Help / ?

[doubledfight]

so i have 2 three toed box turtles , and at the moment one is just living in my back yard , and the ohter in is living in a cage that i dont like so much , -

and here are some spots in my back yard that may be good to build a cage. this part of my yard is on a hill though

and this spot is to shady.

so i was wondering if yall could help me ? how big should my cage be for 2 average size threee toed , like what deminsions , what should i use to build the walls right now i have bricks and woood,
and stuff like that PLEASE help oh and what location should i put this cage in ?

 

[Izzy]

I honestly do not know a whole lot but I would say that the bricks and wood would be okay as long as its not anything that could fall down on your little guys. Get creative though you should be able to build a pen for next to nothing if you look in the right places! Another thing I have read about on the forums is making sure that they are protected from other creatures that could get into the pen and cause harm, so lids are I would think a good idea. I think you have a great yard to build a really nice enclosure I look forward to seeing it! Good luck

 

[doubledfight]

thankks, : im trying to get creative , thinkiin , and yes i will defintally post pictures,

 

[Yvonne G]

It looks like you don't have a corner that has the wooden fence on either side of the corner. Too bad, as that would have facilitated making the pen. So, using one side as the wooden fence, then you could attach your walls to that fence and make the pen as big as you want. Personally, I would use posts and wood. I like the appearance of wooden habitat walls.

Here is an excerpt from Melissa Kaplan's care sheet on box turtles:

Placement of the enclosure is important. Don’t put it on the north or west side of a building. These sites get too little or late sunlight. The best site would be where the sun hits the enclosure early in the morning. This way the turtles can warm up from the night and begin their day as they would in the wild. The east side of a building is a good spot. Second choice would be the south side, or ideally, it would be in an area that is open on all sides. Access to sunlight is critical as turtles need it to metabolize D3, an important vitamin used for calcium uptake.

The walls of the enclosure should be high enough so the turtle cannot stretch up, grab the top and hoist itself up and over the rim. In fact, double the height you think is safe because turtles are escape artists! The sides can be made of wooden boards, plastic siding, brick or cement. Don’t use lattice or wire because the turtle can see out and will keep trying to squeeze out of the little holes. The area around the inside perimeter of the wall should be floored with recessed paving tiles or bricks so when the turtle digs at the wall it will learn that there’s no escape that way. Some people recommend sinking chicken wire down about 8 inches, but turtles will still dig holes and the chicken wire can poke out an eye or cut a foot.

The pen must be a safe haven for your box turtle. Protection from pet dogs, wild animals, birds, biting insects and small children is important. It only takes a dog a few minutes to damage or kill a turtle. If you have dogs you MUST take responsibility to protect your turtles from them. It means you may have to make modifications to the turtle's home so it is dog proof. Make the walls higher and stronger. You may even have to place a top over the turtle's pen.

The size of the enclosure should be as large as you can afford to make it. It will need enough space for all the activities box turtles like to do and for placement of the water and feeding stations. The water station can be a shallow flower pot saucer that is slightly recessed into the ground. The feeding station can be a gravel area where you can put out a shallow plate of food. The enclosure will also need to have a shady area. Plant shrubs or vegetables for shade. A hide box should be provided for each turtle. Place some sturdy logs in the pen for climbing or for digging under. By placing rocks, plants and logs in the pen, the turtles will have a varied landscape and won't be able to see each other.

I hope that is helpful for you.

 

[doubledfight]

Thanks , im still trying to get the guts to ask my mom to let me rebuild my enclosure, but im havin some ideas, would it be okay to build it like on a hill , ? and when you say about the woood walls ? like what do you mean.

 

[Jacqui]

A hill is fine. One added benefit from a hill is drainage during really heavy storms. Also a hill can sometimes catch the sun's rays and give them either an earlier or a longer spot of sunshine/warmth. I sometimes even becomes a favorite nesting spot. Then there is just the simple fact it can add another (even if subtle) form of enrichment for the turtles.

 

[doubledfight]

Ugh my dad wont let me move my turtle enclosure , he said, " no cause then i can mow , " gosh i cant stand him.

 

[Laura]

There doesnt appear to be much growing in that corner.. so I would draw something up.. make some plans and show it to your dad.. 10x10.. with a big Mulch pile so they can burrow and the worms will love it too..

 

[doubledfight]

uh , i know . but i dont knoww, . what to tell him and 10 by 10 is smaller then what i have,.
and i dont know where to put it ,