Advice needed for outdoor enclosure for box turtle

[ktrent]

When I got my box turtle 5 years ago, I built an outdoor pen out of cedar for housing him outside during the summer months. I have been housing him outside in that pen every year since during the warm months and inside during the winter.

But now I am reading more about how cedar is toxic to reptiles. He has had no problems thus far. I am just concerned and confused with the HUGE amount of contradictory information available online.

The enclosure is four pieces of cedar nailed together to form a frame box, with chicken wire stapled to the bottom to prevent escape, as well as on top to prevent attacks from predators. I also built him a shelter house out of the remaining cedar wood left. Again, this was done 5 years ago (2006) and the wood is very aged and gray colored now.

Is there still any danger and should I keep using the pen for him or scrap it and build something else? Again, he is not having any health problems that I can tell associated with the cedar.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi ktrent:

Welcome to the forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

Don't worry about it. Your cedar has been weathered over the years and is not emitting any aromatic oils. We caution against using cedar, redwood, pine, etc. on indoor habitats. Outside it should be quite ok. All my box turtle pens are built of redwood grape stakes. Been using them for YEARS with no problems at all.

 

[Saloli]

yeah ceder and pine are fine as long as it is aged. I use pine bark from trees when it falls off to give the boxers that live with me something to do i pile it up

 

[ktrent]

Thank you for your replies. I have another issue that has come up. While getting the outdoor enclosure ready for the turtle, I noticed that the chicken wire on the floor of the enclosure was severly rusted and breaking up and posed a choking/impaction/foot injury hazard for the turtle. Pieces of it were breaking off and sharp points were sticking up.

So I lifted the enclosure and removed the chicken wire and decided to put down concrete pavers (24"in X 24"in) and new smaller sized fencing material (not chicken wire) with half inch square holes on top of the pavers (stapled to the bottom of the wood walls) to prevent escape. So I did that. But I noticed that the concrete pavers have a very fine dust all over them as well as very small pieces of concrete, which is normal from the pavers being moved around and them being chipped off. When I touch the surface of the pavers my hands turn white from the fine dust.

I assume the dust could pose a breathing hazard for the turtle, right? So if I hosed down the pavers with water would that remove the dust or will it continue to come off? Is it just from manufacturing? Thanks.

 

[Saloli]

the dust may also be concret residue. is the wire you used is it hardware cloth? if so if it is galvanized you can sit it directly on the ground. it shouldn't rust.

 

[ktrent]

the dust may also be concret residue. is the wire you used is it hardware cloth? if so if it is galvanized you can sit it directly on the ground. it shouldn't rust.

Yes it is hardware cloth. I don't know why they call it that because it has no resemblance to "cloth". The chicken wire that I had been using for the past 5 years was also galvanized, and was in contact with the dirt and it rusted out completely. I also have galvanized chicken wire on top of the enclosure to prevent animals from getting in and that too is beginning to rust and break in spots. I have also always been under the impression that galvanized metal won't rust, but I have seen time and time again that it does...eventually. I guess depending on environmental conditions.

I'm also hoping that it will be easier to hose down and clean the concrete pavers than bare ground. The other factor was that the old chicken wire and metal staples broke apart and is mixed in the dirt, so it would not have been safe for the turtle to be exposed to the bare ground there. Moving it was out of the question, as that was the best location for morning sun exposure and afternoon shade

 

[Laura]

are you putting any sort of dirt on top of the pavers so they can burrow or you can plants things?

 

[Saloli]

if it is poor quallity galvanizing it will rust. you can use rustolium on it for extra measure. you could use some plastic lumber to attach to the sides of the pen so you can have humus in the pen for the turtles to dig. cedar just so you know eats metal so there are special screws and staples for use with cedar.