Improvements for my box turtle pen?

[pinkspore]

This is my box turtle pen, it's about 10'x10'.

Currently the blue fescue is a bit taller and much thicker, and whatever birdseed was in my compost has since sprouted into some interesting weeds. That's a hibiscus in the corner, and a parsley plant along the edge that's hard to see. They have the wooden Snoopy house to hide in, along with a couple of their favorite hay huts. The pen is bounded on three sides with cement and the fourth has a couple of feet of wire mesh sunk into and across the ground.

In the fall I planted a watermelon vine that wandered all over the pen and provided lots of cover but also a lot of shade. The turtles loved it.

Right now there's no lid so I gather them up every evening and bring them indoors. It gives me a good opportunity to check on them and look for any signs of trouble. We're in the process of building wood-framed mesh lid sections and evening up the sides to keep them safe from raccoons and other predators.

The basil and watermelon plants didn't make it through the winter, so I'm planning to plant something new soon. We're a mile from the ocean in central California so it doesn't get terribly hot or cold. Any suggestions on what to plant next? Suggestions for improvements I could make?

 

[luvpetz27]

Hi and welcome to
the forum!! I like your
enclosure!!

 

[Laura]

do they have a pile of leaves, mulch to dig around in to hunt worms or hide? I hear they love that.

 

[terryo]

Your turtle garden looks great so far. I have hosta's in mine, ornamental grass. Anything that forms a bush that they can sit under and get out of the sum. I bought a very small pond in home depot. Actually it was the top of a water fall, and put some stones in it so it wasn't so deep. Also some ground cover is good. I like Creeping Jenny, although it can become evasive, but they can walk on it, and it never dies. How about an old log. I'm always looking in the woods for things. Plenty of leaf litter on one side will attract all kinds of worms and bugs for them to find. I also like wild strawberry. They love to eat all the strawberries that fall to the ground early in the Summer.

 

[pinkspore]

I love your pond! I will be looking for one of those, I'd love something a little deeper. Do you use any kind of filtration other than plants?

We have a small pile of leaves under the hibiscus, I think I'll rake up some more from my madrone tree and add a second pile for them to enjoy. Thanks for the idea everyone!

Is the Creeping Jenny the plant with the round leaves hanging over the edge of the pond? It's beautiful, I'll have to ask the local shop for something like that, they may have some ideas for something similar but less invasive if it's a problem here. I tried planting wild strawberries last year but they didn't survive being transplanted. I'll have to try again now that I've redone the whole pen with compost.

It's not in the picture, but we have a big hunk of cork bark on one side for hiding. It also attracts slugs for some reason, I stuck it in the travel tub when I brought the turtles to school today and the kids were delighted to find two slugs chilling on it.

 

[terryo]

Hosta's are great for attracting slugs too. I always see mine sitting under a hosta eating a slug. The pond is deeper in the middle. It will just about cover the top of their shells. I also have a large plant saucer on the far end near the hibernation cave for the smaller ones to soak in, although they all drink from it. When I first made the garden I threw a load of worms in the leaf pile at the end of the garden, and now there are hundreds in there.

 

[sibi]

Terry, you've got the prettiest layout for your boxies. I only have one, and he was a newborn when I found him coming out of the ground. He was headed for the streets, and I almost stepped on him; so, I took him home to help him grow a little larger before setting out back in the wild. In the meantime, I'm looking for ways to make an enclosure. Pinkspore, your enclosure is a great start. I hope you really reinforce the sides and get the top lid soon because predators like raccoons are really dangerous for your turtles.

Hosta's are great for attracting slugs too. I always see mine sitting under a hosta eating a slug. The pond is deeper in the middle. It will just about cover the top of their shells. I also have a large plant saucer on the far end near the hibernation cave for the smaller ones to soak in, although they all drink from it. When I first made the garden I threw a load of worms in the leaf pile at the end of the garden, and now there are hundreds in there.

 

[pinkspore]

Thank you for the ideas! Escher thinks the leaf piles are awesome.


I've planted strawberries and I'm waiting for the watermelon vine to sprout. We also got a new pond that's just deep enough for them to fully submerge in the middle. It's very popular.

 

[terryo]

That is fantastic! That is MY pond. I put an old pond liner in it, with some rocks at that end, that slopes down so the water wouldn't go out. I put some moss around it which will eventually grow over the edge and will make it easier for them to go in and out. I love this little pond, because you can add or take away the stones to make it deeper or more shallow. To me it's a perfect little turtle pond. I added some feeder gold fish too.