substrate and lights

[Ohio animal lover]

I'm getting a box turtle soon and have a few questions.

What kind of substrate is best for them? They said it's using repti bark now, should I keep it in that or change it?

Will I be able to put live food in the repti bark, you'd think the bark would be harmful to the turtle if it ate some?

What kind of UVB and heat lamps do I need?

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

i don't know that much about box turtles but i would change the substrate to something that can hold a lot of humidity, try that shredded coconut fibers or cyprus mulch. is it going to be a baby or a adult? http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/box-turtle-care-sheet.93937/

 

[leigti]

In my indoor enclosure for my Boxturtle I use a combination of coconut coir and orchid bark. I also threw in a bunch of leaves since they are now falling all over my yard I let crickets loose in there and also throw in some worms once in a while.I feed her on a terra-cotta saucer.The kind of light you need sort of depends on the size of your enclosure.you can use either long fluorescent UVB tubes plus a heat lamp or a combination heat UVB bulb called in mercury vapor bulbs. check out the box turtle section to get some ideas.

 

[Ohio animal lover]

I was thinking about mixing Eco Earth in with the repti bark. Would that be an ok substrate for the box turtle? I will be putting leaves in there too.

 

[Eric Phillips]

Hello fellow Ohioan, welcome to the forum For my box turtles indoor enclosure I use coconut coir, mushroom compost and organic soil(mainly for the plants, just alittle bit of orchid bark, and moss. I mix the bark in on only one side of the enclosure. Unlike legti, I don't let crickets loose They chew up the plants and every once in awhile will chew on the box turtles(doesn't mean not to feed them to your boxie). Nightcrawlers, sow bugs, and pill bugs are great for the substrate(keep the house clean....and keep the Box Turtle happy). I recommend baking your soil, leaves, sticks, etc. .....kills any unwanted pests in your enclosure. If your getting an Eastern Box Turtle, you will need a permit. Good Luck!

 

[leigti]

Hello fellow Ohioan, welcome to the forum For my box turtles indoor enclosure I use coconut coir, mushroom compost and organic soil(mainly for the plants, just alittle bit of orchid bark, and moss. I mix the bark in on only one side of the enclosure. Unlike legti, I don't let crickets loose They chew up the plants and every once in awhile will chew on the box turtles(doesn't mean not to feed them to your boxie). Nightcrawlers, sow bugs, and pill bugs are great for the substrate(keep the house clean....and keep the Box Turtle happy). I recommend baking your soil, leaves, sticks, etc. .....kills any unwanted pests in your enclosure. If your getting an Eastern Box Turtle, you will need a permit. Good Luck!

Now I feel bad for putting crickets in there. I usually drop in a few small to medium size ones.I had no idea they would chew on the turtle crap now I have to go try to hunt those little buggers up.of course I hadn't heard any chirping except for once, so maybe she ate them all.

 

[lismar79]

I just started my enclosure for a new box turtle and was told to try organic peat moss. Its nice and soft to dig into. I use coir and reptibark for my russian and sully and I like that too. Reptibark by itself I think would be to dry for a boxie.

 

[Yvonne G]

I use potting soil for the box turtles that I have to have in indoor habitats. Most of my box turtles live outside though. I buy the cheapest potting soil I can find, usually a store's brand name, and one that doesn't have perlite in it. Box turtles love to dig into the dirt and bury themselves. That's hard to do in bark. I also use the biggest plastic tub I can find because once I've added lots of plants, waterer, hiding places and feeding tile, there's not much room left for the turtles. For indoor box turtles I use a regular 100 watt incandescent bulb. But my indoor turtles only stay indoors during cold weather. Once it warms up I take the whole plastic tub outside and place it where it will get morning sun.