss to add to the humidity levels as well since it can retain 20 times its dry weight in water. It can also be rinsed out and re-used. Also, you said you rent. Do you maintain your yard or does your landlord maintain the grounds? The reason I ask is because if you maintain the yard and don't use pesticides and such, you can gather the grass clippings after mowing and put those in the enclosure. My guys are outside and I pile grass clippings in a corner and put a slice of bread and/or potato peels and give it a real good watering to attract worms and such for the turtles to hunt, but I've found they also like to burrow in the pile of grass clippings, which is why I suggest it for you. It can be the summer version of fallen leaves.

 

[SeaTurtleSwims]

@Angel Carrion

Awesome ideas with the veggie planted tank and grass clippings! Great idea!

 

[SeaTurtleSwims]

Also, will be making a cover sooner than later. Was thinking wooden frame with mesh top, because I have 2 cats I will make sure to get a strip light UVB though

 

[leigti]

If that box turtle needs humanity that high your enclosure is going to fall apart very quickly. One alternative you could consider is one of these from Home Depot. I would suggest getting two of them and connecting them with a tunnel. Then you could cut holes in the lid just big enough for your lights to shine through. It would hold humidity will and will not rot away. They are not very expensive. And the height would be perfect for a mercury vapor bulb 100 W with a large dome fixture like this $10 at the hardware store or farm supply
if you choose to use a strip light and then a bulb for heat that fixture will work for the heat bald also. I would put at least one for each tote. The tote is also deep enough where you can make nice deep substrate and things for the turtle to climb on. And it will be secure from the cats. Just a suggestion and I know it does cost some money but it would work well and even two of them wouldn't take up that much space. I personally think one is too small but I did use one as a temporary enclosure when I first got my box turtle.

 

[SeaTurtleSwims]

@leigti

Perfect! Two of those would be even more surface area. Maybe this is a dumb question, but if you only cut the holes big enough for the lights, would she get enough fresh air? I've seen herpers with tote tanks cut out the center of the lid and replace with mesh, but then in this case it would hold less humidity. I guess from when I had a chameleon I just stress about poor air flow and the respiratory issues that it can cause. Maybe box turtles aren't as sensitive though?

 

[johnsonnboswell]

What I'm seeing is too many rocks on the ground. Looks cool, but not actually nice to walk on. She needs to be able to burrow, and she needs to be able to soak herself. How deep is the substrate?

Use hardware cloth to keep the cat out, and cut a hole so it doesn't block the light.

Add a leaf pile. Think forest floor, not river bank.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Night time temps can get down to 60 or so. No need for night time heat. The drop is good for them.

 

[SeaTurtleSwims]

What I'm seeing is too many rocks on the ground. Looks cool, but not actually nice to walk on. She needs to be able to burrow, and she needs to be able to soak herself. How deep is the substrate?

Use hardware cloth to keep the cat out, and cut a hole so it doesn't block the light.

Add a leaf pile. Think forest floor, not river bank.

Substrate is about 2 inches deep- added extra rocks to help keep toes filed down, but maybe went over board

 

[Angel Carrion]

Box turtles are susceptible to respiratory infections as well, but usually this happens when there is something wrong/off in the environment. For example, wet + hot = happy turtle but wet + cold = sick turtle. So if the humidity is good but temps are too low, a resp infection possibility is higher. Also, vitamin A deficiencies can cause resp infections as well. That will also present with infected and swollen eyes and snot bubbles from the nose.

A night time temp drop to 60 is acceptable, but generally you don't want it to go down past 65.

Making the substrate another 2-4 inches deep would be ideal. That would give her enough room to burrow properly. I couldn't take a close look because I was using my phone earlier, but having a lot of rocks isn't necessarily a bad thing. It would be better to have fewer rocks all over and to just have a few big flat rocks in strategic places (like one under the heat lamp as a basking rock, another as a feeding spot, some medium sized ones lining the water dish to help limit the amount of substrate dragged into the dish when she is climbing in, etc). The ones you have set up to create a 'cave' are fine, just make sure they're stable and won't fall if she bumps them or tries to climb on top of them.