Beginner looking for advice

Status
Not open for further replies.

NewTurtleMommy

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
43
Hello! I have a new Boxie. I am new to "land" turtles as I have only ever owned aquatic turtles (sliders, softshell). We have a very large backyard and my hubby is a landscaper, so we can make a nice place, however I have questions on the process. We were planning on using cinder blocks, so would we still have to put something under ground to stop him from digging his way out? Also, I am sure this is a DUMB question, but if I let him hibernate outdoors in his pen, what if it rains? Can he drown? I am in Texas, so it may get down to freezing at night, but not too often. I am wondering if I should house him inside during the winter? I welcome any and all suggestions so I can ensure my new baby leads a great healthy life. ( by the way, he is not nameless, we are still kicking ideas around-lol)
 

terryo

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
8,975
Location (City and/or State)
Staten Island, New York
Hi...welcome. I have a few boxies, and live in NY, so the winters are pretty cold and sometimes severe here. I have a nice size turtle garden, and on one end, I loosen up the soil and add a lot of leaf litter, mix that up and add about three feet more leaf litter. On top of that end I put a board, covered with heavy pool liner, that forms a cave. It's already down in the low 60's at night, and mine have slowed down, and are not eating as much. When it gets really cold and they have dug under for the winter then I will cover the whole end of the enclosure with more pool liner, leaving an opening. I'm always nervous when letting some hibernate, and especially this year as I have some little ones that will be outside for their first winter. I have some drain pipes dug under about two feet, just in case there's a heavy rain or a lot of snow that will melt. My whole garden has a retaining wall that goes down about two feet, and that part has small stones also for drainage. Then there's about three feed of soil mixed with peat moss. I don't know if these measurements are 100 % right, as my son built it, not me, but I'm probably pretty close. You can also take them in. Lots of people don't let them stay out for the winter.
Here is the cave side. It's filled with leaf litter already. I went in the woods and cut down a lot of branches and let the leaves dry in the sun, and then pulled them off and put them in the cave. I didn't want to wait until the Fall, as I wanted them to have a place to dig under in case of bad weather.
OK...that's the cave. It goes all the way back, so there's lots of room for the 6 boxies I have
004-35.jpg


I have a hibiscus plant and ornimantal grass in front of it......it's really bigger than it looks

010-25.jpg


I hope this has helped a bit.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

New Posts

Top